The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has asked the manufacturing industry to adopt advanced manufacturing and avail the services and facilities of its Industrial Technology and Development Institute (ITDI).
DOST Secretary Fortunato “Boy” T. de la Peña made the call during the Additive Manufacturing Center-Materials Development (AMCen-MATDEV) Stakeholders' Forum held on Thursday.
"Here in this forum, I am enjoining the manufacturing industry to adopt advanced manufacturing and make use of the 3D printers, services, and facilities of ITDI. Additive manufacturing is a great alternative to those companies that are dedicated to manufacturing goods on demand. Additive manufacturing is here to stay,” he said in his keynote address.
He cited that additive manufacturing (AM), which is often referred to as 3D printing, is one of DOST’s priority programs.
AM is a process of making a product by adding successive super-thin layers of material, he said.
“In this time of the pandemic, brought about by coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), additive manufacturing played a great role in providing 3D printed devices to fill in the shortage of medical devices and personal protective equipment to include face shields, face masks, and valves,” the DOST chief said.
"Until now, ITDI is still distributing face shields to hospitals and clinics in Metro Manila. Thanks to the 3D printers available at the Multiple Materials Development facility at ITDI.”
Citing the forecast made by Frost & Sullivan's Global 360 Research Team in 2016, De la Peña noted that the global additive manufacturing market by value is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of around 15 percent from $5.31 billion in 2015 to $21.50 billion by 2025, due to increasing demand for 3D printing from industries such as automotive, dental, manufacturing, and health care.
"Likewise, during the forecast period, the market will shift from prototyping to mass production of parts and accessories. By 2025, it is predicted that additive manufacturing technologies will enable companies to produce finished products on a large scale.”
"In the era of additive manufacturing, it is no longer necessary to use welding machines to fuse steel sheets or to employ cutting machines to mill components, as the job is done by industrial 3D printers. These marvelous machines are produced by the likes of Stratasys, 3D Systems, and EOS.”