A new 3D printing center will soon be built on the Industry-University Convergence Campus of UNIST. This is will put spurs to UNIST and the Ulsan Metropolitan Government’s challenge to create a leading hub of 3D printing technology.
On June 4, UNIST and the Ulsan Metropolitan Government announced that they have been selected for the construction project of ‘3D Printing Convergence Technology Center,’ which was offered by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Organized by UNIST, this project will be supported by Ulsan city and joined by the Ulsan ICT Promotion Agency (UIPA), as a participating organization.
The center is scheduled for completion by December 2024 and will receive a total of 45 billion KRW in investment, which includes 24.5 billion KRW from the government, 15.5 billion KRW from Ulsan city, and 5 billion KRW from private funding. Based on this, they plan on establishing 3D printing mass production system, digital factory, and standard system for the demonstration of convergence technology. In addition, the support project for the R&D demonstration will be promoted to apply the research fundings into actual practice.
This map shows where the 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center and other related centers will be located. l Image Credit: Ulsan City
The 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center will be built on the site (5,051㎡) of the Industry-University Convergence Campus of UNIST within the the Industry-University Convergence District. The new center will comprise three floors and a basement with a gross floor area of approximately 5,440 square meters.
The Industry-University Convergence District, where the center will be built, is a region where major industrial complexes in Korea are adjacent to each other. Within the district, a center for research on next-generation shipbuilding energy parts and 3D printing manufacturing process is currently in operation. The 3D Printing Venture Integrated Knowledge Industry Center is going to be built, in October of this year. The Research Center for Quality Assessment and Commercialization of 3D Printing Materials will be built, next year, along with other relevant universities, research institutes, and companies.
A 3D-printed electric vehicle by Professor Namhun Kim. l Image Credit: Kyoungchae Kim
In particular, with the establishment of the 3D Advanced Additive Manufacturing Center (Director Namhun Kim) in 2016, UNIST has taken a leading role in 3D printing technology. The new center is expected to mark a key milestone in R&D and commercialization.
“Through close cooperation with UNIST AI Graduate School and the AI Innovation Park, we believe the 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center can build industry-specific optimization libraries,” says Professor Namhun Kim (School of Mechanical Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering, UNIST). “We will continue to advance the manufacturing industry based on smart factories and 3D printing.”
