“By having all of the players located in a single hub, we are accelerating the development and application of the technology for the various industries,” commented Prof Dr Michael Suess, chairman of the board of directors of the Oerlikon Group. “Bavaria is the perfect place for us to house this initiative as it promotes energy and production efficiency, which supports Germany’s sustainability goals and the country’s desire to incorporate new technologies.”
Said Dr Roland Fischer, CEO of the Oerlikon Group: “The project is an excellent example of close collaboration between industry, academia and politics to innovate and industrialise a technology like additive manufacturing. AM is a technology that supports our aim of providing sustainable solutions for all industries.”
Jason Oliver, president and CEO of GE Additive, added: “Bavaria already enjoys a stellar reputation as a global hotspot for additive technology – with a thriving ecosystem and a rich seam of talent. We’re excited to be part of this initiative from the very beginning and look forward to building on that solid foundation and driving tangible impact both for the region itself and further afield.”
And Dr Christian Bruch, member of the executive board, CEO of Linde Engineering, said: “We see this opportunity to collaborate as a win for the companies and TUM, as well as for the region. We expect the new hub will bring jobs to the area, while also delivering new technologies and capabilities to the companies located here.”
As one of the first initiatives, Oerlikon and TUM are creating a new research institute. The Additive Manufacturing Institute will focus on interdisciplinary research in raw material powders, optimised AM production and end-to-end process integration, including automation and AM digitalisation. Oerlikon engineers and scientists will work hand in hand with researchers and students at various TUM faculties (mainly mechanical engineering, but also chemical engineering, the physics department and informatics) to address all aspects of AM research and production. This will include the verification and qualification of products and the development of new AM business models.
Like the cluster, the research institute will also be open for research cooperation with academia and industry once the initial frameworks have been established. The aim is to broaden the international network and encourage an architecture of open partnership.
Image caption: From left to right: Dr. Sven Hicken (business unit head, Oerlikon AM), Prof Dr Thomas Hofmann (president, TUM), Jason Oliver (president and CEO, GE Additive), Dr Wolfgang Dierker (CEO, GE Germany), Dr Christoph Laumen (executive director R&D, Linde AG), Prof Dr Michael Suess (chairman of the board of directors, Oerlikon Group), Dr Christian Haecker (head of industrialization, Oerlikon AM), Dr Andreas Lessmann (managing director, GE Additive Germany GmbH, senior leader, legal operations), Dr Christian Bruch (executive vice president & CEO, Linde Engineering), Andreas Rohregger (head of global properties, GE Additive), Dr Alice Beck (deputy director, TUM ForTe).
