PhD Course
in Production Systems & Industrial Design
List of the research areas:
1. Metallic materials for industrial applications.
2. Technologies and manufacturing systems of innovative materials.
3. Management of innovation and product lifecycle.
4. Culture of Design.
5. Management of systems for the production of goods and services.
Area 1 Metallic materials for industrial applications
This area intends the study of productive technologies, processes of
transformation and behaviour of traditional and innovative metallic materials.
So in this area the scientific background is aimed at the study of the
mechanic characteristics of innovative high-strength steels, alloys for high-
temperature uses, aluminium alloys, advanced metallic materials obtained by
sintering (both in connection with their chemical composition and with their
respective manufacturing modality) at the thermic treatments and the
conditions of use. Such studies are also extended to the treatments of
superficial transformation of the metallic alloys for decorative and to
tribology applications.
The productive technologies, the recovery and the recycling of high-
performance metals and materials are examined. In particular, the highlight is
set on the study of the toughness of nanostructured metallic materials and
advanced metallic materials (obtained by welding at a solid state), on the
study of the mechanisms of material deterioration and of reclaiming of the
basic properties for a further use of theirs.
Area 2 Technologies and manufacturing systems of innovative materials
The scientific goal of this area is the study, the development and the
optimization of the technologies of the transformation physical systems
(instrumental goods) used for the realization of transformation processes of
advanced materials for the manufacturing of discreet products (included the
processes for a possible recycle).
So in this area the basic scientific background is about the manufacturing and
assembly processes, the aspects linked to the technological and superficial
characterization of the transformed materials and the link of their properties
with the parameters controlling the processes. Moreover, the fundamental
functioning characteristics of the transformation technological systems are
analysed (instrumental goods). In fact, they are functional to the
optimization of the product characteristics, including the representation
languages and the specification methods of the functional and technological
properties of the product/process.
Area 3 Management of innovation and product lifecycle
The common scientific aim of this research area consists in developing a multi-
disciplinary vision of the phenomenon of innovation getting nearer the three
economic, managerial and technological perspectives with synergy. On one side
each perspective keeps its own identity as far as the programme and the
research methodologies are concerned (consistently with the reference
scientific communities, though)
On the other side the approach among the three perspectives (quite rare to
find in other research institutes) let each one develop a more complete and
mature vision of the whole phenomenon of innovation.
Specifically, the economic researches are strongly oriented towards empirical
studies. Their target is above all the topic of the innovation policies and
the technological transfer, the role of the intellectual property and the
relation between finance and innovation.
On the contrary, the researches on the effects of innovation are based both on
empirical studies and methodologies of simulation and they are particularly
oriented towards the study of the effects of ICT technologies. They study the
spread of the new technologies in the society and the industrial sectors, and
the way they lead to changes at a organizational, governance and worker skill
level.
The topic of this research area aims at analysing the present productive
processes analysing their connections, which assume a strategic value giving
rise to agglomeration economics, very important in the processes of starting
up and spread of innovation. For this purpose, it underlines not so much the
analogies with the rest of the world as the cultural, environmental and
territorial characteristics, typical of the single productive contexts.
In the reality of Torino there are some planning and industrial areas linked
to extremely vital economic sectors.
Area 5 Management of systems for the production of goods and services
This research area deals with the applications of techniques and methods of
analysis, of planning, of simulation and of measurement to the corporate
organization and to the complex systems such as the productive and the
services organizations.
In particular, a very active trend in this area is about the study and the
development of tools for the definition of the performance indicators.
