The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has recently unveiled the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing Policy. This strategy is an initiative to transform the manufacturing sector and achieve the objectives set by ‘Make in India’ and ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ policies.
Highlights of the New Policy
The newly launched policy incorporates ambitious plans. It aims to elevate India’s stake in the global additive manufacturing domain to 5% within the forthcoming three years, contributing an additional USD 1 billion to the Indian GDP. The policy also intends to forge 50 India-centric technologies related to materials, machinery, and software, stimulate 100 new startups centered around additive manufacturing, generate 500 innovative products, and train at least 100,000 fresh skilled workers.
Understanding 3D Printing
3D Printing, often termed as additive manufacturing, involves the use of materials like plastics and metals to transform products conceptualized on computer-aided design into tangible three-dimensional commodities. This process inversely contrasts subtractive manufacturing, which entails hollowing out or cutting a piece of metal or plastic with tools such as a milling machine. Additive manufacturing paves the way for intersection of multiple technologies like computing electronics, imaging, AI, pattern recognition, which can consequently lead to creation of intellectual property and export opportunities.
Potential Impact and Usage of 3D Printing
With its power to redefine India’s manufacturing and industrial production landscape through digital methods, additive manufacturing holds immense potential. These digital processes include communication, imaging, architecture, and engineering. The industry stands to witness an upsurge of startups venturing into this niche. Traditionally employed for prototyping, 3D printing offers a wide spectrum of usage, from constructing artificial limbs, stents, dental crowns to manufacturing parts of automobiles and consumer goods.
Opportunities for India
The adoption of 3D printing may help eliminate the need for large capital investments as the machines are relatively less expensive, inventories can be kept small, and spatial requirements are not extensive. This scenario can facilitate small and medium enterprises’ transition towards high-tech manufacturing more smoothly. 3D printing also offers an opportunity for India to leverage its stronghold in the IT sector, which can aid in facilitating additive manufacturing facilities in smaller towns and encourage industrial growth.
Facing the Challenges
However, the path to adopting 3D printing is fraught with challenges. Lack of global certification norms for this comparatively new domain, hesitation among industries and ministries about embracing this technology, risk of job losses for highly skilled workers, and high equipment and manufacturing costs are some of the issues surrounding 3D printing. There are also sector-specific challenges, such as those facing the automotive industry, which currently is the largest consumer of 3D printing.
Way Forward
There is a pressing need to boost research on manufacturing machines and methods at the premier engineering schools and to promote the establishment of product design centers. Government support to incentivize distributed manufacturing in smaller towns is crucial, and so is the need for the IT industry to develop platforms that connect consumer demands, product designers, and manufacturers efficiently and smoothly.