In March 2018 everything revolves around the AMable project at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT, Aachen. The name says it all: AMable was set up to help companies carry out additive manufacturing ideas. The various institutes involved are inviting companies from the AM sector to the AM Stakeholder Workshop on March 20, 2018 with the aim of bringing them on board as “enablers”.
The workshop focuses on the key question that many small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are asking themselves today: “Could we be doing this with 3D printing?” Since the fall of 2017, European research institutes have been exploring how to provide the best support to this question through the AMable project, which is coordinated by Fraunhofer ILT. They now even teamed up with additional projects to cover the European topic “skills for AM”. On March 20, 2018, project-teams and stakeholders will come together to discuss “AM from data to skills” in Aachen.
“The 19 institutes taking part are primarily looking to help SMEs implement their ideas using AM,” says Ulrich Thombansen from Fraunhofer ILT. “To that end, we are seeking enablers from private industry and associations who can support us with their needs and requests as well as their expertise at the AM Stakeholder Workshop on March 20, 2018.”
The researchers hope to work with experts from industry and associations to investigate how AMable can support the extension of data formats and machine interfaces to promote the move towards a seamless uptake of additive manufacturing. The second part of the workshop will allow the AM Motion project to lead a discussion about results from skills and education screening at European level. AMable is receiving 8 million Euros in funding from the European Commission and provides more than 5 million Euros as support to eligible SMEs. The project runs under the I4MS Initiative, which has the primary objective of paving the way for SMEs towards industrial 3D printing of metals and plastics.
The AMable Project was launched in 2017 with the participation of:
CISCO (NL), Industrial Dataspace (DE), KeenBull (CH), Zabala (ES), Fraunhofer ILT and ISST (DE), AIMEN (ES), DTI (DK) EWF (BE), Frederic (CY ), Inspire (CH), Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems & Automation (GR), Lortek (ES), the Manufacturing Technology Center MTC (UK), Politechnico di Torino (IT), Sirris, (BE), SUPSI (CH), TNO (NL) ), TWI (UK), and Politechnika Wroclawska (PL), VTT (FI).
To register for the AMStakeholder Workshop on March 20, 2018 in Aachen, use the web link at https://www.amable.eu/events/am-stakeholder-workshop
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT