Professor
David
Curtis

MEng (hons), PhD

Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre

Professor of Subtractive Manufacturing

A head and shoulders photo of David Curtis
Profile picture of A head and shoulders photo of David Curtis
d.t.curtis@sheffield.ac.uk
Factory of the Future, Advanced Manufacturing Park

Full contact details

Professor David Curtis
Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre
Factory of the Future, Advanced Manufacturing Park
Wallis Way, Catcliffe

Rotherham

S60 5TZ

Profile

Professor David Curtis is the Head of Capability for Subtractive Manufacturing at the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and holds a Personal Chair in Subtractive Manufacturing. He is a nationally recognised authority on machining science and technology translation, serving as the National Chair of the HVM Catapult’s Technology Special Purpose Group (T-SPG) for Subtractive Manufacturing. In this role, he leads the technology roadmapping effort, strategic foresighting, and research and innovation pipeline to ensure the UK remains a global leader in high-value subtractive manufacturing.

David graduated with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Birmingham in 2005 (including a Year in Industry), where he also completed his EPSRC and Rolls-Royce-funded PhD on advanced point grinding technology for aeroengine turbine discs. Joining the AMRC in 2009, he progressed from Project Engineer to Technical Fellow, systematically establishing and scaling world-class research portfolios in Abrasive Machining, Emerging Machining Technology, Machining Science, and Complex Commodity Manufacturing (Aerofoils, Gears, and Transmissions). He is also the UK pioneer for translational research in the machining of Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs), successfully bridging low-TRL fundamental material science with high-TRL factory-floor deployment.

As the capability lead for subtractive manufacturing processes and technologies, David directs the unified institutional machining capability, bridging fundamental academic research with immediate industrial exploitation for global Tier-1 aerospace, defense, and energy partners. He is deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of engineering talent; he serves as the AMRC Postgraduate Research (PGR) Lead, directing the doctoral training and research culture for the AMRC's PhD cohort, and is the Co-Director of Innovation for the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Machining, Assembly, and Digital Engineering for Manufacturing.

Qualifications

MEng (hons) in Mechanical Engineering, PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Research interests

Professor Curtis’s research lies at the intersection of fundamental machining science and industrial implementation. His work aims to deliver productivity, resilience, and sustainability to the high-value manufacturing sector. His core research interests are structured across three strategic pillars:

Subtractive Processes & Machining Physics

  • Advanced Abrasive Processes & Point Grinding: Developing high-performance grinding capabilities, including electroplated superabrasive (cBN) tool surface texture evolution, grit morphology effects, and wheel regenerative dynamics in surface grinding.
  • Machining of Advanced & Exotic Materials: Investigating tool-workpiece interactions during the machining of hard-to-cut alloys, superalloys (Inconel 718, titanium), and Ceramic Matrix Composites (CMCs). This includes studying chip formation and the wear mechanisms of advanced tool materials like SiAlON and whisker-reinforced ceramics.
  • Non-Conventional & Precision Machining: Advancing non-conventional material removal methods, such as Wire Electrical Discharge Machining (WEDM), and their application in the micro-manufacturing of complex miniature commodities, including gears and aerofoils.

Subtractive Technology & Digitalisation

  • Zero-Defect Subtractive Manufacturing: Sizing and characterisation of microstructural surface integrity features and detecting thermally-induced metallurgical defects using non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques such as X-ray diffraction (XRD).
  • Digital Subtractive Manufacturing & Digital Twins: Developing data-driven modelling techniques, including neural networks for machine tool feedrate and cycle time prediction, and real-time model-based simulations for closed-loop machining control.
  • Hybrid Manufacturing Systems: Advancing additive-subtractive interfaces, specifically evaluating mechanical properties and shielding effectiveness in Direct Energy Deposition (DED) of reactive materials (e.g., Ti-6Al-4V, 15-5 PH stainless steel).

Subtractive Implementation & Translational Strategy

  • Strategic Foresighting & Roadmapping: Leading the UK’s national roadmapping and strategic investment pipeline for high-value machining in his role as Chair of the HVM Catapult’s Subtractive Manufacturing Technology Special Purpose Group (Tech-SPG).
  • Industrial Technology Translation: Developing robust translational pathways to scale fundamental machining science (low TRL) into reliable, high-TRL industrial applications for major aerospace, defence, and energy partners.
  • Workforce Development & Doctoral Education: Presiding over doctoral training and research culture as PGR Lead for the AMRC and directing innovation within the EPSRC CDT in Machining, Assembly, and Digital Engineering (MADE4Manufacturing).
Publications

