TCT
Representatives of the eight founding members of the Leading Minds consortium.
A new consortium of additive manufacturing solution providers will work to overcome the most pressing challenges that manufacturers face when adopting 3D printing technologies.
Announced at Formnext, the Leading Minds consortium sees Materialise being joined by Ansys, EOS, HP, Nikon SLM, Renishaw, Stratasys, and TRUMPF to initially create a common language framework for 3D printing.
The consortium has been established to work towards solutions for the challenges that users of 3D printing face when adopting, incorporating and scaling with additive manufacturing. As the technology 'transitions from niche innovations to high-volume manufacturing' the Leading Minds consortium have identified a need to deliver 'concrete, scalable solutions' that will 'cement 3D printing as a cornerstone of modern industrial production.'
Among the challenges that manufacturers using 3D printing are facing are a lack of expertise, perceived high costs, and complex integration with established processes. To overcome such challenges, the eight companies that make up the consortium believe their collaboration will be key.
As the eight founding members of Leading Minds come together to form this collaboration, they have pledged to take practical and actionable steps to be more innovative, sustainable and capable of meeting the evolving needs of advanced manufacturing.
The first initiative of Leading Minds is the development of a common language framework for 3D printing. Currently, many companies and technologies use different terminology for similar concepts. But Leading Minds is aiming to facilitate better communication with a common language framework that will allow manufacturers to work together more effectively.
The consortium commented: “Leading Minds represent a collective commitment to reshaping the future of manufacturing through the transformative power of 3D printing. The consortium aims to address pressing challenges faced by manufacturers today. This includes enhancing production efficiency, reducing waste, and enabling faster, more responsive supply chains. Through these efforts, the consortium will help create a more adaptable, sustainable, and versatile manufacturing ecosystem.”
Ansys, EOS, HP, Materialise, Nikon SLM, Renishaw, Stratasys, and TRUMPF say they are open to other companies joining the Leading Minds consortium.
