Oerlikon AM expansion N Carolina
Oerlikon expects the demand for additively manufactured metal components to increase rapidly in the coming years, cementing its status as a key growth area in next-gen manufacturing technologies.
Leading technology solutions provider, Oerlikon has signed two letters of intent to establish research partnerships in the field of additive manufacturing in Germany and Russia.
The Technical University of Munich and the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology will partner with Oerlikon to support its strategy to further raise its profile as a leader in surface solutions into additive manufacturing. Anticipating a growth in demand for advanced component manufacturing, the collaborations will address some of the most pressing research and development challenges in this field.
Though additive manufacturing is becoming increasingly adopted for series production in industries such as aerospace, automotive and medical, there are still challenges to overcome before the technology realises its potential. Together, the three institutions are well placed to address these challenges. The two partnerships will bring complementary strengths together, and create an even stronger basis for technological innovations and solutions.
“Innovative technology is key to our growth strategy and a distinct advantage of Oerlikon,” said Dr Roland Fischer, CEO of Oerlikon. “These partnerships mark important milestones in our efforts to take a leading position in additive manufacturing, as we are seeing a growing demand for advanced components that are lighter, with embedded functionality and can benefit from the increased design freedom of AM.
“Additive Manufacturing has the potential to meet these requirements. With our leading expertise in advanced materials and surface technologies, we are ideally positioned to drive this technology forward.”
The signing of both research partnerships took place in Munich as the region has a strong industrial and technology ecosystem and is home to many of the innovators and early adopters of additive manufacturing. TU Munich is one of these institutions with a long-standing interest in 3D technology. More recently, it has been involved in the production of Roboy, a 3D-printed humanoid robot and earlier this month announced a global expansion with a new facility in North Carolina. With existing research capabilities across the additive manufacturing value chain, and a key academic institute working on driving the industrialisation of the entire process, TU Munich is looking forward to building on its expertise with Oerlikon.
“In conducting research, it is integral for us to work hand-in-hand with technology companies to develop solutions for practical industrial challenges and applications,” said Wolfgang Hermann, President of the TU Munich. “Partnering with Oerlikon adds that perspective for us to drive forward our additive manufacturing research projects and opens up opportunities for exciting future research together.”
The Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology also has strong competence in advanced manufacturing and simulation expertise, including dedicated materials for additive manufacturing. Professor Michael Suss, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Oerlikon, has welcomed the two partnerships as Oerlikon push to leaders of industrial research.
“Additive manufacturing is opening up new possibilities for the designing and manufacturing of industrial products,” said Professor Suss. “We need to exploit this potential to sustain the competitiveness of innovation-driven industrial regions, such as Germany. These collaborations are important parts of our commitments to leading industrial research.
“We look forward to fruitful partnerships with both universities, and I will personally support our efforts in strengthening our global network and cooperation with leading researchers and research institutes.”
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