The state of Andhra Pradesh in India is slowly becoming a hub for additive manufacturing in India. Recently, think3D inaugurated the largest 3D printing facility of the country in the port city and industrial sector of the state Vizag and now HP Inc. will build a 3D printing center of excellence (CoE) in the state. As reported by ETtech, HP Inc. has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to build the CoE in the state.
The pact which was signed between the Andhra Pradesh Innovation Society (APIS) and the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) is a part of the Andhra government’s vision to accelerate adoption of 3D printing in various sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defence, consumer goods, healthcare, apparel and construction.
HP India will be the key knowledge provider for this initiative whereas APIS would provide infrastructural support and enable necessary certifications and accreditations and the APEDB will drive and encourage the usage of the CoE by government departments, defence and public sector enterprises. The new CoE will be equipped with HP’s cutting-edge 3D printers that can handle short run production and functional prototyping.
Speaking about how the company’s 3D printing solutions will help increase innovation in manufacturing sector of the state, Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director, HP Inc India, said in a statement, “We believe HP’s cutting-edge 3D printing technology will fuel innovation in manufacturing and help upskill young professionals to make them ready for Industry 4.0 in the state.
The 3D printing centre is also said to offer small and medium businesses (SMBs) and start-ups in Andhra Pradesh an opportunity to learn more about the advantages of Additive Manufacturing.”Manufacturing in Andhra Pradesh has great potential as a lot of demand is slated to come from domestic consumption. Andhra Pradesh’s impetus in automotive, electronics and aerospace makes technologies like 3D printing market-ready,” said J. Krishna Kishore, CEO, APEDB.
The inking of the CoE is another sign of the HP Inc.’s continued involvement in the growing additive manufacturing sector of the country. For example, last year, HP brought its revolutionary Multi-Jet Fusion 3D printing technology in January in India and appointed Mumbai-based Imaginarium, Noida-based Adroitec and Chennai-based Redington as their certified resellers in the country who have also deployed the MJF printing solutions to serve their customers across industries.