DIMECC Ltd., the leading innovation platform in the Finnish manufacturing industry, has today launched an industrial ecosystem that will increase 3D printing and bring together Finnish players in the field. The FAME ecosystem (Finnish Additive Manufacturing Ecosystem) will create an open 3D printing experimental center in Vaasa at the Smart Technology Hub, modular 3D printing training in Lappeenranta from the engineering level to the doctoral level, and raise Finland to the world’s leading countries in 3D printing utilization, sales and know-how. FAME involves more than 20 companies as founding members and Huld is one of them.
“With FAME synergies, Finnish industry is now urgently catching up with its competitors and gaining a strong market share in the world, as it has become clear that printing volumes in the industry are growing exponentially,” emphasizes Harri Kulmala, CEO of DIMECC.
“Additive manufacturing (3D-printing) utilization has been on low level in Finland and one of the reasons is that the industry has not been uniform and connected. More information sharing and cooperation to efficiently make the best out of additive manufacturing is needed. I am sure with FAME we are now able to raise Finland as one of the leading AM countries”, says Jasperi Kuikka, who is responsible for Huld’s 3D printing.
“Additive manufacturing offers solutions to change part manufacturing more environmentally friendly. At the same time, engineers can really design parts for optimal function instead of guessing and considering manufacturing limitations. FAME plays crucial role making all this happen at industrial scale”, Kuikka continues.
The key players in the FAME ecosystem are the leading companies in their fields. In the ecosystem, companies join forces and share their experience, development resources, experimental costs, and part of their equipment, and create an infrastructure for 3D printing that anyone involved in developing and expanding their business with this technology can connect to.
“This open and business-oriented ecosystem has clear interfaces with government policy goals and economic recovery. Cooperation between companies and research organizations develops and utilizes new technologies, on which investments, new types of business and new jobs are created. In the longer term, this will also contribute to the green economy and the large-scale industrial exploitation of digitalization”, describes Petri Räsänen, Development Manager of the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
The companies in the FAME ecosystem aim to reach 5% of the global 3D printing market volume by 2030. This will require significant changes in how 3D printing is seen as an opportunity and an alternative to current manufacturing methods. One of FAME’s key goals is to influence education and the attitudes of graduating designers so that 3D printing is taken as an equal starting point in mechanical design alongside casting or machining.
“We create new thinking through modular training. Education related to 3D printing is expanding and diversifying at the engineering, DI and doctoral levels. We intend to offer students a more flexible way to specialize in 3D printing in their studies”, says Jaana Sandström, Vice Rector for Education at LUT University. “FAME will bring new know-how, projects and equipment to our Lappeenranta and Lahti campuses in due course.”
FAME brings together leading equipment manufacturers, material suppliers, design and printing experts, and machine builders who turn their manufacturing technology towards 3D printing. The start-up and operations of the ecosystem are financed by the member companies and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.
Founding members of FAME (the list will be finalized on Nov 16th, 2020):
3D-Step, Andritz, CITEC, Danfoss, DBE Core, Delva, Elomatic, EOS Finland, Etteplan, Huld, Lillbacka Powerco, MiniFactory, Origo Engineering, Patria, Raute, Vossi, Wärtsilä
More information:
Jasperi Kuikka
+358 45 349 0665