r. Phil Freeman is a Senior Technical Fellow in Boeing Research and Technology (BR&T) focused on Advanced Production Systems, Assembly Automation, & Precision Robotics.
As a Senior Technical Fellow in Materials and Manufacturing Technology, Dr. Freeman has expertise in robotics, automation, and control. He works from Boeing’s Research and Technology Center in South Carolina.
From 2012 to 2014, Dr. Freeman worked with BR&T South Carolina on 787 production support, helping the program meet production ramp up rate targets. Prior to that, he worked in the Assembly and Integration Technology team in St. Louis where he helped implement many of the automated drilling systems on the F/A-18 and F-15.
Previously, he worked as Boeing’s liaison to the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre in Sheffield, UK where he led the Centre’s development of an automated assembly research team, now the AMRC’s Integrated Manufacturing Group (IMG).
Since joining Boeing in 1998, Dr. Freeman’s research work has been primarily focused on improving the accuracy of precision automated drilling and milling systems through accurate kinematics modeling and the use of robust machine vision. He holds over 30 patents covering a range of manufacturing technologies and is an author on several publications in machine tool volumetric accuracy and machine vision for inspection. His current focus is leveraging simulation, model-based engineering, and digital infrastructure to drive continuous improvement of existing automation and reduce the time to implementation of new technologies.
Dr. Freeman is a member of American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) where he is chairperson on the Board of Strategic Initiatives, serves as the vice chairperson for ASME B5.TC52 standards committee on machine tool performance, and is a contributing member to the Subcommittee on Robotic Arms (Manipulators). He is also a member of ASTM, and is a Member at Large for committee F45 on Robotics, Automation, and Autonomous Systems.
Dr. Freeman earned his D.Sc. in System Science and Mathematics (2012), his M.S. in Mechanical Engineering (2003), and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering (1997) all from Washington University in St. Louis.