Expertise: Metalforming Technology; Analysis, Simulation and Design of Metal Deformation Processes; CAD/CAM of Dies and Molds.

Dr. Altan is Professor of Industrial Engineering and Mechanical Engineering in the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University. He is internationally recognized as a leading authority on metalworking processes for discrete parts manufacturing. At Ohio State since 1986, Dr. Altan is the founder and Director of the Center for Net Shape Manufacturing established at the University. This center was originally created by the National Science Foundation as an Engineering Research Center to conduct advanced research and enhance education in precision manufacturing processes. Research at the ERC involving process analysis and CAD/CAM for design of dies and molds for metalforming, diecasting, and injection molding has been supported by over seventy industrial member-partners. Under his leadership, Ohio State has become a major national resource in manufacturing process development for discrete parts.

Prior to joining OSU, Dr. Altan spent 18 years at Battelle Institute in Columbus, where he directed pioneering research on computer simulation and analysis of forging processes that led to the first commercial finite element code for studying bulk deformation. This early computer program called ALPID later became the DEFORM program that is in wide industrial use today for metalforming process and tool/die design. While at Battelle he was also adjunct professor of industrial engineering at Ohio state from 1968 to 1986.

Dr. Altan is the author or co-author of three books and numerous articles and papers on deformation processing. He is a founding member of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of SME, and is an active member of CIRP (International College of Production Research). He is a Fellow of SME, ASME and ASM International. Among his honors are the Gold Medal from SME in 1985 and the Gold Metal from the Japanese Society of Plasticity in 1996.

Dr. Altan received his Diploma Engineering degree from the Technical University of Hanover, Germany and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California-Berkeley. He is fluent in German, French, and Turkish.