RMIT, Fraunhofer announce additive manufacturing partnership

RMIT and Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute for Material and Beam Technology IWS have signed a partnership on staff and student exchanges focussing on additive manufacturing.

Applied projects would cover 3D printing for manufacturing and repair, with online exchanges to begin immediately under the MoU, and international exchanges planned for next year after travel is safe again.

Professor Christoph Leyens, the Director of Fraunhofer IWS, said RMIT’s Centre for Additive Manufacturing was globally-renowned and the decision was an easy one to make.

“Our primary goal through this partnership is closer contact with the Australian market where there is so much latent potential for additive manufacturing, while at the same time fostering student exchange and joint PhD supervision that we know will be of high quality,” Leyens said in a statement.

Vice President for Digital Innovation, Professor Aleksandar Subic, said Fraunhofer IWS was the “leading applied 3D printing institute in Europe” and the agreement would link the best in that continent with the best in Australia.

“This partnership will serve as a conduit between Australia and Germany to tap into that rich vein, which will support Australia’s manufacturing transformation at a critical time, while also training the next generation of local additive manufacturing experts,” he said.

Picture: RMIT’s Paul Spithill with a batch of the 3D printed plastic face shield frames (supplied)

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