Trinity’s Advanced Materials and Bio-engineering Research (AMBER) research centre has launched an innovative €4.3 million 3D printing laboratory, containing world class, custom-made machinery.
The 3D printing laboratory will consist of 3D printing equipment from Ireland and abroad, hopefully allowing the centre to benefit from international partnerships.
Funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), the European Research Council (ERC) and Trinity, the laboratory’s research will focus on new ways to construct medical, electronic, mechanical, optical, acoustic, heat transfer and sensing devices.
In a press statement, Director of AMBER Prof Michael Morris said that the new laboratory would “be a pivotal component of AMBER’s research”. Explaining that they have invested in a customised suite of 3D printing technology, he said that it will allow AMBER to “play a leading role” in the industry.
“It will enable AMBER to build on our foundation of innovative excellence in materials science and become leaders in this emerging technology which is critical to the manufacturing industries that support the Irish economy”, he said.
Additive manufacturing works through adding materials layer by layer, removing the need for complex moulds. Fundamentally changing how devices are produced, AMBER wants the new laboratory to be an industry leader in new technologies such as the internet-of-things, wearable and flexible devices as well as personalised healthcare products.
The investment in technologies that print in a range of materials will also allow AMBER to lead the way in the innovation of biomedical implants as ceramic objects may be capable of aiding bone growth. Additive manufacturing is attractive to industries like aerospace and defence due to the benefit of reduced waste management.
In a press statement, Minister for Business Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphries said that she was “delighted to see Ireland once again keeping pace with these disruptive technologies”.
“AMBER’s new additive research lab highlights another new market entry for Ireland – one of crucial importance for industry in the future”, she said.
In a press statement, Provost Patrick Prendergast said that the laboratory will “allow Ireland to exploit the technologies to deliver economic and societal benefits for the country”.
The AMBER centre has won many awards and successfully secured funding in the past for major research projects. In January, it won €2.1 million to lead a European research project developing anti-reflective, scratch and abrasion resistant surfaces.
