In the picture: At the inauguration ceremony, (from left)  Mayor Ki-hyun Kim of Ulsan, UNIST President Mooyoung Jung..

The advancement of 3D printing and its impact on manufacturing have already been acknowledged by many industrialized countries. Indeed, a number of industries have been applying 3D printing technology to manufacture a wide array of items, from auto parts and prototypes to human skin and living organs.

With the official launch of 3D Advanced Additive Manufacturing Center at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, 3D printing will become the city of Ulsan’s new future growth engine, following the bioindustry.

An inauguration ceremony for the 3D Advanced Additive Manufacturing Center was held in the morning of Friday, February 26th, 2016. The ceremony was attended by key officials affiliated with the center, including Mayor Ki-hyun Kim of Ulsan, President Mooyoung Jung of UNIST, Vice President Jae Sung Lee, and Prof. Jeong Beom Kim (School of Life Sciences).

The mission of the center is to promotes quality and innovative research in the area of 3D printing and to educate a new generation of manufacturing engineers and innovators skilled in their use.

In recent years, the center has undertaken an important R&BD project, led by Professor Namhun Kim (School of Design & Human Engineering) under the suprvision of the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE) of Korea to produce eco-friendly 3D printed automotive parts. Moreover, it has also been working on the 3D printing project of patient-specific implants, led by Professor Jeong Beom Kim under the supervision of the Korean Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP).

The ceremony was followed by a symposium on 3D printing technologies and applications to share knowledge about the future of additive manufacturing in different branches.

UNIST President Mooyoung Jung states, “3D printing technology has an infinite amount of potential, as it has the capacity to create almost anything. However, there are still practical challenges for domestic companies to head into the arena of 3D printing technology.” He adds, “UNIST will implement a series of new measures that should help those companies to grow and prosper, thereby contributing to develop new growth engines in the community”.