A strategic approach to increasing Europe’s value proposition for Additive Manufacturing technologies and capabilities

Project Information

AM-motion

Grant agreement ID: 723560

DOI

10.3030/723560

Project closed

EC signature date 28 June 2016

Start date 1 November 2016

End date 31 December 2018

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced manufacturing and processing

Total cost

€ 993 052,50

EU contribution

€ 993 052,50

Coordinated by

FUNDACION IDONIAL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AM-motion (A strategic approach to increasing Europe’s value proposition for Additive Manufacturing technologies and capabilities)

Reporting period: 2018-02-01 to 2018-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Additive manufacturing (AM) has been highlighted as a key technology with potential for creating sustainable high value European based employment, addressing societal issues and supporting environmental sustainability. It has the potential to revolutionize the way in which products are manufactured and delivered to the customer. Moreover, AM is already having a high economic impact on several sectors and indeed on wider society. Therefore, it challenges the community to reinvent the business models and explore the implications of AM adoption. All those are heavyweight reasons for Europe to make specific efforts to define a plan of action in the field.

AM-Motion CSA has the ambition to develop a strategy and set up the pillars for its efficient implementation that, ultimately, will contribute to reinforcing the European AM ecosystem. The project accelerates market uptake of AM technologies across Europe by connecting and upscaling existing initiatives and efforts around defined value chains, improving the conditions for large-scale, cross-regional demonstration and market deployment, and by involving a large number of key stakeholders, particularly from industry, as experts.

The following objectives have been defined:

1. To map the AM landscape at regional, national and international level:
• Identifying collaboration options and possible new initiatives to fill any gaps.
• Naming the most relevant and cross cutting application areas.
• Distinguishing AM related smart specialisation
• Coordinating and supporting information exchange and exploitation synergies between funded projects.
• Recognising needs and bottlenecks for accessing technical and product know-how across applications

2 To build a robust AM ecosystem:
• Extending the AM community built up from the European AM platform network
• Enhancing engagement of relevant international connections
• Combining of optimum communication tools and events

3 To develop a minimum of 3 models for business collaboration:
• Integration of particular business interests of the key stakeholders responsible for technology exploitation
• Realise current bottlenecks and best practices for transferability of novel technologies.

4 To fully integrate AM technologies with connected industries (Industry 4.0) including SMEs:
• Maximize the benefit of mass-production of customized products combined with cost effectivity and productivity (e.g. smart planning systems for flexible production, design methodologies…).
• Develop the known association of AM with the Industry 4.0 concept.

5 To asses job market demands with regards AM:
• The increase in skills capacity for innovation and competitiveness.
• The adaption and customisation of the different curricula required to meet current and future needs.
• Definition of an educational implementation model.

6 To analyse non-technological issues:
• A clear vision from both technology developers and organisations devoted to standardisation and IPR management
• The assessment of current regulatory, EHS and IPR aspects (opportunities and risks)
• The analysis of the standardisation framework and facilitate the process from projects to standards

7 To detail an AM roadmap that ensures large-scale deployment and industrial exploitation:
• The development of clear strategic plans and actions to be tackled for further development that are aligned with market trends and AM related capabilities and enablers.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Project activity focus on market analysis, mapping of the Additive Manufacturing (AM) landscape and road mapping actions. A technology surveillance and forecast of AM was carried out in order to identify key sectors where the implementation of these technologies have a major economic and societal impact in Europe. After evaluation of the potential for future growth, the following top level sectors were selected:
1-Health 2.-Aerospace 3.-Automotive 4.-Consumer Goods 5.-Electronics 6.-Energy 7.-Industrial tooling and equipment 8.-Construction

This activity was followed by the mapping of AM landscape, including regional capabilities and identifying initiatives (platforms, associations, networks, etc.) at national, European and International levels. Moreover, the sectors selected were populated by mapping RDI key AM Projects. A total of 235 projects were identified, from which 124 are European Projects and 111 are National/Regional Projects. An analysis of these projects based on sector, VC segment, AM process, materials and non-technological activities addressed was also carried out.

The e-AM database-clustering tool, created on AM-platform website (http://rm-platform.com/) was improved and updated with information on these key European projects, regional expertise and actors on the field. The idea is that it serves as a tool that facilitates mapping of AM capabilities and expertise, networking and identification of possible synergies, complementariness and constraints within the market-driven value chains on the sectors previously selected.

Regarding the non-technological aspects: AM regulatory, EHS, IPR and standardisation frameworks were analysed. Educational offers in the field of AM were mapped and employer's needs regarding skills and education evaluated.

An AM roadmap was designed to offer a strategy for building the fundamental knowledge and actions necessary to accelerate AM industrialisation. It reflects the opportunities and market trends identified, in combination with the AM related technologies capabilities and enablers localised within the projects . For each of selected sectors, a value chain approach was followed to find the gaps preventing complete market deployment and proposed the corresponding needed actions. The actions proposed are classified respond both to technological and non-technological gaps(i.e. standardisation, education, IP...):

Finally, a solid stakeholder’s network was created. This network allows connections and to improve interactions, communication and exploitation around the sectorial value chains.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The activities of AM-motion project have short term and longer term impacts. The short-term impact is related to the completion of the sectorial value chains will allow projects, regions, stakeholders to place their developments, results, needs and capabilities with a sector/application target as well as to know what type of partners they need to complement their expertise, facilitating possible partnership and alliances. Project outcomes help mapping the additive manufacturing ecosystem around specific key sectors for Europe, and the related regional policies, lowering the entry barriers for newcomers, and raising awareness of existing capabilities and knowledge to stimulate market uptake.

On a longer term, impact is through the development of a roadmap by identifying together strategic priorities and identified obstacles as a common vision and strategy that maximise the knowledge-based and business development potential of Europe. The roadmap will contain specific actions to overcome or minimize the existing barriers, including those going beyond technology that can also hinder AM commercialisation (i.e standardisation, education, IPRs…).

Both actions help preventing fragmentation and duplication of efforts, providing a path to market uptake by connecting and expanding existing knowledge and infrastructure, improving the conditions for exploitation, cross-regional demonstration and deployment

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