Ilya Kovalenko’s work developing ‘intelligent products’ for use in custom manufacturing is being supported by a recent U.S. National Science Foundation grant. Credit: Kelby Hochreither
NSF CAREER Award: Revolutionizing customization in manufacturing
Ilya Kovalenko to develop ‘product intelligence’ for enhancing customer experience and manufacturing individualization
Feb 18, 2025
By Ty Tkacik
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Ilya Kovalenko, assistant professor of mechanical engineering and of industrial and manufacturing engineering, earned a five-year, $689,000 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Early Career Development (CAREER) Award for a project titled, “Intelligent Products for Mass Individualization in Manufacturing Systems.”
Kovalenko discussed his goals for the project with Penn State News.
Q: What do you want to understand or solve through this project?
Kovalenko: Recent advances in manufacturing system technology alongside changing customer expectations have shifted the manufacturing sector’s focus toward mass individualization, and versatile control and automation capabilities are essential for the creation of these individualized capabilities. However, existing manufacturing system control strategies have been historically focused on coordinating system components to meet various mass production goals like minimizing downtime and eliminating waste, and, as a result, often have difficulty enabling large-scale production of unique and customized parts.
The work in this project aims to develop personalized production capabilities using the concept of intelligent products, which are composed of a physical workpiece and a corresponding product controller that store specification information, make decisions to fulfill objectives and communicate to the manufacturing system. Increasing the intelligence, autonomy and decision-making for individual intelligent parts in the system can benefit various kinds of manufacturers – from automotive plants to semiconductor fabrication labs to small job shops.
Q: How will advances in this area impact society?
Kovalenko: This project will improve the capabilities of manufacturers by developing individualization capabilities for the manufacturing sector, which is an integral portion of the U.S. economy. For consumers, manufacturing systems with mass individualization capabilities will create an enhanced customer experience and enable the development of tailored solutions based on their unique needs. From a manufacturer's perspective, mass individualization capabilities provide significant competitive advantages over manufacturers offering only a single product or product family.
This project will also focus on establishing a hands-on manufacturing technology education program to help develop the manufacturing workforce. For example, I hope to develop a workshop that teaches students engineering through disc golf. In this workshop, students will learn about how manufacturing processes and materials properties may affect the flight of the disc. Students will then be able to “test” what they learned in the field. I believe that workshops like this deepen students’ interest in engineering and its applications!
Q: Will undergraduate or graduate students contribute to this research? How?
Kovalenko: Absolutely! Currently, we have a mix of undergraduate and graduate students working at my Control and Automation for Intelligent Systems Lab in a multidisciplinary and collaborative environment. This project will provide further research, education and outreach opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students. Graduate students will focus on advancing industrial automation through intelligent products, while leveraging the latest technological advancements in control systems, AI and manufacturing systems. Undergraduate students will learn about these technological advancements, while gaining hands-on experience developing and testing new automation techniques.
Q: The NSF CAREER award not only funds a research project, but it also recognizes the potential of the recipient as a researcher, educator and leader in their field. How do you hope to fulfill that potential?
Kovalenko: I am extremely grateful for this award and will use it to lay the foundation for the initial phase of my career. Over the project's duration, I will focus on developing the fundamental knowledge required to enable individualization production capabilities in manufacturing systems and leverage those insights to develop intelligent products that are practical for the manufacturing industry. Additionally, I want to build a lasting hands-on manufacturing technology education program that engages students and learners of all ages.
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