Adding new dimension to manufacturing

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Adding new dimension to manufacturing

Adding new dimension to manufacturing

Industry News
Jan 03,24

When the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was looking to procure spacecraft’s grid-fins for its Gaganyaan mission, India’s first human space mission that is scheduled for a launch in 2024, it turned to a Bengaluru-based aerospace component maker that uses additive manufacturing (3D printing) technology. The company's 3D printed grid-fins from titanium material, which are critical to a spacecraft’s safety parameters, will be used to keep astronauts safe in the event of a spacecraft launch failure. For ISRO, additive manufacturing (AM) is not new. It has been using 3D printing technologies for producing multiple end-use parts for their rockets and satellites.

Additive manufacturing uses materials such as plastics and metals to convert products envisaged on computer-aided design (CAD) to real three-dimensional items. AM is the opposite of subtractive manufacturing which is cutting/hollowing out a piece of metal with, for instance, a milling machine. With additive manufacturing, complex geometries are possible that conventional processes cannot achieve. This freedom in form and function offers potential for almost all industries as a result AM is both a complementary and a competing technology to conventional metal working technologies and processes.

In India, aerospace and defence sectors were the early adopters of AM through their thorough certification processes and validation of repeatability for flight worthy components. In fact, today it is impossible to imagine manufacturing of aerospace components without 3D printing. The Government of India (GoI) aims to achieve a turnover of $ 25 billion (including an export of $5 billion) in the aerospace and defense goods and services by 2025, and has framed Defense Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 for providing impetus to self-reliance in defense manufacturing under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat scheme. With estimated contracts worth $ 57.2 billion in the offing for the domestic industry in the next 5–7 years (2025–2027) in the defense sector, floodgates of opportunities will open up for AM players in India. Acceptance of AM is also growing in other sectors like automotive, medical implants, dentistry, tool and die, etc.

India's additive manufacturing market, valued at $ 250 million in 2022, is predicted to reach $ 1.79 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 28 per cent from 2023 to 2030, according to Next Move Strategy Consulting. AM can revolutionise India’s manufacturing and industrial production landscape through digital processes, communication, imaging, architecture and engineering.

Realising its immense potential, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (Meity), released the National Strategy on Additive Manufacturing (NSAM) in February 2022. The strategy is to develop 50 India specific technologies for material, machine and software, 100 new startups for additive manufacturing, 500 new products and train at least 1 lakh new skilled workers. The ultimate aim is to increase India’s share to 5 per cent of the global AM market by 2025, with a goal of adding nearly $ 1 billion to the GDP.

As India transforms into a manufacturing hub for large-scale international businesses, the demand for AM solutions for high-volume production is anticipated to witness manifold rise in the near future.

We would like to wish all our readers a fabulous 2024.