3D Printing Industry attends the 12th International Conference on 3D Printing, held in Bangalore.
“The Indian manufacturing sector is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and additive manufacturing applications are seeing significant growth in aerospace, defense, automotive, industrial engineering, oil and gas, biomedical, architecture, and also in the construction industry,” said Dr. L. Jyotish Kumar, President of Additive Manufacturing Society of India (AMSI).
The ASMI in alliance with Messe München hosted The 12th International Conference on 3D Printing was held in Bangalore, often called the Silicon Valley of India. Held at Bangalore International Exhibition Center (BIEC), from September 13th and drawing a crowd in the thousands including AM experts with the likes of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) – Indian Government, Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hexagon, Indo MIM, and more.
This article will give you a comprehensive look at the program of the conference.
Indian 3D printing: A slow but steady growth
Ashok Varma, the Chairman, Founder and Investor of Efesto delivered the inaugural address. Ashok H. Varma is also a Senior Advisor for Indian DRDO in metal 3D Printing. Varma presented statistics and facts about the Indian sector of 3D printing. In 2017, Varma estimated that the Indian additive manufacturing (AM), industry was worth $25-35 million. The global AM industry is estimated to be $7.5-$8 billion. Varma’s market research included a LinkedIn poll that resulted in an updated estimate of the Indian AM industry of $75 million for 2022. The encouraging news is that progress is being made, but the downside is that it’s progressing slowly. It is a matter of investment.
Varma said that the Indian AM sector is worth between $50 and $100 million. The global AM industry, however, is estimated to be valued at $23 billion. Varma said that this disparity was unacceptable and stressed the need for investments to bridge the gap and promote the growth of AM technology in India.
3D Printing in India’s aerospace sector
Varma, building on his earlier statement, illustrated the US 3D-printing sector’s investment landscape. He said that between 17 and 18 venture capitalists from the US had collectively invested over $15 billion in 3D printing startups. India, on the other hand, has had zero venture capital investment in this area. Varma cited Agnikul, Skyroot and other high-tech companies as being the only ones in India that have raised amounts between $20 to 50 million. The engine may account for 5% of the entire manufacturing process. The US is 3D printing the rocket bodies with Direct Energy Deposition machines (DED); 34 gantries and four robots, all working in conjunction with AI and Machine Learning.
Varma also said that ISRO was one of the biggest sponsors of 3D printing. He said that Dr. Anil Kumra, Scientist at Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO Dept. According to him, Dr. Anil Kumar, Scientist at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, ISRO Department of Space, Govt. of India is the “champion of ISRO for 3D printing,” and is anticipated to buy the largest metal 3D printer in Asia. He said that India’s main verticals to adopt AM technologies are aerospace, aviation and defense.
Carrying the point further, Venkata Govinda Rao, Chief General Manager at U. R. Rao Satellite Centre (USRC), ISRO gave a brief on ISRO’s use of 3D printing. He says ISRO’s AM journey can be traced back to a decade, and since then it has been making progress in the field of aerospace. Rao stressed that metal 3D-printing technologies are advantageous in the aerospace industry in terms of lead time, lightweighting and part quality.
India’s recent successful space program was featured at the conference. ISRO Director Dr. V. Narayanan stated that between 40 and 50% of Chandrayaan-3 was developed with 3D printing. Chandrayaan 3 made headlines by successfully landing on the Moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023, making India the first country to achieve this feat. The lander, named Vikram, and the rover, named Pragyan, are said to be conducting scientific experiments to study the Moon’s surface and atmosphere.
Narayanan said that India is exploring AM techniques, such as Direct Metal Lasersintering (DMLS), Electron Beam Melting (EBM), Binder Jetting and others, which allow the creation of complex geometry and reduced waste. AM technologies also provide low-cost space access. “ISRO developed four key propulsion systems two of which were used in LVM vehicle 3, (the launch vehicle for Chandryaan 3.) These systems were used to place it in a central orbit. Similarly, these propulsion systems were also used in Chandrayaan 3 which helped bring the moon closer to India” said Narayanan. “Investments in academia, startups, and more will aid India to reach new heights,” he concluded.
New opportunities for academics and employment
Encouraging investments in academia, startups, the next speech was given by Padmashri Dr. Ganpat I Patel, Patron-in-Chief & President, Ganpat University emphasizing the need for AM education and eliminating the gender gap in employment. Patel announced that his team had developed a Centre of Excellence (3D printing) at Ganpat University. The CoE acts as a training and demonstration center for AM Technologies, providing the correct education, encouraging employment, and addressing gender disparity in the nation.
Dr. K. Kavya Shree is the Chairwoman of Indian Women in 3D Printing. She says, “India is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world forecasting 6.1% growth for India this year. Compared to the US, it’s around 4.6%. This is something we are proud of. The female labor force in India for the year 2020-22 is 29.4%. Compared to China it is 61.7% Why aren’t Indian women working in spite of completing their education in technical programs?”
She provided additional statistics about the Indian women’s labor force. In India, women make up 43% of STEM graduates. This rate is notable as the highest in the entire world. However, only 14% of these graduates are able to find jobs that match their qualifications. “Graduating from STEM programs isn’t easy; it typically requires four to five years and comes with significant opportunity costs,” she said. 86 percent of women who finish their STEM education choose to pursue a completely different career path or do not work at all.
The Chairwoman created IW3DP in order to reduce this waste and encourage women’s employment in AM. She also wants to expand the network, engage with the community, and explore new opportunities. IW3DP’s goal is to have 50% of Indian 3D printers be women, something she believes would be difficult without the help from government and academia. She also expressed her gratitude to the Indian Government for establishing the National Strategy for 3D Printing, which helped increase the use of AM technologies both in the workplace and academia.
Indian AM landscape boosted by government initiatives
Dr. Sankha dip Das (Scientist D), Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology(MeitY), Govt. India, shed some light on India’s national strategy and current developments. In summarizing the policy he stated that the strategy is to make India into a global AM hub by 2025. India wants to have a 5% market share by 2025. It will contribute $1 billion to the GDP, and develop 50 AM technologies that are specific to India. 100 new AM startups will be created, and 1 lakh (100,00) new skilled workers trained.
‘To catch up we need to have the infrastructure for technology growth, and facilitate industry in academia. This will increase employment,’ he said. India is currently in the process of developing twelve R&D and deployment centers with the aim of achieving the targets set by the policy. The global AM ecosystem is primarily geared towards large-scale manufacturing in the defense and aerospace industries, which requires substantial investment. Manufacturing challenges in “India 2” (semi-urban and rural India) and “India 3” (poorest and most marginalized populations) need to be addressed and the strategy that not only supports advanced technologies for “India 1” (urban, affluent, and educated India) but also caters to these later stages. India 3 has a projected market of $1.4 trillion. India 2 is estimated at $300 million. However, it’s essential to ensure that the technology being developed is compatible with SMEs, as achieving the $1 billion target through large-scale deployment in India would be exceedingly challenging.
Concluding his keynote address, the scientist also emphasized on investments in academia, startups, qualifications and certifications for enhancing the growth and improvement of 3D printing technologies in India making it an “AM powerhouse in the coming decades.”
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Image shows dignitaries of the program lighting up the lamp. Image via 3D Printing Industry.
