Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre

发达国家的创业公司正以创新的方式应对全球制造业日益严峻的挑战。需求变化、货币波动、供应链中断、商品价格波动以及消费者偏好的变化，意味着企业在决定在哪里生产、追求哪些市场以及进行哪些资本设备投资时，必须考虑比以往任何时候都更广泛的因素。增材制造是一项新兴技术，在欧洲和美国已经获得了吸引力，因为它能够消除可制造性限制，并减少工具成本，产品开发时间和原材料浪费。探索增材制造技术的优势，特别是直接金属激光烧结，用于生产金属零件，是莫霍克学院新增材制造资源中心的重点，也是提交本提案的基础。在莫霍克学院，中小企业将能够获得一种可以改变其业务的资源。增材制造资源中心的目标是弥合该地区金属制造商的基础研究和产品开发之间的差距，共享尖端能力和设备，提供熟练劳动力，并创造一个工业和学术界共同努力教育和培训下一代工人的环境。本提案中概述的四个示例项目表明，如果采用该技术，将如何对当地企业产生重大影响，以及拥有足够运营资金的莫霍克如何成为促进该地区创新的大规模资源。

Entrepreneurial firms in the developed world are responding with innovation to the mounting challenges of global manufacturing. Shifting demand, currency volatility, supply-chain disruptions, fluctuating commodity prices, and changing consumer preferences mean companies must consider a wider range of factors than ever before when deciding where to produce, which markets to pursue, and which capital equipment investments to make. Additive manufacturing is an emerging technology that has gained traction in Europe and the United States because of its ability to eliminate manufacturability constraints, and to reduce tooling costs, product development time, and raw material waste. Exploring the advantages of additive manufacturing technology, specifically Direct Metal Laser Sintering, for producing metal parts is the focus of the new Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre at Mohawk College, and the basis for submission of this proposal.At Mohawk College, SMEs will are able to access a resource that could transform their business. The goal of the Additive Manufacturing Resource Centre is to bridge the gap between basic research and product development for metal fabricators in the region, to share cutting-edge capabilities and equipment, to provide access to skilled labour, and to create an environment where industry and academia work together to educate and train the next generation of workers. Four sample projects, outlined in this proposal, demonstrate how the technology, if adopted, could significantly impact local businesses and how Mohawk, with enough funds for operation, could become a large-scale resource that contributes to innovation in the region.