Andrew Gleadall studied for a PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leicester from 2010 to 2013. After his PhD, he developed new design methods for hybrid manufacturing and additive manufacturing of tissue engineering scaffolds at the University of Nottingham. He created the 3D voxel modelling method “VOLCO” to predict the microscale geometry and mechanical properties of intricate 3D-printed structures. Since joining Loughborough University in 2017, he has continued to research material extrusion additive manufacturing in several areas. He developed and wrote open-source software, FullControl GCode Designer, to allow precise design for additive manufacturing. FullControl was originally created for in-house research activities, but it is now freely available to progress research into material extrusion additive manufacturing. It has been used for a wide range of applications, including process calibration, material characterisation, tissue engineering, 3D-printed electronics, pharmaceuticals, microfluidics, prosthetics, artistic creation, and to control auxiliary equipment for in-process monitoring. The range of potential materials is unlimited, so far including thermopolymers, silicone, CFRPs, ceramics, metals, hydrogels, conductive inks, and biological cells. He strives to use rigorous engineering research to drive additive manufacturing and medical manufacturing beyond the current state of the art.
