Catalonia to be home to large global 3-D printing hub

• The Global 3D Printing Hub will have more than 10,000 m² on the Diagonal-Besòs Campus
• In Catalonia, 3-D printing is having a significant impact on several productive sectors

The Catalan government announced early in May that a global 3-D printing hub will be created in Catalonia. The Global 3D Printing Hub, a public-private partnership, will occupy more than 10,000 m² on the Diagonal-Besòs Campus in order to become a platform to promote this type of production. Through 2020, €28 million will be invested to create this new center, contributed by the Government of Catalonia and the European Union ERDF fund.

The Global 3D Printing Hub will bring about a new way to connect Catalan industry and the cutting edge in Europe, through a key technology for the future that will radically change the current production model and focus on developing more personalized products with value added. The hub will be home to leading companies in the 3-D printing sector like HP, Ricoh and Renishaw, and will feature a public materials laboratory to do tests and create prototypes, open to Catalan SMEs and start-ups.

3-D printing is a growing technology around the world. It is transforming industry and, therefore, other sectors of the economy and the job market, creating new jobs over the coming years. It will affect approximately 420 different professional profiles, according to the report Impacte i potencial de la impressió 3D en l’ocupació by Barcelona Activa.

In Catalonia, which is becoming a global benchmark, 3-D printing is having a significant impact on sectors like health, biomedicine, automotive, metalworking industry and chemical industry, with companies that design and build additive machinery that can optimize highly complex materials. Noteworthy among these is HP, from its center in Sant Cugat, which is developing numerous health-related applications.

 It must be noted that Barcelona hosts the In(3D)ustry From Needs to Solutions fair, which will be held this year from 3 to 5 October. With this event, which brings together the top companies and experts in 3-D printing, the Catalan capital aspires to consolidate its place as a global benchmark in this sector.

[05/22/2017]