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Dr. Tim Clapp is a Professor in the Textile Engineering Program in the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University.ý He received his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from North Carolina State University in 1976. He worked four years as a process engineer for Union Carbide Corporation before returning to NC State University, where he received a Masters and a Doctor of Philosophy in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in machine design. Upon graduation in 1985, Dr. Clapp has been conducting research and teaching in the Textile Engineering Program at NC State University.
Dr. Clapp is currently teaching a variety of courses related to new product development and engineering design (TE 401 Textile Engineering Design I), quality improvement methods (TE 404 Six Sigma Quality), innovative problem solving (TE 589A Theory of Inventive Problem Solving), and professional writing through the textile product evolution process (TAM 491F Process Evolution).
He has collaborated with professors from College of Engineering, College of Management, and the College of Design to provide the Textile Engineering students in TE 401 with a truly integrated new product design experience. Teams of students from the four colleges develop new products for industrial sponsors. The web site for the multidisciplinary class can be viewed at: http://im.ncsu.edu/courses/bus565/index.html.
Dr. Clapp and Dr. Blanton Godfrey, Dean of the College of Textiles, also teach Six Sigma Quality to seniors and graduate students on campus and through distance education media. Students learn modern statistical methods using computers integrated in the lectures and through real projects where the students apply the methods. The Six Sigma Quality class is offered to professionals in industry through the Textile Extension and Applied Research Program. Information regarding the Black Belt and Green Belt classes can be viewed at:
http://www.ies.ncsu.edu/library/includes/CatCourseDetail.cfm?PID=140&GroupCode=qu&CurrentPageID=1
http://www.ies.ncsu.edu/library/includes/CatCourseDetail.cfm?PID=130&GroupCode=qu&CurrentPageID=1
Dr. Clapp's research in the field of accelerating the new product design process has resulted in the development of a graduate level class, TE 589A Theory of Inventive Problem Solving. Dr. Clapp teaches this class to graduates students from many difference colleges at NCSU and to professionals in industry through distance education media. The web site for this class can be viewed at:
http://courses.ncsu.edu/te589a/lec/001/
In an effort to integrate writing into the curriculum, Dr. Clapp has developed a freshman level class that has three goals: 1) teach effective writing, 2) introduce students to the new product development process, and 3) introduce students to new products in textiles. Students learn to write a variety of documents that are related to new product development. English TA's grade the assignments and provide individual tutorial assistance to improve each student's writing ability.
Current research activities include, integrating Theory of Inventive Problem Solving (TRIZ) in the engineering curriculum, the design of affordable technology for automating apparel manufacturing, the development of sensor systems to monitor fabric joining (seaming) quality on-line, and design processing equipment to automate textile, apparel, and hosiery manufacturing.
Through Dr. Clapp's fifteen years of research, he has published over thirty papers and generated eleven patents that solve apparel and textile manufacturing challenges such as 1) an automated guided laser cutting system for cutting fabric, 2) systems for grasping and manipulating limp materials, and 3) sensor systems to monitor seam quality on-line. He has developed strategies for accelerating the development of customized commercial equipment for the small, specialized manufacturer.
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