British manufacturing is seemingly in the process of turning itself around, in particular the UK’s aerospace industry has been at the forefront of demonstrating the benefits of 3D printing for manufacturing applications for a number of years. There have been notable success stories coming out of Airbus, BAe Systems and Rolls Royce among others and this is set to increase with the announcement of a major investment from the UK government to support the development of a new dedicated additive manufacturing hub in the UK’s manufacturing heartlands.
This week, Chancellor George Osborne directly specified plans for a new national centre for 3D printing, which will be located next to the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry. The MTC is already a centre of excellence when it comes to 3D printing for manufacturing applications, but the new dedicated centre, which will benefit from £15.3 million government investment, is set to boost advanced manufacturing activities even further.
With a specific focus on the aerospace sector, the government is also announcing a further £15 million investment for the MTC itself, to support the development of materials for fuselages and wings. The industry will be matching the government’s funding.
