Austria has succeeded like no other country in uniting the vast majority of additive manufacturing (AM) stakeholders from industry, science, education, media and politics in one organization. With its current 92 institutional members and close cooperation with the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), the AM-Austria technology platform acts as a central hub for the entire national AM sector. A new board has been elected for the new term of office, which has set itself the goal of continuing and further expanding the successful course.

Research1 published last year by Statista predicts that 3D technology will be a highly disruptive force for global manufacturing, with the emphasis shifting from the production of prototypes to full-scale manufacturing of parts and accessories. Statista’s research states that AM will enable finished products to be manufactured on a large scale by 2030. Given its growing importance, Futurities decided to dedicate its “Spotlight” to exploring the different facets of this production disruptor, beginning with this interview with Johannes Gartner, VP of Additive Manufacturing Austria.

Vienna, 23 February 2022 - As part of its internationalization strategy, the Austrian Technology Platform for Additive Manufacturing (AM-Austria) met with leading stakeholders from the United Arab Nations (UAE) to discuss opportunities for cross-border collaborations.

During Formnext 2021, the world's largest trade fair for additive manufacturing, the Austrian 3D printing industry triumphed with numerous innovations and a wide range of services across the entire additive value chain.

After steady growth, Prirevo the brand-independent system and service provider for additive manufacturing technologies expands its company location in Upper Austria and opens a modern showroom and an innovation centre.

The recently published Wohlers Report 2021 confirms the resilience of the additive manufacturing industry during the COVID-19 crisis. It further places Austria in first place worldwide in terms of the number of manufacturers of AM systems per inhabitant.

The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) Manufacturing Co-Location Centre East and the Austrian Technology Platform for Additive Manufacturing (AM-Austria) signed a cooperation agreement to jointly advance Europe's ability to innovate.

The newly published technology report 'Additive Manufacturing' by the Vienna Business Agency provides details about Vienna's 3-D printing companies and research institutions and illustrates their impressive activities. The report was developed in close coordination with the technology platform Additive Manufacturing Austria.

The latest report from the European Patent Office shows Austria’s enormous innovative strength in 3D printing. Between 2014 and 2017, patent applications from Austria rose by a full 1300%. In comparison, the average rate of increase in other countries was 370%.

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis and its economic consequences have led to international cuts and disinvestments in the innovation sector. However, there are exceptions to this trend in additive manufacturing.

In the wake of the COVID-19 crisis and to create an incentive for business investments, the Austrian federal government and the state of Lower Austria have purred two funding packages to support investments in digital technologies, such as 3-D printing.

Few industries have reacted so quickly and innovatively to the COVID-19 crisis as the additive manufacturing (AM) industry. Immediately after the first delivery bottlenecks became apparent, numerous solutions emerged from the community.

The Austrian technology platform Additive Manufacturing Austria (AM Austria) has established a contact point to coordinate between supply bottlenecks and existing 3D printing resources.