Haifeng Zhang, a professor in UNT's Department of Mechanical Engineering, is a co-principal investigator in a new $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. He, along with researchers at Penn State University, will develop and fabricate an in-situ sensor that will be used to assess the quality of the part and material properties of a microstructure during the additive manufacturing process. "By detecting a possible defect earlier in the process, we could revise the manufacturing parameters sooner, saving time and money," Zhang says.