At the Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) and Missouri Protoplex, the team is proud to introduce Elias Snider, a manufacturing engineer whose passion for engineering and innovative problem-solving is making a significant impact.
Elias’s interest in engineering began at a very early age, driven by his fascination with STEM, particularly physics and math. “I wanted to be an engineer from a very early age,” he recalls. This passion led him to pursue mechanical engineering at Missouri S&T, where he completed a master’s degree with an emphasis on controls applications for additive manufacturing.
Joining CAM and Missouri Protoplex was a natural progression for Elias, who loved doing research during his undergraduate and graduate studies. “CAM does a lot of industry-facing research and is helping to solve some impactful problems and develop exciting technologies with cutting-edge equipment,” he explains. Elias is enthusiastic about the future of Protoplex and the directions the team is heading.
As a manufacturing research engineer, Elias works on several projects developing laser-based and wire-arc additive manufacturing processes and techniques to make these technologies more applicable and reliable for industry. His responsibilities include designing and running experiments on various machines, compiling and analyzing data for project reports and deliverables. “I really enjoy working on fundamental and early development problems that don’t have a clear solution,” he says. This environment allows him to try new things and develop creative solutions to address real problems that industry frequently struggles with.
One of Elias’s memorable achievements was designing, constructing, and implementing an inert chamber into an existing metal additive manufacturing machine. “I enjoyed bouncing ideas off the other engineers from our team during the design phase and seeing the final product hold very low oxygen levels over several runs,” he shares.
To stay updated with the latest trends and technologies in his field, Elias relies on research papers and conferences. “Research papers and conferences are always helpful to see what problems and challenges others are addressing and how they approach their solutions,” he explains. His advice to his younger self is to gain exposure to a wider variety of courses and projects. “The broader your range of experience, the easier it will be to find things that you’re good at and interested in and will give you a broader base of experience to bring insight to future projects,” he advises.
Elias has faced several key challenges in advanced manufacturing, including the fact that solutions to problems are not always obvious, especially in fundamental research and early development projects. This can lead to long, difficult troubleshooting processes. Additionally, industry is often skeptical of new processes or has difficulty leveraging them effectively. Despite these challenges, Elias is optimistic about the future of additive manufacturing. “I hope to see the US reclaim its manufacturing abilities and grow more American manufacturing companies,” he says. He envisions more automation and advanced manufacturing techniques being leveraged to make American manufacturing more competitive and higher quality. His personal long-term career goals include seeing one of the fundamental research or early development projects he has been involved with become a widespread, impactful technological development for industry. “I would love to see some of the controls techniques that our group has developed grow into a standard implementation on today’s metal additive manufacturing equipment,” he says.
For those interested in pursuing a career in manufacturing engineering, Elias advises challenging oneself with courses and projects. “Gaining experience in a large number of different scenarios and environments can really improve your range of ability and give valuable cross-disciplinary insights,” he emphasizes.
Elias Snider’s journey and contributions to CAM and Missouri Protoplex exemplify the innovative spirit and dedication that drive the team. His work not only advances manufacturing technology but also inspires the next generation of engineers, ensuring a bright future for U.S. manufacturing.