Towards the Engineering Science of Solidification: From Art to Automation

Solidification processing of metals has evolved, over millennia in wider spectrum of applications, involving large verities of metals, processes and applications. Here, an attempt has been made to briefly discuss the evolution of solidification processing encompassing this spectrum. Path of this evolution from the ancient to modern era has been segmented as art, craft, engineering and engineering science based on their characteristic features. The knowledge framework under these segments has been presented with particular emphasis on length scale dependant phenomenological attributes. Assessment of the key features of top-down solidification of bulk melt vis-à-vis bottom-up approach adopted in metal additive manufacturing envisions the emergence of engineering science of solidification as a new paradigm in the horizon.