The Tlusty Manufacturing Lecture is dedicated to honoring the leadership and many achievements of the late Prof. Jiri “George” Tlusty, the founder of the Machine Tool Research Center, which is the predecessor of the Center for Manufacturing Innovation at the University of Florida. The purpose of this lecture series is to highlight contributions by esteemed scholars in manufacturing. As you browse our site, we look forward to receiving your feedback, answering your questions, and learning how we can work together to improve global manufacturing capabilities.

Professor Jiri (George) Tlusty
1921-2002

Professor George Tlusty was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and received his Dipl. Ing., Ph.D., and Dr.Sc. degrees from the Technical University in Prague. He began his career in the engineering design office of a machine tool company and later led a laboratory established by a group of machine tool companies, which subsequently developed into VUOSO, a research institute for machine tools and machining technology. Under his leadership, the institute conducted research on machining accuracy, structural dynamics, and drive control for a wide range of machine tools. After a two-year research fellowship at the University of Manchester in 1971, he joined McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, as a professor and established a laboratory focused on machine tools and robotics. In 1984, he moved to the University of Florida, where he served as a Graduate Research Professor and established the Machine Tool Research Center. There, he focused on high-speed machining and contributed significantly to the acceptance of this technology in the United States and worldwide. He designed and modeled high-speed spindles, high-speed feed drives, and control systems, and built a revolutionary five-axis high-speed machining center for milling aluminum alloys for the aerospace industry. Professor Tlusty directed the Machine Tool Research Center until his retirement in May 2000 at the age of 80.

Professor George Tlusty made foundational contributions to manufacturing science, particularly in machine tool dynamics, chatter, machining stability, and high-speed machining. His work advanced both the scientific understanding and the industrial application of modern machining systems, including the development of NC machine tools and technologies for high-speed milling of aluminum, hardened steel, and titanium components. He authored the influential book “Self-Excited Vibrations in Machining,” published nearly one hundred research papers, and served as the principal advisor to 27 Ph.D. students and 41 M.S. students. In 1971, he published “Structure of Machine Tools,” widely regarded as a classic treatment of the subject, and in 1999, he authored “Manufacturing Processes and Equipment,” which has been widely adopted by engineering departments around the world. His achievements were widely recognized through his leadership in CIRP and NAMRI and through honors including the Czechoslovak State Prize, the SME Gold Medal, the ASME Centennial Medallion, the ASME Blackall Award, and the ASME W. T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award. His long and distinguished career left a lasting impact on the machine tool industry, manufacturing research, and the University of Florida’s manufacturing community.

List of Tlusty Manufacturing Lecturers

2019	Scott Smith
2025	Ajay Malshe
2026	Yusuf Altintas