Journal articles

  • Anglim O, Priest J, Rooke J, Bonnell R & Curtis D (2026) . Procedia CIRP, 141, 502-507.
  • Dominguez-Caballero J, Ayvar-Soberanis S & Curtis D (2025) . Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing.
  • Rooke J, Bonnell R, Pickford E, Brown A & Curtis D (2025) . Advanced Manufacturing: Polymer & Composites Science, 11(1).
  • Priest J, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Dominguez-Caballero J, Onawumi P, Kilic ZM & Curtis D (2024) . CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 55, 210-223.
  • Duro JA, Ward R, Rooke J, Pickford E, Bonnell R, Brown A, Purshouse RC & Curtis D (2024) . Procedia CIRP, 130, 1358-1363.
  • Brown M, Crawforth P & Curtis D (2024) . CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 52, 296-306.
  • Brown M, Lieder M, Crawforth P & Curtis D (2024) . Procedia CIRP, 123, 357-362.
  • Liu Z, Lang Z-Q, Gui Y, Zhu Y-P, Laalej H & Curtis D (2024) . IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 73, 1-13.
  • Osmond L, Cook I, Curtis D & Slatter T (2024) . Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 238(6-7), 1069-1083.
  • Gui Y, Lang Z-Q, Liu Z, Zhu Y, Laalej H & Curtis D (2023) . IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement, 72, 1-13.
  • Dominguez-Caballero J, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Kim J, Roy A, Li L & Curtis D (2023) . The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 125(3-4), 1903-1916.
  • Taylor CM, Secker J, Sajid SA, Curtis D, Liskiewicz T & Khan T (2023) . Tribology - Materials, Surfaces & Interfaces, 17(1), 34-47.
  • Pietrow N, Curtis D, Novovic D, McGourlay J & Ghadbeigi H (2022) . Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, 144(12).
  • Brown M, Crawforth P & Curtis D (2022) . NDT & E International, 131.
  • Tapoglou N, Clulow J, Patterson A & Curtis D (2022) . CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 38, 172-185.
  • Woo W-S, Curtis D, Bagni C, Lee C-M, Lee J-H & Kim D-H (2022) . Metals, 12(4).
  • Tapoglou N, Clulow J & Curtis D (2022) . CIRP Journal of Manufacturing Science and Technology, 36, 227-235.
  • Tóth M, Sims ND & Curtis D (2022) . Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 162.
  • Brown M, Curtis D, McKee G & Crawforth P (2022) . Procedia CIRP, 108, 7-12.
  • Sun C, Dominguez-Caballero J, Ward R, Ayvar-Soberanis S & Curtis D (2022) . Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, 75.
  • Osmond L, Curtis D & Slatter T (2021) . Wear, 486-487.
  • Ward R, Sun C, Dominguez-Caballero J, Ojo S, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Curtis D & Ozturk E (2021) . The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 117(11-12), 3615-3629.
  • Alhadeff L, Marshall M, Curtis D & Slatter T (2021) . Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 235(10), 1588-1601.
  • Curtis D, Krain H, Winder A & Novovic D (2021) . Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 235(10), 1668-1681.
  • Sims N & Curtis D (2021) . Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 235(10), 1531-1532.
  • Smith ED & Curtis D (2021) . Procedia CIRP, 101, 162-165.
  • Yao S, Ozturk E, Curtis D & McLeay T (2020) . The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 106(1-2), 741-752.
  • Alhadeff L, Marshall M, Curtis D & Slatter T (2019) . Wear, 420-42, 54-67.
  • Palmer JW, Ghadbeigi H, Curtis D & Novovic D (2018) . Journal of Manufacturing Processes, 31, 348-355.
  • Curtis DT, Soo SL, Aspinwall DK & Sage C (2009) . CIRP Annals, 58(1), 173-176.
  • Aspinwall DK, Soo SL, Curtis DT & Mantle AL (2007) . CIRP Annals, 56(1), 335-338.
  • Vedanthu A, Ayvar Soberanis S, Taylor CM, Crawforth P & Curtis D () . The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology.
  • Proud L, Brown M, Whitehead D, Taylor CM, Crawforth P & Curtis D () . Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing, 10(2), 62-62.
  • Proud L, Whitehead D, Slatter T, Crawforth P & Curtis D () . Safety, 11(4), 112-112.

