PAMI

PAMI, Portuguese Additive Manufacturing Initiative, is an infrasturcture project, which aims to maximize partnerships between the scientific and technological infrastructures in Mechanical Engineering, Materials, Electronics and Biosciences of Portugal central region, with focus on fundamental research and development of new additive manufacturing techniques, new designs and materials for additive processes (with characterization of their properties), Heatlh Technologies, medical robots, flexible electronics, medical prostheses and use of MEMS. It will also promote and support the creation of spinoff companies for technology development and dissemination. In addition to the scientific impacts, this initiative will also have educational, economic and social impacts related to medical applications. Additive Manufacturing (AM) is defined as ?a process of joining materials to make objects from 3D model data, usually layer upon layer, as opposed to subtractive manufacturing technologies. AM means greater flexibility in design and customization, less scrap, and shorter production cycles and allows: focus-ondesign, multi material integration, complex electromechanical and MEMS system with embedded electronics, customized parts and systems (e.g. for biomedical implants) and resource efficiency. AM is considered as the third Industrial revolution after the automation of textile industry and assembly lines. It has the potential to meet the future needs for resource efficiency, efficient manufacturing systems, material integration, new manufacturing processes ? providing world beating platforms for new, agile, more cost-effective manufacturing processes and new business models. President Obama drew attention to AM for its ?potential to revolutionize the way we make almost everything?, different institutes opened in USA in China and Europe. AM impacts almost all of Portuguese strategic emerging industries (e.g. advanced equipment manufacturing, mold Industry, information technology biomedicine); PAMI intends to respond to a crucial competitiveness challenge and threat to future property: closing the gap between R& activities and the development of technological innovations in production of goods. PAMI is also inline with the CRER2020 program for the central region of Portugal. All nodes of PAMI will follow he following general aims: (1) Fostering novel research areas and interdisciplinary fields, (2) To encourage, support and help in creation of products and launch of spin off companies from the current research institutes in fields of engineering, and medical sciences, (3) to provide educational services and prepare the new generation of engineers and (4) to provide prototyping services to external companies/ Institutes; PAMI proposes a clever distribution of excellent infrastructures within central region of Portugal with different areas of speciality: Mechanical, Materials, and Electrical Engineering, BioSc. IPL: Network Leader, fundamental research and development of novel techniques for AM. DEM-UC: production of new materials and characterization of raw materials and final components: ISR/CNC-UC: support research activities in mobile robots, medical robots, flexible electronics, Formulário Portugal 2020 Página 32 de 64 506971244 :: INSTITUTO POLITÉCNICO DE LEIRIA soft robots, bio-compatible and active medical prosthesis, and selected areas of MEMS among others. IPN: Creation and support of spin offs; In addition to the scientific impacts as described above, PAMI will have different Impacts: educational (we estimate 1000 visitants per year from several universities and companies), economic (fostering new spin offs from research institutes, encouraging product development spirit in universities) and social (considering the ambitious research objectives of the consortium related to medical applications).