The Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad Will Offer 3D Technology Course

There’s no question that 3D printing is revolutionizing manufacturing and will continue to do so across the globe, and at a pace that will only grow exponentially faster as innovation feeds itself. 3D printing’s enormous impact is certainly more than apparent in the US, which claims nearly 40% of the industry’s global market share. No other country in the world comes close to that percentage but there are other countries advancing their use of 3D printing technology.

Japan, Germany, China, the UK, Italy, France, and South Korea are all eager to assert themselves as capitals, as major players in the developing additive manufacturing industry that has the potential to markedly affect economies. Now, India is joining this march toward a future where the use of 3D technology is widespread, diverse, and, well, a given.

Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad (IITH), located in the capital city of the southern Indian state of Telangana (and de jure capital of Andhra Pradesh), will be the first academic institution in India to provide a course on 3D printing or digital fabrication technology, says its director, UB Desai.

The announcement was made on March 2 during a two-day international symposium on 3D printing facilitated by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and co-hosted by IIT Hyderabad, Deakin University of Australia in Melbourne, and Keio University of Minato, Japan. One of the primary goals of the conference was to foster interdisciplinary collaboration in the development of additive manufacturing or 3D design and printing technology.

With the announcement, IIT Hyderabad representatives acknowledged the possibility of diverse applications of 3D printing across sectors, from food and healthcare to industrial production. They noted that, because this technology will most certainly be the rule rather than the exception in coming years, it is going to be critical to teach students in India and the home countries of the two collaborating institutions, Japan and Australia, how digital design and fabrication are accomplished.

Guy Littlefair (left), Dean of Engineering at Deakin University; UB Desai, Director IITH; and Jun Murai, Dean Faculty of Environment and Information Studies Keio University at the two-day symposium event. (Photo: The Hindu Business Line)

The Dean of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University, Jun Murai, said in a statement, “The use of digital fabrication has spread in large manufacturing facilities over the past two decades, and interdisciplinary collaboration between academics and industry is serving to make the technology inexpensive and user-friendly.”

The conference attendees understand how rapidly 3D design and printing technology is changing the face of production, from small home printing of objects to larger-scale and -quantity manufacturing and want their students to leave their universities equipped to compete in a workforce that is increasingly more schooled and skilled in digital technology.

Let us know what you think about this expansion of 3D printing education across the globe in the IITH to Offer 3D Printing Course forum thread over at 3DPB.com.