Geometric, COEP come together to promote 3D Printing

By Niraj M Wanikar, Chief Editor, CNCTimes.com, 2014-10-08 14:43:51

Geometric Ltd, a leader in Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Global Engineering Services, and Offshore Software Product Development (OSPD) solutions and technologies, has announced the signing of an MoU with College of Engineering, Pune (COEP) and Colorado State University (CSU), USA for setting up the ‘Geometric 3D Make Lab’ at the COEP premises. The lab will be open to students/faculty of all colleges as well as industry personnel and the community at large allowing them to build 3D printed objects and explore the hardware and software used in the additive manufacturing process. The Lab will be managed by the COEP.

Geometric will invest up to USD 200,000 (Rs 1.2 crore) over a period of three years towards setting up the lab, after which the lab is expected to be self-reliant. Geometric will also provide software expertise in the area of 3D printing, scanning, PLM, CAD and related areas; as well as projects for graduate/post graduate students on the additive manufacturing process. Colorado State University on the other hand, which already boasts a similar lab, will provide the requisite know-how in additive manufacturing, setting up a broad-access 3D printing lab, and software tools, and will be actively involved in making the lab a success.

Signing the MoU, Prof Anil Sahasrabudhe, Director, COEP said, “We are very happy to be associated with a leading engineering technology company like Geometric and the innovative educators at CSU. We are sure to gain from the company’s extensive experience in new age technologies. 3D printing and additive manufacturing are expected to transform the way we manufacture today, and this lab will be critical in ensuring our students and faculty are future-ready in every way.”

Mr Manu Parpia, MD & CEO, Geometric said, “We are proud and excited to be associated with this path breaking initiative. Geometric 3D Make Lab will make exploring the power of additive manufacturing easier for the engineering community in Pune. We will get a first-hand view of the challenges and issues faced by users during 3D printing, helping us enhance our products and solutions for the design and manufacturing process of the future, thus enabling us to better serve our global customers. Moreover, I think it is critical for business and academia to come together for such commitments and hone the skills of the next generation of talent in our country.”

Dr David Prawel, Director of CSU’s Advanced/Additive Manufacturing Laboratory added, “At our lab in Colorado, we’ve seen that hands-on experience with additive manufacturing goes a long way in building the right software solutions for this technology. We applaud Geometric’s and COEP’s efforts in setting up a lab of this caliber in India, and we are happy to provide our expertise to jump-start the initiative. We are sure to see some exciting and innovative products from this new lab.”

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