Sept 25, 2021: Chennai, India: VIT Chennai and SEDAXIS Advanced Materials Pvt. Ltd have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Additive Manufacturing.
The VIT-Sedaxis AM CoE would be located inside the VIT Chennai campus and would help drive the adoption of 3D printing within the multitude of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) and MNCs in the region by offering affordable access to multiple 3DP technologies under a single roof. Target sectors include automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, manufacturing, engineering services and others. High cost of machines combined with high material costs translates into higher per part costs for end users, thus slowing down the pace of mass adoption of this important technology. The CoE is determined to tackle this head-on with the right mix of machines and materials backed by an ‘open philosophy’.
The Centre will plan to have a research arm as well equipped with a range of 3D printers in a phase-wise manner for R&D applications, including continuous composite fiber 3D printing and other open material/open parameter capable 3D printers. This would enable researchers from all domains to engage in advanced research on new materials and new product development.
The VIT-Sedaxis AM CoE will also complement as a Knowledge Hub by hosting relevant workshops and webinars for both industry and academia to better understand the benefits and use-cases of 3D printing. It is envisioned that by doing so, the Centre will fulfil its key objective to democratising AM amongst a diverse set of stakeholders, with a strong focus on the underserved SME sector.
Remarking on this new collaboration, Dr. Kanchana Bhaaskaran, Pro Vice-Chancellor, VIT Chennai said, “Vellore Institute of Technology has always been the frontrunner in closely collaborating with the industry as a way of creating industry-ready graduates and excelling in the research and product development activities. Today, we are excited to welcome onboard SEDAXIS Advanced Materials Pvt. Ltd., the industry partner, in our journey of fruitful collaboration in the domain of additive manufacturing. Besides providing solutions to the social and industrial problems, we are also looking forward to witnessing many remarkable outcomes as part of this association in terms of supporting academic research and projects.” Pro Vice-Chancellor also emphasized that industries across all the domains situated in and around Chennai can utilize the VIT faculty expertise and the 3D printing facilities at the Centre for their manufacturing needs such as design, prototyping, tooling and small-batch manufacturing of the components.
On the need for such facilities in India, Mr. Vishwanath Godavarty, Business Head for 3D Printing at SEDAXIS added, “It’s encouraging to see that one of the largest private universities in India has recognized the need to make 3D Printing more accessible to both industry and R&D/Academia and has joined forces with Sedaxis to fulfill our joint vision to democratize 3D Printing and help make it more accessible to the underserved SMEs across the region. Through this CoE, we would be able to generate greater awareness of continuous composite fiber, affordable industrial SLS (Selective Laser Sintering) and R&D-specific solutions in 3D Printing. Also, many SMEs struggle to translate the excitement they feel about 3D Printing into meaningful business opportunities. The CoE will support such use-cases as well with objective solutions that take the guess-work out and negate the need for expensive 3rd party consultants”.
The event was graced by the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of VIT, Chennai, Dr. Kanchana Bhaaskaran, and following the MoU sign-off ceremony, members of both the VIT Chennai and Sedaxis teams took a tour of the upcoming CoE facility and a campus tour to review VIT’s advanced infrastructure and facilities.
