I am a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. My teaching and research are focused on discrete metal part manufacturing processes, and heat transfer as it applies to manufacturing processes. My goals are to: (1) educate/develop manufacturing engineers/workforce, and (2) build a scientific understanding of advanced manufacturing processes, develop physics-based models that can be used to improve and control these processes, and to transfer this fundamental knowledge to industry. In my lab we conduct research with a focus on where the tool meets the workpiece, whether that tool is a laser, mechanical cutting tool, friction stir tool, etc. Currently, my lab is conducting research on: friction stir welding and processing, solid-state metal additive-subtractive manufacturing (e.g., friction surfacing), multi-material laser powder bed fusion, and laser remelting surfaces for polishing, structuring, and hardening.
I am Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) and have served on the Executive Committee of the Manufacturing Engineering Division.
I am Fellow of the International Academy of Production Engineering (CIRP) and currently serve as the Chair of Scientific Technical Committee E – Electro-Physical, Chemical, Laser, and related Additive Manufacturing Processes (STC E).
I serve on the National Board of Advisors of the Knudsen Institute.
In addition to being an Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering I serve as the Director of the Manufacturing Systems Engineering Program at UW-Madison, which offers a 100% online Master of Science in Manufacturing Systems Engineering Degree.
During the 2015-2016 academic year, I was on leave from UW-Madison and served as an ASME Foundation Swanson Fellow in the Advanced Manufacturing National Program Office (now the Advanced Manufacturing Office) that is hosted by the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. I was part of the team that helped build the network of Manufacturing USA institutes.
From 2019 to 2024, I had an appointment at TU Wien (Vienna, Austria) as a Visiting Professor, funded by the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation. During this time I worked on building a strong research collaboration in advanced manufacturing research between TU Wien’s Institute for Production Engineering and Photonic Technologies (IFT) and UW-Madison.
Prof. Pfefferkorn on YouTube: https://youtu.be/I34jFTkOOqY