Manufacturing technology research at Chalmers dates back to the 1950s and has since gained an international reputation as a center of excellence in machining research. The group is currently led by Prof. Peter Krajnik (since 2015), and was further strengthened by the appointment of Associate Professor Dr. Amir Malakizadi in 2020 and Researcher Dr. Philipp Hoier in 2023. Our research is funded by major grants from Vinnova and the EU, as well as industrial contracts with leading manufacturing companies such as Volvo Group, Sandvik Coromant, Scania, SKF, Uddeholm, Volvo Car Corporation, Quaker Houghton, Element Six and others. Lecturer Gustav Holmqvist is the main contributor to the group's educational activities, giving lectures on a wide range of topics, including sheet metal forming, joining and non-conventional machining.
We are heavily involved in the operations of the Chalmers Centre for Metal Cutting Research (MCR), Sweden’s largest industry-academia partnership for research, professional education, and competence development in machining, grinding, and metalworking fluids.
Our goals
- Advance machining operations for high-performing materials, mainly metals.
- To be the leading research group in grinding technology in Sweden.
- Engage in interdisciplinary research with materials science and applied mechanics.
- To develop and implement education and training in manufacturing technology.
Research activities
- Multi-scale modeling and simulation of machining operations.
- Machinability studies of ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.
- Study of surface integrity in machining.
- Advancing grinding technologies and machining with abrasives.
- Understanding metalworking fluids and cooling-lubrication methods in machining.
- Digitalization of manufacturing processes and machine tools.
- Transitioning towards sustainable manufacturing practices.
Research facilities
Our group has one of the most comprehensive machining laboratories among Swedish academic institutions. Equipped with advanced CNC lathes, machining center, and high-performance surface grinder, we have the machine tools necessary for cutting-edge research:
- CNC lathes: EMCO TURN 365, Somab Optimab 500
- Machining center: MIKRON HPM 600 H
- Surface grinder: BLOHM PLANOMAT HP 408
Our cooling-lubrication capabilities include conventional flood cooling, high-pressure cooling, minimum quantity lubrication (MQL), cryogenic machining with liquid nitrogen, and a lubricated carbon dioxide system. We also have an extensive range of process-monitoring equipment, including Kistler piezoelectric dynamometers, 3-axis accelerometers, microphones, acoustic emission (AE) sensors, tap-testing kit for machine-modal analysis, and thermocouples for temperature measurement.
In addition, we have access to state-of-the-art materials characterization facilities, including optical and electron microscopy (SEM/ESEM), surface analysis techniques (AES/XPS), mechanical testing equipment, residual stress measurement equipment, surface texture characterization instruments, and heat-treatment furnaces.
The research group
- Professor, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science
- Researcher, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science
- Lecturer, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science
- Researcher, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science
- Doctoral Student, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science
- Project Assistant, Materials and Manufacture, Industrial and Materials Science