SoftDream: Developing 3D printing for industrial use

Until now, 3D printing technology, or additive manufacturing, has been limited to making prototypes, and small-medium sized components as well as manufacturing processes with horizontal linear layers. With the increase in available build volume and build rate of commercial 3D printers over the last 10 years, there is a growing interest to use the technology also for large scale components in particularly for automotive, construction and aerospace industries.

The EIT Manufacturing SoftDream project is tapping into this soft spot: Developing software tools for hybrid robot based 3D printing for large scale industrial application. The objective is to deliver a flexible, user friendly application capable of communicating with all industrial robot brands and launch a start up in 2021.

SoftDream recently published its own website and more is underway: Functionality requirements and architecture are now ready, and the project team is also working on new Digital Learning Nuggets, a regular technical newsletter and a promotion event, when the first metallic and plastic demonstrators will be printed.

SoftDream is coordinated by the Swedish Research Institute (RISE) with the French Institute of Advanced Industrial Technologies (ESTIA), Volkswagen (Germany), the German Technical University of Braunschweig (TUB), Spectrum Technology (Sweden) and Aerospace Valley (France) as partners.

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