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Laine Mears

Laine Mears

Director, School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering and SmartState Endowed Professor of Automotive Manufacturing

mears@clemson.edu
(864) 283-7229
4 Research Drive
Greenville, SC 29607
Website - Mears Manufacturing Lab

Laine Mears, Ph.D., P.E., joined the Automotive Engineering faculty in July 2006 as an Assistant Professor at the CU-ICAR campus.  He teaches modeling and analysis of automotive manufacturing processes and automation integration in manufacturing.  He has performed research in Intelligent Machining Systems, manufacturing process control and manufacturing equipment diagnostics. Current research is being conducted in model-based control of manufacturing processes and systems, new approaches to precision positioning control, control of processing difficult-to-machine materials, and development of novel processing techniques in metal injection molding and electrically-assisted manufacturing.  His work is supported by the National Science Foundation, National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Dept of Energy through the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, and through numerous industry partners.  He previously served on the ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division Executive Board and the SME NAMRI Board of Directors.

Mears worked 10 years in the industry with Tier-1 and Tier-2 automotive and bearing manufacturers in Engineer, Manager, and Product Launch Coordinator roles. Applicable work in industry includes: power optimization of hard machining processes, multi-spindle turning analysis and startup of a bulk deformation rolling process for bearing rings, and successful launch of 7 new products to automotive OEMs.  Mears has a B.S. in mechanical engineering from Virginia Tech and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech.  He is a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Senior Member of both the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and the American Society for Quality.  He is an SME Certified Manufacturing Engineer (CMfgE), an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer (CQE), and a licensed Professional Engineer.

Honors and Awards

External

  • Best Paper Award, ASME International Mechanical Engineering Conference and Exposition, “Artificial Intelligence” strategic area (2024)
  • ASME Outstanding Service Award (2023)
  • SME International Education Award (2023)
  • SME Smart Manufacturing magazine "20 Most Influential Professors" (2020)
  • Fellow of SME (2017)
  • Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (2016)
  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers (UK) Thatcher Brothers Prize (awarded for the best paper on a manufacturing industry subject) (2016)
  • Advisor for student winner of US Dept. of Defense / National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining MTConnect Challenge Part II First Prize (2014)
  • ASME Manufacturing Science and Engineering Conference Best Paper Award, 3rd place (2014)
  • Institution of Mechanical Engineers George Stevenson Gold Medal (2013)
  • Society of Automotive Engineers Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award (2011)
  • South Carolina Governor’s Young Researcher Award for Excellence in Scientific Research (2011)
  • ASME Manufacturing Engineering Division Award for Best Organizer of Symposium and Sessions (BOSS) (2011)
  • National Science Foundation CAREER Award (2010)
  • General Motors Manufacturing Scholar (2005-2006)
  • Best Presentation Award, International Conference on Agility, Helsinki (2005)
  • American Society for Quality Joe D. Simmons Scholar (2004)

Internal

  • Clemson University Centennial Professor (named university professorship given for demonstrated excellence in teaching, research, service, and librarianship) (2021)
  • Nominee, Clemson University Researcher of the Year Award, from the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Science (2019)
  • Clemson University Board of Trustees Award for Faculty Excellence (2018)
  • BMW SmartState Endowed Professorship of Automotive Manufacturing (2016)
  • College of Engineering Computing and Applied Science Dean’s Professorship (2015 - 2018)
  • McQueen Quattlebaum Faculty Achievement Award (2013)
  • Clemson University Board of Trustees Award for Faculty Excellence (2011)
  • Clemson University College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences Collaboration Award (2010)

See Publications and Presentations