UAE – Technological innovations such as additive manufacturing can be an effective tool in tackling the climate change crisis. Emerging technology can ensure planes are energy efficient and reduce CO2 emissions by 50%, a leading expert in Abu Dhabi has said.
Dr. Nesma Aboulkhair, Senior Researcher, Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Materials Research Center (AMRC) at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII), says additive manufacturing is a transformative technology that uses computer-aided design (CAD) software to create objects by “adding” material, be it metal, concrete or plastic.
“Additive manufacturing technologies have advanced significantly in recent years and are set to become a highly disruptive force in the global manufacturing industry,” she told the Khaleej Times.
“Additive manufacturing gives us unprecedented freedom to achieve incredible levels of lightness and functionality to boost industry operations, while providing a sustainable alternative to conventional manufacturing processes.”
Statista reports that the global additive manufacturing market is expected to reach $30.6 billion in 2028 and grow at a rate of 14.4% per year.
Aware of the importance of this new technology, Dr. Aboulkhair pointed out that many industries are beginning to incorporate additive manufacturing into their business operations.
“Aerospace, automotive and medical are just a few of the industries that additive manufacturing has already had an impact on. Using additive manufacturing, engineers in the aerospace industry can efficiently design complex geometric structures and complex with less time and eliminating the need for large quantities of materials.This ensures that aircraft burn less fuel, CO2 emissions are halved and costs are significantly reduced, which translates into fares airlines at reasonable prices for passengers.
Dr Aboulkhair said the automotive industry uses additive manufacturing to produce multiple parts without tools, reducing production and development costs.
“Like aerospace, the automotive industry also requires its products to withstand harsh weather conditions and high speeds. Thus, additive manufacturing allows automakers to build complex, high-quality parts with improved safety. “
“Through rapid prototyping, vehicle quality is enhanced by allowing manufacturers to assess its resistance to water and high temperatures. Additionally, this technology is used to create lattice structures so that car components can be as aerodynamic and light as possible,” said Dr Aboulkhair, who was ranked among Stanford’s “top 2% of scientists in 2021 for single-year citations” for the second year in a row.
In the medical field, additive manufacturing is a “game-changing” technology that has achieved breakthroughs.
“From anatomical models to surgical-grade components to durable prosthetics, additive manufacturing has already done wonders for the healthcare industry. In the near future, additive manufacturing will contribute to the field of human tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, enabling the creation of functional tissue constructs. that mimic human tissue to restore or replace damaged tissue or organs.”
Different from 3D printing
When asked if additive manufacturing is the same as 3D printing, she explained, “Although the term additive manufacturing is used interchangeably with 3D printing, the main difference between the two is that 3D printing can be considered a subset of additive manufacturing. With 3D printing, an object is built layer by layer using a 3D printer that runs CAD software.
“Additive manufacturing is a much broader term, encompassing a variety of processes compared to 3D printing. Electron beam manufacturing and selective laser melting are also two processes included under the umbrella term ‘additive manufacturing’. .
Dr Aboulkhair said additive manufacturing is usually associated with commercial and industrial applications, while 3D printing has its place in recreational and consumer applications.
“Additive manufacturing is finding use cases in the field of human tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, enabling the creation of functional tissue constructs that mimic human tissue to restore or replace damaged tissues or organs.”
Dr Aboulkhair stressed that additive manufacturing is a “powerful and proven” technology that is revolutionizing production and business models at all levels.
“It has immense potential to significantly reduce the need for resource and energy intensive manufacturing practices. This, in turn, decreases the need for additional materials required in the supply chain and paves the way for more energy-efficient, green and sustainable processes.”
Dr Aboulkhair said the technology offers several advantages over traditional production processes.
“Besides improving productivity and making it easier to create new products, it also reduces opportunities for overproduction and creates environmentally friendly products, to name a few benefits.
By using faster print speeds and capacity, the likelihood of overproduction is greatly reduced, allowing manufacturers to create greener operations and a highly efficient manufacturing environment. »
Additive manufacturing can help produce environmentally friendly products using biodegradable and organic sources.
“It uses polylactic acid or bioplastic – a sustainable, biodegradable and non-toxic resource that significantly reduces waste.”
Revolutionary role in the growth of the UAE
In the UAE, additive manufacturing is used in a myriad of sectors ranging from aerospace to construction to healthcare and has the potential to play a “breakthrough role” in the country’s industrial growth, a- she declared.
“In Abu Dhabi, Etihad Engineering, the maintenance, repair and overhaul arm of Etihad Aviation Group, is deploying 3D printing in partnership with 3D technology providers to launch a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing facility capable of creating and reducing the weight of cab components.”
“In Dubai, the construction sector has already started to implement 3D printing technologies, and the emirate is home to the largest 3D printed structure in the world. By 2030, Dubai’s vision is to use 3D printed materials for 25% of all future projects.”
In 2021, TII, the applied research pillar of the Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) Abu Dhabi, established the Additive Manufacturing Group, a subset of the AMRC.
“At AMRC, our additive manufacturing lab is equipped to meet our future goals, and the center piece de resistance is the metal 3D printer, designed by German manufacturer Aconity 3D. Powered by the Aconity MIDI+ system, the can generate complex layer-by-layer designs and features with only powdered metal raw materials.All of our CDMA labs are equipped with a full suite for testing and characterizing fabricated components, including evaluation of raw material properties” , said Dr Aboulkhair, who joined TII in April last year.
TII’s Additive Manufacturing Group focuses on metal additive manufacturing research.
“We now have several projects in the pipeline and pride ourselves on continually improving our research and sharing our knowledge with the global research community – working together to build a sustainable future. Just recently we helped organize an international seminar titled: Additive Manufacturing the Future,” she added.
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