SRTI Park hosts webinar on technonomics in additive manufacturing

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Published: Thu 20 May 2021, 12:53 PM

Last updated: Thu 20 May 2021, 3:08 PM

Attended by industry leaders to address the challenges faced by manufacturers on achieving a lean production process, Sharjah Research Technology and Innovation (SRTI) Park hosted a webinar on additive manufacturing (AM). The webinar welcomed guest speakers Olivier Diegerick, portfolio developer for AM Software at Siemens Digital Industries (EMEA) and Tibor Van Melsem, chief executive officer of Netherlands company DiManEx, to discuss the opportunities presented by additive manufacturing. 

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SRTI Park continues to host events to promote awareness of novel technology for individual consumers and large companies alike.


Hussain Mohamed Al Mahmoudi, chief executive officer of the park,  said: "We enable companies to experience and test the true meaning of additive manufacturing through our most advanced machines and labs in the park. We invite the public and private sector to utilise our platform to achieve a UAE mission." 

The webinar discussed the challenges of supply chain manufacturing including the production and storage of parts, as well as the costs associated with maintaining adequate supplies of spare parts to meet unexpected surges in demand.


Speaking at the online event, Diegerick said: "The trend is moving towards AM with more sophisticated software being developed to help speed up the process. Today, AM is a full process where each element integrates from data aggregation, data analysis, part selection, all the way down to invoicing and reporting."

Melsem from DiManEx, a Netherlands-based enterprise, focused on digitisation of the supply chain and the use and application of 3D printing said: "AM is experiencing a period of rapid development, with companies like Siemens adopting this approach for the use of technology. Besides its obvious benefits to optimise supply chain processes, 3D printing and AM technologies will likely create new revenue models. For instance, industrial companies may release technical designs for spare parts to let their customers print the parts themselves. In such cases, part designs, available online, could be sold based on a pay per use basis."

Traditionally, manufacturers have benefited from lower-cost parts if produced in large volumes - however, this has resulted in holding large amounts of stock for longer. The process of AM has brought this waiting period down substantially. Companies save time as well as money, as spare parts can be produced on demand and only when needed. This innovative new process means that companies no longer need to purchase a large number of spare parts that sit on the shelves for a long time in case needed in the future, which of course comes with a cost.


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