Professor Jiri (George) Tlusty
1921–2002
Professor George Tlusty had a long and distinguished career dedicated to advancing the science of machine tools and manufacturing. He was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia on January 5, 1921. He received a Dipl. Ing. degree from the University of Prague in 1947, where he also received a Doctor of Engineering degree in 1958 and a Doctor of Science degree in 1969. In 1947, he began his career as a machine tool designer at VUOSO, the Research Institute for Machine Tools and Metal Cutting Technology. He served as the director of VUOSO until 1968, transforming it into a world-respected machine tool research center. At VUOSO, he performed early research on machine tool metrology that has served as the basis for worldwide standards today. He also is credited with much of the fundamental research leading to the understanding of the dynamics of the metal cutting process, including the critical relationship between dynamic stiffness and chatter. His work has led directly to the development of high speed machining technology, which has emerged recently as one of the most important developments in machining technology. By 1961, when he was the organizer of the CIRP General Assembly in Prague, George’s technical brilliance, tendency toward lively debate, and genuine enjoyment of the fellowship of colleagues was legendary. Many of the attendees would later recount George singing traditional Czech music and demonstrating the folk dances.
Professor Tlusty left Czechoslovakia in 1969 following the political upheaval of the “Prague Spring.” During a 2-year stay at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom as a Research Fellow he authored a pioneering treatise on metal cutting machines that introduced new concepts in machine tool performance and accuracy testing. He accepted a position in 1971 as professor of mechanical engineering at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. At McMaster he established the Laboratory for Machine Tools and Robots, and pioneered manufacturing research and education in Canada, making fundamental contributions to machine tool design, metrology, sensors, dynamics of the metal cutting process, dynamics of machine tool structures, adaptive control, and high speed machining. His vision led to the first North American Metalworking Research Conference, which eventually became the North American Manufacturing Research Institute of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He retired from McMaster in 1985 at the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Professor Tlusty began a new academic career when he joined the mechanical engineering department at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, as a graduate research professor. There he established the Machine Tool Research Center, where he focused on high speed machining, and contributed significantly to the acceptance of the technology in the USA and worldwide. He designed and modeled high speed spindles, high speed feed drives, 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.
Throughout his academic career, George was an influential advisor for his many students. His standards were high, and he did not hesitate to indicate when they had not been met. His powerfully held convictions and his intellect made for stimulating and energetic discussions, yet his mind was always open to change through a well-reasoned argument or a careful experiment. The students who passed through his crucible look back on those years as some of the most exciting, challenging, and productive years of their lives. Prof. Tlusty’s energy and love for his work were renowned. Even toward the end of his career, he often spent late nights working in his laboratories with his students, or working in his office.
Professor Tlusty was a founding member of the North American Manufacturing Research Institute (NAMRI) of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. He was an Active Member of CIRP, the International Institution for Production Engineering Research, serving as the President in 1968. Professor Tlusty was a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Fellow of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers.
Professor Tlusty received numerous awards and honors throughout his life, including the Czech State Prize in 1954, the ASME Gold Medal in 1979, the ASME Centennial Award in 1980, the ASME Blackall Machine Tool and Gage Award in 1990, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society for Precision Engineering in 1999.
In 1971, Professor Tlusty published the book, Structure of Machine Tools, which is widely regarded as a classic treatment of the subject. In 1999, he authored the text, Manufacturing Processes and Equipment, which has been widely adopted by engineering departments around the world.
In parallel to his academic activities, while in his late 60’s, Professor Tlusty started his own company, Manufacturing Laboratories Inc. MLI creates and markets software and hardware to support high speed machining, and also designs and builds custom, high performance, high accuracy machine tools for numerous large international manufacturers.
Professor Tlusty was fluent in six languages. He remained actively involved in his research and intellectual pursuits until his death on October 20, 2002 at the age of 81.
