Researcher Earned Dyndrite Innovation Award
Jigar Patel received a $10,000 prize for research on reducing subsurface porosity in additive manufacturing.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Materials Science
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Jigar Patel was awarded a $10,000 innovation prize by Dyndrite for research conducted at the University of Waterloo. The project achieved significant improvements in the reliability of metal parts created through Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion.
Why it matters
The research addresses critical porosity issues that limit the adoption of additive manufacturing in industrial applications. By refining laser scan strategies, the team demonstrated a method to improve the structural integrity of manufactured components.
The researchers utilized Dyndrite LPBF Pro software to manipulate laser parameters and toolpaths at the vector level. This approach resulted in a 75% reduction in detected pores and a 40% decrease in maximum pore size within the tested parts.
The players
Jigar Patel
He is a researcher at the University of Waterloo who received the Dyndrite innovation award for his work in additive manufacturing.
Dyndrite
This Seattle-based company develops software for additive manufacturing and presented the innovation prize to encourage advancements in the field.
University of Waterloo
This Canadian institution houses the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Lab where the award-winning research was conducted.
The details
The research team at the University of Waterloo Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Lab developed new vector-level scan strategies to stabilize Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion processes. By controlling toolpaths more precisely, the study successfully mitigated subsurface porosity concerns.
Timeline
October 6, 2026: Announcement of the award winner.
The Big Picture
The study marks a shift in how engineers approach the reliability of Laser Beam Powder Bed Fusion by moving beyond traditional parameter settings. This advancement updates the standard for precision control in metal 3D printing and suggests a move toward software-defined manufacturing.
This development could lead to more reliable metal components in industries ranging from aerospace to medical devices. As these software strategies become more common, manufacturers may produce parts with higher fatigue resistance and fewer structural defects.
The takeaway
Achieving higher part density is a foundational goal for scaling additive manufacturing in high-stakes industries. Future research will likely focus on scaling these software-defined scan strategies to larger build volumes and complex geometries.
Further reading
Learn more about the latest innovations in Materials Science.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Metal Additive Manufacturing.
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