Renishaw Opens Metal 3D Printing Center in India

Posted On: June 15, 2016

Since Narendra Modi took the reins as Prime Minister of India, tech companies have been flocking to the world's second-most populated country to take advantage of the growing market opportunities. This has been just as true for 3D printing companies as it has been for Silicon Valley giants as companies like GE and Stratasys open additive manufacturing facilities in the country.

The UK's only metal 3D printer manufacturer has also headed to India to launch a new Additive Manufacturing Solutions Centre. After announcing plans for the facility in 2014, Renishaw officially opens the doors to the center in Pune, India, this June.

The center will, like Renishaw's other additive manufacturing centers in the UK, United States, Canada, Germany, and China, house a number of metal 3D printers for use in providing metal 3D printing services for local customers. Renishaw implements these centers as a means of lowering the barrier to entry into metal 3D printing. Rather than dealing with the up-front costs associated with purchasing a metal 3D printer, customers can work with Renishaw engineers to design for AM.

Once a firm develops a familiarity with the technology, its strengths, and weaknesses, it may ultimately decide to purchase a 3D printer. The idea is that, given experience with Renishaw's new center, the firm will turn to Renishaw for the machine it purchases.

As an engineering company, Renishaw has already been working in India for more than 30 years, converting its office in Bangalore into an established subsidiary in 2000. The subsidiary now has offices in five cities with sales engineers in other locations, as well. Market research firm 6Wresearch suggests that the India 3D Printer Market could grow to be worth $62 million by 2020. Renishaw can further take advantage of the Indian market via 3D printing through its Solutions Centre in the country.

With the growth of 3D printing in the country, it's possible that an embrace of the technology will further fuel the Make in India initiative, launched by the Modi government to galvanize the manufacturing industry in India. To fully take advantage of the possibilities of AM, however, India and all other countries experiencing growth-related to 3D printing will need to bridge the education gap associated with the technology. This means new training programs, school curricula, and more to educate users about how to design for and manufacture with 3D printers.

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Media Courtesy : Engineering