Conference proceedings

  • Vedanthu A, Ayvar-Soberanis S, Crawforth P, Curtis D, Ouyang X & Long H (2025) . Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Vol. 3104(1). Munich, Germany, 7 July 2025 - 7 July 2025.
  • Coimbra Goncalves MC, Alsters R, Curtis D, M'Saoubi R & Ghadbeigi H (2024) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 123 (pp 221-226). Bremen, Germany, 15 May 2024 - 15 May 2024.
  • Cousins B, Curtis D, Farmery M & Cook B (2023) Power Skiving Tool Offsets and the Feasibility of Using a Calculator for Manipulating the Resulting Geometry. American Gear Manufacturers Association Fall Technical Meeting 2023 Ftm 2023
  • Pietrow N, Curtis D, Ghadbeigi H, Novovic D & McGourlay J (2021) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 101 (pp 190-193). Virtual conference, 24 May 2021 - 24 May 2021.
  • Slatter T, Marshall M, Curtis D & Alhadeff L (2019) Tool Coatings and their Influence on the Length of Steady-State Wear Region for Micro End Mills. Extended Abstracts from the 2019 STLE Tribology Frontiers Conference. Chicago, IL, USA, 21 October 2019 - 23 October 2019.
  • Toth M, Sims N & Curtis D (2019) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 82 (pp 214-219). Sheffield, UK, 13 June 2019 - 13 June 2019.
  • Alhadeff LL, Curtis DT, Marshall MB & Slatter T (2018) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 77 (pp 642-645). Budapest, Hungary, 25 June 2018 - 25 June 2018.
  • Palmer J, Curtis D, Novovic D & Ghadbeigi H (2018) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 77 (pp 239-242). Budapest, Hungary, 25 June 2018 - 25 June 2018.
  • Curtis DT, Soo SL, Aspinwall DK & Mantle AL (2016) . Procedia CIRP, Vol. 45 (pp 47-50)
  • Curtis D, Soo S, Aspinwall D, Huber C, Fuhlendorf J & Grimm A (2008) Production of complex mounting slots in turbine disks using novel machining techniques. 3rd CIRP conference on high performance cutting
  • Curtis D, Aspinwall D, Soo S, Davis C & Mantle A (2007) Performance of electroplated cbn grinding points machining udimet 720. 10th International Symposium on Advanced Abrasive Technology (ISAAT)
  • Curtis DT, Aspinwall DK, Soo SL, Kitchin D & Wilson M (2007) In-process electro discharge dressing (IEDD) of metal bonded superabrasive grinding wheels. Proceedings of the 15th International Symposium on Electromachining Isem 2007 (pp 591-596)

Patents

  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D (2020) Component manufacturing using a grinding tool following a trochoidal path. GB2579784B Appl. 08 Jul 2020.
  • Khan S & Curtis D (2020) Grinding cylindrical bores. EP3659746A1 Appl. 03 Jun 2020.
  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D (2020) Manufacturing method. US11267096B2 Appl. 18 Jun 2020.
  • Sufyan K & Curtis D (2020) Grinding cylindrical bores. US20200156202A1 Appl. 21 May 2020.
  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D (2019) Mold assemblies of the fastening for the method for the workpiece of machining operations and for this workpiece. CN109514747A Appl. 26 Mar 2019.
  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D (2019) Method and an assembly. US20190084104A1 Appl. 21 Mar 2019.
  • Khan S & Curtis D (2019) Grinding cylindrical bores. GB201818823D0 Appl. 02 Jan 2019.
  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D (2017) A method and an assembly. GB201714976D0 Appl. 01 Nov 2017.
  • Novovic D, Kelsey J & Curtis D () A method of securing a workpiece for a machining operation and a mould assembly for such a workpiece. EP3456465A3 Appl. 01 Jan 1970.
  • Curtis D, Pietrow N, Ghadbeigi H, McGourlay J & Novovic D () Surface assessment. EP4293448A1 Appl. 01 Jan 1970.
  • Curtis D, Pietrow N, Ghadbeigi H, mcgourlay J & novovic D () Surface Assessment. GB202208573D0 Appl. 01 Jan 1970.
  • Curtis D, Pietrow NIKITA, Ghadbeigi HASSAN, mcgourlay J & novovic D () Surface Assessment. US20250173957A9 Appl. 01 Jan 1970.

Reports

  • Cousins B, Sun C, Curtis D, Farmery M, Staley S & Cook B (2021) Power Skiving - A Step Changing Manufacturing Process Applicable to Multifunctional 5-Axis Machine Tools

Preprints

  • Gonçalves MCC, Alsters R, Curtis D, Bushlya V, M’Saoubi R & Ghadbeigi H (2025) .
  • Sun C, Dominguez-Caballero J, Ward R, Ayvar-Soberanis S & Curtis D (2021) , arXiv.
Research group

Machining 

Grants
  • STAR: Subtractive of spherical Transferred ARc directed energy deposition for aerospace -  - Innovate UK
  • EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Machining, Assembly, and Digital Engineering for Manufacturing (MADE4Manufacturing) - EP/Y010701/1 EP/Y034759/1 - EPSRC
  • MUSIC - Manufacturing Unequalled by Sustainable Innovation & Cost -  - ATI
  • Autonomous Robust & Rapid Processes for the Machining of Aerospace Specific Parts & Components - - ATI
  • Rotational Vibration Assisted Increment Sheet Forming by Novel Tooling (RV-ISF) -  - EPSRC
  • Metallic Aerospace Structures Technologies for Ecosocial Return -  - ATI
  • CMC Development, Manufacturability and Repairability (CERCOMPUK) -  - ATI
  • ÌÇÐÄTV¹ÙÍø and Cutting & Wear Resistant Developments Limited - - Innovate UK KTP
  • TRANSCEND - TRANsmission Supply Chain Excellence for Next generation Dual clutch technologies -  - APC
  • Manufacturing Portfolio Project 1: High Performance Rotating Components -  - ATI
  • Materials, Manufacturing and Oils Technologies for High Power Gearbox systems (MAMOTH PGB) -  - ATI
  • SAMULET II Project 1: Tighter Specification Aerofoils - ATI
  • SAMULET II Project 2: High Performance Shaft Machining - ATI
  • The SAMULET Programme: High Productivity Technology and Methods: Project 6 (6.2.2) -  - Innovate UK