Fraunhofer Project Center initiates AMBITION - transition to Additive Manufacturing

Professor Ian Gibson has been an asset for the Dept. of Design, Production & Management, University Of Twente. He is also the Scientific Director of Fraunhofer Project Centre and famous for the best-selling textbook on Additive Manufacturing Technologies.

According to this year’s report by ResearchGate, Professor Gibson’s book was ranked #1 among all manufacturing textbooks. “Additive Manufacturing Technologies” published by Springer has set the record with more than 2.8 million copies sold.

AMBITION is a new step from the research team at Fraunhofer Project Centre towards industrial development of Additive Manufacturing (AM, also known as 3D Printing). AMBITION is part of the larger Advanced Manufacturing Program (AMP) that focuses on how AM can be better implemented within an industrial manufacturing framework.

Through the AMP, Fraunhofer Project Center enhances collaboration among businesses in the rapidly growing area of Industry 4.0. Applied correctly Additive Manufacturing can enhance product performance, decrease production costs and overcome supply chain difficulties. AMBITION is a ray of hope for emerging companies to enhance their productivity through innovation.

Although most manufacturers are aware of AM, they have difficulty in deciding how and when to apply it to their production. AM is all about change in how you see your production, which is always going to be difficult unless you have the right guidance .

– Professor Ian Gibson

Knowledge institute partners:

AMBITION supports to enhance their AM technology, ensuring that after acquiring the right technology, companies can also develop practical implementation plans. The FPC AMBITION team, under Professor Gibson’s supervision, extends their partner’s knowledge to elevate productivity. This is an excellent opportunity for manufacturing companies who dare adopt novelty for a brighter future. New partners can become part of the Additive Manufacturing revolution through this project.

It’s never an ideal time to adopt new technology. Our aim is to smoothen the transition process as much as possible, and minimize the business risk.

– Professor Ian Gibson

AMBITION includes the following functions:

• Audit: supporting industry to examine its manufacturing technology use and develop plans to modernize the system.
• Knowledge Transfer: training programs helping companies gain proper knowledge and training regarding Technology Awareness,
• Design, Implementing, and Making the Business plan for Additive Manufacturing.
• Design for Additive Manufacturing: Here, we offer support in product design and AM workflow. Topics like topology optimization and generative design are included here as well as how to optimize the AM process towards optimum throughput and post-processing.
• Demonstrator Development: In conjunction with partners we look at how to develop AM for specific applications.

Fraunhofer Project Center, associated with the University of Twente, is a collaboration for advancement in research to a better industry. Partners in this project are:

• University of Twente, the hosting university
• Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology (IPT) in Aachen, Germany
• Saxion University of Applied Sciences

Professor Ian Gibson has a Ph.D. in industrial robotics and has decades of experience in Additive Manufacturing technology. He has worked in several areas of the world, such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, and Europe.