3D printing as a breakthrough in manufacturing technology

The Global Manufacturing Innovation Forum 2023 was organized to address the challenges faced by manufacturing and value chains, including rapid technological changes and supply-chain disruptions triggered by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In this forum, particular emphasis was placed on advanced manufacturing processes based on 3D-printing technology. The Forum aimed to discover breakthroughs in manufacturing technology against changes in the technological environment such as the 4th Industrial Revolution and carbon-neutrality through cutting-edge 3D printing technology. Scholars and experts from both domestic and international institutions and companies attended the event, sharing the latest trends in 3D printing technology research and practical applications in industrial settings, thus laying the foundation for global network building.
About 40 organizations and companies participated and had meaningful times in this forum — including Ulsan Metropolitan City; UNIST; the National IT Industry Promotion Agency; the Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS); the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI); the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology (KITECH); Ulsan Techno Park; Hyundai Motor; HD Hyundai; Doosan Enerbility; KAI; the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Carnegie Mellon University; and Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
As for academic speakers, presentations were delivered by Professors Lim Sung-hoon and Jung Im-doo from UNIST, Professor Seung Ki Moon from Nanyang Technological University, Professor Kwanghun Chung from MIT, and Professors Conrad S. Tucker and Moise Busogi from Carnegie Mellon University. Professor Lim Sung-hoon, the first speaker, provided insights into Ulsan's capabilities and future as a global manufacturing hub. Professors Jung Im-doo, Seung Ki Moon, and Kwanghun Chung introduced topics of advanced manufacturing technologies — such as the convergence of artificial intelligence and 3D printing, 3D bioprinting, digital twin, and 3D printing-based smart factories.
The forum also included presentations on the industrial applications of 3D printing technology and its potential. Ahn Seong-chan, Director of the Engine Research Institute at HD Hyundai Heavy Industries, and Kim Han-jae, Project Leader at Hyundai Motor, covered 3D printing technology in the heavy industries and automotive sectors, respectively.

“In the Global Manufacturing Innovation Forum 2023, particular emphasis was placed on advanced manufacturing processes based on 3D-printing technology”

UNIST and SC3DP agrees on collaborative research in 3D printing technology development

Professor Kim Nam-hun, the Director of the 3D Printing Convergence Technology Center at UNIST, and Professor Paulo Bartolo, the Director of SC3DP (Singapore Centre for 3D Printing) at Nanyang Technological University — also took the stage to introduce the cutting-edge 3D printing research centers of the two institutes. SC3DP is Singapore's National 3D Printing Research Institute.
On this day, UNIST and SC3DP signed a collaborative research agreement and decided to join forces for advanced technology development in the field of 3D printing. Under this agreement, both institutions plan to establish a joint research laboratory in early 2024 and concentrate their efforts on advanced technology development in the field of 3D printing.
Vice President Lee Jaiyong of UNIST, in his welcoming speech, emphasized, “Technological changes provide an opportunity for Ulsan, the hub of South Korea's manufacturing industry, to take a leading role on the global stage. UNIST is committed to research that will advance innovations in manufacturing based on advanced technologies such as 3D printing and artificial intelligence.” Ahn Hyo Dae, Ulsan's Deputy Mayor for Economic Policy, remarked, “We will actively support related fields to innovate traditional manufacturing industries, and enhance the competitiveness of Ulsan's key industries through advanced manufacturing technologies.”