Efficient Bayesian Function Optimization of Evolving Material Manufacturing Processes

The scale-up of laboratory procedures to industrial production is the main challenge standing between ideation and the successful introduction of novel materials into commercial products. Retaining quality while ensuring high per-batch production yields is the main challenge. Batch processing and other dynamic strategies that preserve product quality can be applied, but they typically involve a variety of experimental parameters and functions that are difficult to optimize because of interdependencies that are often antagonistic. Adaptive Bayesian optimization is demonstrated here as a valuable support tool in increasing both the per-batch yield and quality of short polymer fibers, produced by wet spinning and shear dispersion methods. Through this approach, it is shown that short fiber dispersions with high yield and a specified, targeted fiber length distribution can be obtained with minimal cost of optimization, starting from sub-optimal processing conditions and minimal prior knowledge. The Bayesian function optimization demonstrated here for batch processing could be applied to other dynamic scale-up methods as well as to cases presenting higher dimensional challenges such as shape and structure optimization. This work shows the great potential of synergies between industrial processing, material engineering, and machine learning perspectives.