On 7 July 2021, Pune-based Tata Technologies stated that it is partnering with the US founded and Israel headquartered Stratasys, a 3D printing technology company to provide additive manufacturing capabilities to Indian manufacturers. Tata Tech’s leverage in the manufacturing sector will use Stratasys solutions to assist concepts, prototyping, and manufacturing in the country. Stratasys has had a presence in Bengaluru for several years.
The Tata Tech press release states, “The partnership will combine complete capabilities and offerings of Stratasys’ in the polymer space in terms of products designed to yield functional prototypes in multi-color.”
Tata Tech president and global head of technology solutions, Anand Bhade, sees 3D additive manufacturing affecting quick prototyping and manufacturing positively. 3D additive printing is a disruptive technology that uses inkjet type arrays to lay down materials in subsequent layers to create contours and solid objects in various materials. It is already used in the country for dentistry and the manufacture of prosthetic components, and the prototyping of consumer products.
While the 3D output of machine parts and models is well established for the last two decades, the full-size prototyping from computer-aided design is relatively new, especially from materials such as plastic resins, metal, fiber, and ceramics. There are already European manufacturers of food processing and packaging equipment that no longer provide spare parts but instead permit their 3D manufacture by their customers by providing an output file and material specification for a 3D printer.
Tata Technologies’ press release adds, “The manufacturing sector in India has been fraught with various challenges to meet the contemporary needs of end-users, which include higher precision, faster time-to-market, mass product customization, and automation.” It stated that rapid prototyping and 3D printing from computer-aided designs using various raw materials such as plastic, thermoplastic, metal, fiber, resin, and ceramics could produce sophisticated designs at minimal costs and lower raw material usage.
Rajiv Bajaj, managing director for Stratasys India and South East Asia, said that the partnership with Tata Technologies shows the company’s commitment to Indian industry in driving the adoption of additive manufacturing. He expects this to be one of the viable solutions to address vulnerabilities in manufacturing and supply chain logistics. “We welcome Tata Technologies, one of the most trusted brands in India, to our ecosystem and are confident that this partnership will accelerate technological transformation in Indian industry and academia with best-in-class Stratasys technology,” he said.
