Event: Identifying and Developing Additive Manufacturing Skills for UK Industry

31st March 2017,  10:00 – 16:00

The Manufacturing Technology Centre, Coventry (directions here)

Register your place

Investment in education and training leading to the provision of the right skillsets at the right time will be key if UK industry is to capture the opportunities afforded by the adoption of Additive Manufacturing technologies.

This event aims to bring together those with insight into how Additive Manufacturing technologies will develop and can be most effectively deployed by industry in order to advise Additive Manufacturing UK of the nature of future skills needs. Outputs of this event will be used to inform recommendations for action and will support ongoing work with the UK Government and wider stakeholders. The aim is to ensure that the implementation of the UK Industrial Strategy delivers the skills necessary for the on-going success of the many sectors now adopting Additive Manufacturing within the broader changes being realised through the diffusion of Digital Manufacturing.

The conference will cover topics ranging from how to increase general awareness of the practicalities of adopting Additive Manufacturing, through to the development of specific skills and competences in design and manufacturing for both new entrants to the workforce as well as those already in work. Participants will include organisations wanting to develop the Additive Manufacturing skills and competences of their current and future workforce, as well as organisation providing Additive Manufacturing awareness raising and training courses at all levels. We anticipate that the event will lead to a better and more inclusive understanding of the changes necessary to the education and skills of current occupations as well as potential new roles, and understanding of the timing and scale of such changes in demand.

Register your place here.

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Extended deadline for UK AM National Strategy Call for Evidence – 26 June

As previously reported, the UK National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing has an open call for evidence. The deadline for submissions of evidence has been extended to 26 June.

Click here to submit evidence and contribute to the development of the UK’s strategy in this field.

Call for Evidence: UK National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing – 15 June deadline

The Call for Evidence to support the development of a UK National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing (AM-3DP) is currently open.  The deadline for the submission of initial evidence is 15 June 2015.

Details on how the strategy is being developed are provided here. Evidence can be submitted in three ways:

1. Submit your evidence on-line by clicking on this link.
2. Submit your evidence via a Word Document form (available by clicking here), which should then be emailed to evidence@amnationalstrategy.uk
3. If you wish to contribute a more substantial document – which could be included as an appendix to the final strategy publication – you are welcome to do so using the template available by clicking here, which should then be emailed to evidence@amnationalstrategy.uk.

If you have any queries regarding this Call for Evidence, please email evidence@amnationalstrategy.uk.

About the UK National Strategy for AM-3DP

Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing (AM-3DP) is a key enabler in high value manufacturing where benefits, such as smarter supply chains, digital manufacturing flexibility and design freedoms, are transforming the way products and components are designed, developed, manufactured and supplied in a wide range of sectors. The UK is amongst the global leaders in both the development of knowledge and successful application of AM-3DP technology, but there are gaps in the industrial ecosystem that need to be addressed if the UK is to capture value from the opportunities presented by AM-3DP. In addition, national strategies around the world are being developed to accelerate innovation and provide those nations with a significant advantage as they co-ordinate and focus their research, innovation and commercialisation activities relating to AM-3DP.

To respond to these issues, a Steering Group of senior representatives of a range of public and private sector organisations produced a AM Strategy Positioning Paper that provided an overview of the importance of AM-3DP to the UK economy. This Positioning Paper marked the starting point for the development of a UK National Strategy for AM-3DP. This strategy is being developed in four stages in the period March 2015 to February 2016. Two Scoping Workshops comprised the first stage, held on 10 March (hosted by the MTC) and 25 March (hosted by the University of Nottingham), were attended by over 120 industry, government and academic representatives. The outputs of these workshops helped to define the scope of the current Call for Evidence. This evidence will be analysed during July-September, with the strategy being developed and produced during October-February 2016.

The development of the UK National Strategy for AM-3DP is being coordinated by a Steering Grouping, whose members include representatives from industry (GKN Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, TWI), research (Manufacturing Technology Centre, University of Cambridge, University of Nottingham) and Government (Department of Business, Innovation and Skills).

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