MPI brings together 110 members from over 10 countries in its five research Centers: the Advanced Casting Research Center, the Center for Heat Treating Excellence, the Particulate Materials Research Center, the Center for Imaging and Sensing, and the Aerospace Materials Education Research and Innovation Center. Each of these Centers is the "academic home" of the respective industry.

    Research is conducted through close collaboration with industry partners, on-site visits and telephone follow-ups, and direct contact with people from many segments of the industry including suppliers, manufacturers, and trade associations. Technical education is made available to the industry's workforce through continuing education programs and seminars customized for participating companies and offered at the industrial site.

    As a Sloan Industry Center, MPI researchers examine a wide range of issues relevant to metal processing industries. For example, the Institute's scholars are developing a technical cost model, which provides a more accurate cost quote for powdered metal parts producers, and economic assessment tools that allow managers and design engineers to better analyze and quantify tradeoffs between performance and the economic attributes of powder processing of advanced materials. They are also exploring cognitive psychology models to improve communications to meet market demands and the impacts of globalization and outsourcing.