Advanced Casting Research Center (ACRC)

ACRC provides a collaborative environment in which members, faculty, and students discuss challenges in the metal casting and manufacturing industry, specifically in two main domains: (i) alloy development, and (ii) novel processes. ACRC was founded in 1985 with a small group of companies to advance the use of light metals. Over the years, ACRC has grown to be one of the larger industry-university alliances in North America and has been an exemplar for carrying out fundamental research with clear industrial applications. It consists of 35 corporate members. With ACRC now headquartered in Southern California, ACRC will expand the consortium to meet the needs of manufacturing industries on the west coast - aerospace, and major DOD OEMs. ACRC helps the industry resolve technical issues. One of the ways in which it does this is by bringing members, UCI faculty and staff together to discuss and brainstorm solutions at bi-annual meetings. Discussing technical issues with others who share similar challenges leads to quicker understandings and resolutions. Members are also able to have access to and learn from the extensive expertise and knowledge of its founder, Diran Apelian. The ACRC team consists of pioneers in materials processing, solidification processing and powder metallurgy. Areas of expertise include: Thermodynamics Kinetics Molten metal processing Aluminum alloy development Plasma deposition Spray casting/forming Semi-solid processing of metals