About the Faculty:

Sachin Waigaonkar serves as a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus. He completed his doctoral studies in Polymer and Composite Processing at BITS Pilani and holds a Master’s Degree in Production Engineering from the Government College of Engineering, Pune (now Pune Institute of Technology). Joining BITS Pilani K K Birla Goa Campus in July 2004, he has been teaching courses related to Manufacturing and Production Engineering and brings 24 years of teaching experience at both first degree and higher degree levels.  Six students have successfully completed their Ph.D. under his guidance while presently he is guiding 01 doctoral student from the industry ( under industry aspirant scheme) . His key research areas include Rotational Moulding of Plastics,Structure-Property-Processibility studies on Polymeric materials,  Fiber Reinforced Composites (FRPs) and Analysis of Material Processing Techniques.

Prof. Sachin Waigaonkar has extensively researched the rotational moulding of plastics, a significant polymer processing method that has gained considerable importance in the last decade. He collaborates closely with the Society of Asian Rotomoulders (StAR) and has been actively involved in various aspects of the rotational moulding process and products. Due to his expertise and recognition in the industry, he was nominated as the coordinator of the committee for developing standards for rotomoulded underground septic tanks by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).  Professor Waigaonkar has received research grants from the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, and the University Grants Commission (UGC) for projects related to polymer processing methods using nanocomposites in 2015.  He has also visited Poznan University of Technology (PUT), Poland in 2016 and worked with Prof. Marek Szostak, Director of Materials Technology, PUT. During this period he has also partially taught the course related to Polymer Processing along with Prof. Marek Szostak. He was also invited in the Industrial Engineering Department of the host university to deliver a talk on BITS Model of Education as well as other topics of mutual interests. 

In addition to rotational moulding, Professor Waigaonkar has worked in the fields of machining and advanced machining. His work with Dr.Amal Siju on investigating the effects of textured tool surfaces on the machining performance of titanium alloys has gained significant attention. In the field of advanced machining, his research on Electrochemical Discharge Machining (ECDM) with Dr. Mukund Harugude and Dr.Nikhil Mane led to the invention of a "Portable Handheld Electrochemical Discharge Machining Device," which has been awarded a patent by the Patent Office of the Government of India.