TheHannover 3D Printing Consortium, a merger of the three companiesreiConsulting| Additive Manufacturing Germany GmbH & Co. KG,LikeAbirdandFormwerk3D,began implementing the 3D printing experiment laboratory supported by the Hannover Region Economic Development Corporation in April 2020. The aim of the measure is to raise awareness among regional companies of the potential applications of additive manufacturing in order to realize new or more sustainable products and production processes.
Although the measures against the spread of the coronavirus have naturally also affected the work of the consortium, the partners were able to implement four demonstrator projects halfway through the planned project period. In addition, the implementation of a digital 3D printing meetup and the cooperation with partners such as "nachhaltig.digital", "Niedersachsen Aviation" and the "Digitalagentur Niedersachsen" have enabled the sensitization of around 40 companies to date.
The consortium has also initiated cooperation with regional research institutes such as theIPH- Institut für Integrierte Produktion gGmbH, the Institutefor Bioplastics and Biocomposites (IfBB), the Institutefor Plastics and Recycling Technology (IKK)and the Institutefor Product Development and Equipment Engineering (IPeG). All of these activities have also led to further projects with a total volume of € 1.15 million being applied for or approved in Hanover-based institutes and companies.
The consortium's demonstrator projects to date have covered various sectors and topics. In the first project, the consortium's engineers designed adapters that enabled clinics in Hanover and Hildesheim to connect existing filters with available protective masks. This made it possible to quickly implement effective virus protection independently of the highly sought-after protective masks on the global market.
With the expertise of the consortium, Crafting Future GmbH has developed ecologically optimized bento boxes and brought them to prototype status. In this project, the CO2 footprint of the food boxes was minimized through the use of bio-based plastics and targeted material savings. In its project, the bicycle store RadConcept sought an alternative to the tedious procurement of bicycle spare parts. The solution is the programming of a configurator with which the company can now print customer-specific brackets, e.g. for reflectors, in its own store. The consortium designed innovative housings for X-ray sources and units for FineTec Fine Focus Technologies GmbH.
© 3D printing consortiumThe construction of the new 3D printing experimental laboratory in Linden harbor is also progressing. The building, including the laboratory equipment, should be available to interested companies by early summer 2021. Until then, the members of the 3D printing experimental laboratory will continue to support interested companies with the existing infrastructure. For example, another project related to veterinary medicine will be starting soon. The second digital 3D printing meetup is planned for March 2021.
