The Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC), Spain, is launching a Master’s degree program in Design and Engineering for Additive Manufacturing (DEFAM). The course has been compiled by the university’s technological center CIM UPC, and UPC spinoff 3D printer manufacturer BCN3D Technologies.
Located in Barcelona, a leading hub of 3D printing innovation, Roger Uceda co-founder and CEO at BCN3D, is hopeful that the program will become “the most powerful master in additive manufacturing in the world.”
Course outline
The Master DEFAM is reportedly the first degree of its kind in Spain to focus “on 3D printing in all areas of industrial product development.” It is suited to retraining engineering/design professionals that already work within the manufacturing industry, and covers three key objectives:
– Product design: how to “design for additive” e.g. part consolidation, serialization, and 3D printing for prototyping.
– Improving the production process: particularly how to create tooling, jigs and fixture for optimized assembly line.
– Manufacturing with advantages in mind: including 3D printing complex geometries, mass customization, fabrication on demand/digital warehousing.
Industry 4.0 ready
All modules of the degree will be taught using real-life use cases, such as BCN3D’s work with custom bike manufacturer BORN Motor Company and UPC’s work with ETSEIB Motorsport.
In addition, students will have access to a range of 3D printers including a Ricoh AM S5500P, 3D Systems SLA 7000, Vanguard HS, HP MultiJet Fusion, Renishaw AM-250, a BCN3D Sigma and Sigmax farm, a hand-held 3D Scanner and a Mitutoyo Coordinate-measuring machine.
The course will be initially taught in Spanish, though Uceda tells us there are plans to open and English version in the near future.
Felip Fenollosa, general director of the CIM UPC, adds, “We have taken a step forward for the formative leadership in additive manufacturing, integrating the relevant actors in this ecosystem to contribute their experience to prepare the next generations of professionals for the transformation of our industry,”
“We seek […] a global environment [in which] any design can be sent anywhere in the world and manufactured at the same point of sale.”
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Featured image shows robotic arms at BCN3D Technologies. Photo via BCN3D
