Roger Uceda & CIM-UPC Create a Masters Degree in Design for Additive Manufacturing

July 20, 2018 by Joris Peels 3D Design Business

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Roger Uceda was one of the key people behind the BCN3D which was created as an offshoot of design nonprofit CIM UPC in Barcelona. After helping being BCN3D to life and leading the company Roger is now back at CIM UPC trying to do what he can to make Barcelona the global hub for 3D printing. Their next effort? They’re going to create a Masters program for 3D printing, or more precisely a Masters Degree in Design for Additive Manufacturing. The team will collaborate with “Renishaw, Ricoh, HP… technological centres and universities to make this the most powerful masters degree in Additive Manufacturing.” The catch? The degree is in Spanish for now.

Focusing on Industry 4.0 and the growth of our industry would seem to be a rather prescient thing to do. One of the problems in 3D printing at the moment is in finding enough really good people to do the work. Experienced professionals are often thin on the ground and there is a real war for talent happening in 3D. This would seem to be an excellent opportunity for people to hit the ground running if they want to work in 3D printing. 3D printing exactly the part you have also doesn’t unlock any of the value this only happens when one designs for additive.

The course will be given by Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and will focus on real cases and use machines such as the Ricoh AM S5500P, 3D Systems SLA 7000, Vanguard HS, HP MultiJet Fusion, Renishaw AM-250 as well as a BCN3D Sigma and Sigmax farm, hand-held 3DScanners and a Mitutoyo CMM. Much of the training will be conducted by professionals and will focus on product design, improving 3D printing itself through tools and tooling and also manufacturing.

3D printed surgical models DEFAM.

The director general of CIM UPC Felip Fenollosa said that, ” we have taken a step forward for the formative leadership in Additive Manufacturing, integrating the relevant actors in this ecosystem to contribute their experience to prepare the next generations of professionals for the transformation of our industry. We seek that in a global environment any Design can be sent anywhere in the world and manufactured at the same point of sale”

3DPrint.com asked Roger Uceda what the ideas were behind the new Design for Additive Manufacturing course:

What kind of students do you expect will attend?

Roger Uceda: “We expect two kind of students. Firstly we expect just graduated in engineering degrees that love and beleive in 3D printing, and want to work in that field. We also expect engineers that are already working in companies and want to change not only their products but also the way they manufacture and supply. We need to provide to that students the criteria to choose the correct tool in aditive manufacturing depending on their strategy. Is not the same to use 3D printing to shorten the development time, to change the supply chain, to optimize the geometry or to fully customize a product.”

Where do you think you’re graduates will work?

Roger Uceda: “Our students will work in different fields, from product develpment to production companies, 3D printing manufacturers and also in the medical field. We will give special attention to the use of additive manufacturing in health. On the other hand, CIM-UPC offers the possibility of a dual training, combining the master classes with an internship in companies in all that fields. At this moment we have more vacancies in our job bank that students.”

Why should I take this class?

Roger Uceda: I personally think that additive manufacuring is the perfect tool for changing the way we produce things. But this is just a tool. We need to teach the best professionals to lead that change in design and in production using this amazing technology. If you are a 3D printing passionate that want to lead that revolution, this master should be probably a very good idea!.