Bio
Dr. Andrzej Nycz is a Senior Research Staff member in the Manufacturing Robotics and Controls Research Group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). He received his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Warsaw University of Technology in 2003. In 2002, Dr. Nycz joined the Industrial Institute for Automation and Robotics in Warsaw as a research engineer, where he worked until 2005. His areas of focus included industrial machine vision and mobile robotics, with research directed towards developing new prototype machine intelligence robotic systems for the industry.
Following this, Dr. Nycz attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK), to pursue a doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering, which he completed in 2012. During his time at UTK, he conducted research in machine vision, telerobotics, and biorobotics. One of his main achievements there was the full development of a new type of dynamic imaging robot for knee implant imaging—the Tracking Fluoroscope System (TFS).
In 2013, Dr. Nycz joined the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL, where he leads the development of large-scale metal additive manufacturing. His research interests also include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation. He played a key role in developing wire-arc technology at ORNL, starting with the first additive manufacturing (AM) cell and delivering a moonshot demonstration part for Conexpo 2017 within three months. This milestone culminated in a multimillion-dollar Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between ORNL and Lincoln Electric Corporation. Furthermore, the collaboration led to the establishment of the first large-scale wire-arc additive manufacturing facility in Cleveland, OH—Lincoln Electric Additive Solutions—marking a significant advancement in the industry.
A notable outcome of his work is the development of a completely new, multi-robot, machine intelligence-driven dynamic multi-arm system called MedUSA. This innovative approach was recently recognized with an R&D 100 Award. Dr. Nycz holds multiple patents in the fields of robotics, controls, and design and boasts a strong publication record. He has received several awards at ORNL, including Special Event Awards for delivering moonshot demonstrations and the 2024 Aubin AM award for developing a high deposition process, along with the prestigious R&D 100 award.
In addition to his technical achievements, Dr. Nycz has a long history of building and leading teams and fostering collaborations. He has worked on numerous projects with external companies, including Boeing, Whirlpool, Mercury Marine, DTS, National Instruments, Lincoln Electric, Mazak, DTG, Ford, MESA, Huntington Ingalls, Scotforge, and many others.
Awards
2024 R&D 100 MedUSA: Large-Scale Multiagent Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing
2024 Runner up for SME Aubin AM Case Study Award for Breaking the 100 lb/h Barrier via Multi-agent Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing
2019 Special Event Award, Rocket Nose Cone
2018 Technology Commercialization Award, Technology transfer to Aquila
2017 Special Event Award Additively Manufactured Excavator, CONEXPO.
2016 Special Event Award, Boeing 3D printed tool
2015 Special Event Award, 3D Printed Cobra
Professional Service
Manufacturing and Materials Joining Innovation Center, Chair of Controls and AM Thrust
National Instruments, Customer Advisory Board
UTK: Capstone Design Project, Mentor
America Makes & ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative
Structural Reliability Partnership
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
American Welding Society, D20 committee
Society of Manufacturing Engineers