GE Additive and the University of Sydney have formed a five-year agreement to improve Australia’s additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities.
Plans are to develop a 3D printing space at the Sydney Manufacturing Hub to train specialists and academics working in additive manufacturing and create small to medium manufacturing enterprises.
According to GE, the output of Australian manufacturing is estimated to reach AUS$131 billion by 2026, with ‘advanced manufacturing’ potentially growing the domestic sector by approximately AUS$30 billion over the next five years.
Professor Simon Ringer, University director of core research facilities, said that the recent COVID-19 crisis had exposed the country to vulnerabilities due to dependence on complex, ‘just-in-time’ supply chains. ‘Pre-Covid-19, a national focus on manufacturing resilience was generally regarded as a nice thought,’ he said. ‘We have long believed this needs to be a critical national priority, and Covid-19 has raised the stakes. A manufacturing renaissance is coming and for Australia to lead in this space, there must be an investment in skills.’
The organizations say that aerospace and space, the defence industry, robotics platforms, medical devices, construction, agricultural-tech, oil and gas, and mining, could all benefit from AM technology.
This story uses material from The University of Sydney, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
