Rafael Gomes Nunes Silva
Silva, R. G. N.
Nunes, R.
Dr. Rafael Nunes holds a Bachelor's degree in Materials Engineering and a Master's degree in Mechanical Engineering, both specializing in welding, from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil. He earned a double PhD degree in Electromechanical Engineering from Ghent University (UGent) and in Engineering Sciences and Technology from Université Catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Belgium. His doctoral research focused on arc-based additive manufacturing (DED-Arc) and the weldability of DED-Arc and PBF-LB additively manufactured components, with applications in the aerospace and defence industries.
As a Senior Project Engineer at the Belgian Welding Institute (BWI), Dr. Nunes leads R&D activities related to the DED-Arc process. With more than 14 years of experience in welding processes, metallurgy, physics, and automation, he has supervised numerous collaborative projects with international companies and research institutions. His work focuses on the development, optimization, and evaluation of joining, coating, and additive manufacturing processes, as well as real-time quality monitoring and control of welding and additive manufacturing operations.
Dr. Nunes has authored or co-authored over 100 scientific publications on welding and additive manufacturing, reflecting his extensive expertise and contributions to advancing the fields of welding engineering and additive manufacturing. His research interests encompass arc, solid-state, and laser welding technologies, with a strong commitment to bridging fundamental understanding and industrial application.
International Institute of Welding (IIW):
Nominated as IIW Future Leader 2025-2026
Member of IIW Commissions:
I - Additive Manufacturing, Thermal Cutting and Thermal Spray
II - Arc Welding and Filler Metals
III - Resistance Welding, Allied Processes and Solid-State Based Processes
IV - Power Beam Process
V - NDT and Quality Assurance of Welded Products
XII - Arc Welding Processes and Production Systems
📝 International Journal Reviewer:
Springer Nature Technology and Publishing Solutions - Lasers in Manufacturing and Materials Processing (ISSN: 2196-7237)
Springer Nature Technology and Publishing Solutions - Welding in the World (ISSN: 0043-2288)
SciELO - Soldagem & Inspeção (ISSN: 1980-6973)
SciELO - Revista Matéria (ISSN: 1517-7076)
Technium Science - Romanian Journal of Applied Sciences and Technology (ISSN: 2668-778X)
IOP Publishing - Advanced Materials Science and Technology Journal (ISSN: 2717-526X)
Experience:
👨🏻🏭 Welding Processes: GTAW, GMAW, SAW, SMAW, PAW, PTA, USW, FSSW, RFSSW, LBW, and HLAW.
🚀 Additive Manufacturing Processes: WAAM (A-DED), and LMD (L-DED)
📈 Consultancy Experience: Materials failure analysis, development and evaluation of welding processes.
🗜 Materials and Process Analysis: High-speed filming, infrared filming, spectroscopy, acoustic emission monitoring, destructive testing, and non-destructive testing.
🔬 Microstructural Analysis: Optical Microscope (OM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and microhardness analysis.
Please feel free to contact me by email:
rafaelnunes.mat@hotmail.com
