Sep 19, 2016 | By Benedict
Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) has announced a 3D printing alliance between several local development groups, including the Additive Manufacturing Association of Taiwan, the Taiwan Mold & Die Industry Association, and the Chinese Industrial Designers Association.
Taiwan’s 3D printing future looks bright today, as the nation’s Industrial Technology Research Institute announces the formation of a new 3D printing alliance aimed at developing additive technology and occupying a larger share of the global market. By rallying several local 3D technology developments groups, including the Additive Manufacturing Association of Taiwan, the Taiwan Mold & Die Industry Association, and the Chinese Industrial Designers Association, the ITRI has managed to bring together several different areas of the industry in order to pool their resources to develop innovative and powerful 3D printing technologies.
According to the ITRI, the new 3D printing alliance could help Taiwanese manufacturers implement the technology in a wide range of applications, such as musical instrument production, auto parts manufacturing, artificial limb development, and lighting device production. Tsao Fang-hai, head of the ITRI's laser application center, said the institute had laid a strong foundation in fused deposition modeling (FDM) and metal 3D printing processes, both of which could become used on a greater scale by the local 3D printing industry as it seeks to develop new hardware and software.
Tsao mentioned Taiwan’s strong information and communications technology production and creative and thriving services sector as useful foundations for its burgeoning 3D printing sector, adding that the new 3D printing alliance will encourage cross-sector communication and development in order to develop multifaceted and advanced additive manufacturing technologies.
The ITRI cited the Wohlers Report 2016, which valued the global 3D printing market for 2015 at $5.16 billion, up 26% on the previous year, and gave an estimate of $20 billion for the year 2020. This massive growth has inspired the ITRI to encourage Taiwanese firms to capitalize on the booming industry by speeding up their 3D printing development in molding, aviation, and medical equipment manufacturing.
The formation of Taiwan’s 3D printing alliance was marked with a special ceremony, during which the ITRI and 19 other Taiwanese 3D printing technology developers, including Starmen Opto-Electronics Co. and Tongtai Machine & Tool Co., showcased their products. A highlight of the event was the introduction of a special ITRI-produced 3D printed hand prosthesis which utilizes both 3D scanning and 3D printing technology. The medical device uses electric muscle sensing technology to enable the wearer to make hand movements, and is entirely open source.
A month ago, the Taiwanese government introduced German-made voxeljet 3D printing systems to its domestic foundry industry in order to provide it with a competitive edge over global competitors.
Posted in 3D Printer Company
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