NSERC Network for Holistic Innovation in Additive Manufacturing (HI-AM)

增材制造（AM），也被称为3D打印，已被各行业确定为将从根本上改变制造业的下一代技术。增材制造正处于被广泛采用的尖端，以取代许多传统的制造工艺，并使新的行业实践得以发展。增材制造产品直接由计算机设计制造，具有精确的几何形状和材料梯度，通常比传统制造的部件提供更高的性能。预计增材制造将在被称为“工业4.0”的制造业数字化转型中发挥重要作用。拟议的NSERC增材制造整体创新网络（HI-AM）将汇集加拿大各地的领先研究小组及其政府、行业和国际学术合作伙伴，协调和加速国家研究工作，以克服增材制造采用中的关键挑战。HI-AM的多学科团队开创并获得了智能控制技术、创新增材制造工艺和新材料的专利，为解决商业增材制造应用面临的一些关键障碍奠定了基础，使加拿大在全球增材制造供应链中发挥重要作用。加拿大的研究人员也站在国际上为增材制造技术制定ISO/ASTM标准的最前沿。他们的行业合作伙伴展示了研究的潜在影响的广度，包括加拿大的航空航天、汽车、国防、能源、自然资源、生物医学和模具行业。这将是加拿大第一个全国性的学术AM倡议。这一时机至关重要，因为预计到2020年，全球增材制造市场将增长5倍。拟议中的网络旨在建立伙伴关系，开发知识产权，并培训加拿大在这个关键的新兴先进制造业领域竞争所需的高技能人才。

Additive manufacturing (AM), also known as 3D printing, has been identified across sectors as the next generation technology that will fundamentally change manufacturing. AM is on the cusp of being widely adopted to replace many conventional manufacturing processes and enable the development of new industry practices. AM products are fabricated directly from computer designs, with precise geometries and material gradients that typically offer higher performance than conventionally made parts. AM is expected to play an important role in the digital transformation of manufacturing known as "Industry 4.0".The proposed NSERC Network for Holistic Innovation in Additive Manufacturing (HI-AM) will bring together leading research groups across Canada and their government, industry, and international academic partners, to coordinate and accelerate national research efforts to overcome critical challenges in AM adoption. HI-AM's multidisciplinary team has pioneered and patented intelligent control technologies, innovative AM processes, and new materials providing a foundation to solve some of the key obstacles facing commercial AM applications, positioning Canada to play an important role in the global AM supply chain. Canadian researchers are also at the forefront of the international effort to develop ISO/ASTM standards for AM technologies. Their industry partners demonstrate the breadth of the research's potential impact, encompassing Canada's aerospace, automotive, defense, energy, natural resources, biomedical and tooling sectors. This will be the first national academic AM initiative in Canada. The timing is critical with the global market for AM expected to quintuple by 2020. The proposed Network is poised to build the partnerships, develop the intellectual property, and train the highly skilled people Canada needs to compete in this crucial emerging arena of advanced manufacturing.