Ricoh partners with NC State to establish Center of Excellence for Additive Manufacturing
Ricoh USA, based in Exton, Pennsylvania, has announced it is partnering with North Carolina State University (NC State) to establish a Center of Excellence (COE) that will address supply chain challenges through the application of Additive Manufacturing.
The COE will focus on research and development of new Additive Manufacturing applications, as well as function as the ‘nerve centre’ for Ricoh’s Managed AM services network, enabling product teams to design, prototype, and quickly refine and reiterate a product design in-house.
“Ricoh’s Managed 3D print services will help manufacturers accelerate innovation and product development through rapid, onsite prototyping,” said Gary Turner, Senior Director, Additive Manufacturing at Ricoh. “As the applications for Additive Manufacturing grow, adopting an as-a-service model leverages existing onsite 3D printing expertise and resources to shorten time while minimising any additional capital investment.”
Results from Ricoh’s initial pilots have reportedly been noteworthy. A provider of process control and yield management solutions expanded Ricoh’s onsite managed services remit to include onsite Additive Manufacturing and was said to cut time and cost by nearly 90% by bringing its prototyping in-house.
“Ricoh’s partnership with NC State provides our Managed Services customers with direct access to Additive Manufacturing best practices and resources they wouldn’t have on their own,” stated Turner. “We are able to drive efficiencies through our teams onsite, as well as address unique challenges through the COE.”
“Additive Manufacturing has significant potential to reduce supply chain complexity and drive innovation in a myriad of industries,” added Mark Schmidt, PhD, NC State’s associate vice chancellor for partnerships. “Partnering with a company like Ricoh with its vast onsite network will help prepare students for impactful careers and identify new opportunities to advance research.”
