Project title: R+D+i ecosystem for the implementation and adoption of Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing in the manufacturing of industrial products and industrial production processes.
Project budget: 3,019,601.99 €.
Financial framework: RIS3CAT
Coniex budget: 350,101.36 €.
Contract Number: COMRDI16-1-0009
Start date: 01/07/2017
End date: 06/30/2020
What is RIS3CAT and what are its objectives?
The RIS3CAT Communities make up a pioneering strategy in Europe launched in 2014 by the Generalitat and which arises in response to the guidelines set by the European Union with the Europe 2020 Strategy.
The objectives of the RIS3CAT Communities are, among others, to reinforce the competitiveness of companies, improving production processes; to promote new emerging economic activities, as well as creativity and innovation; to consolidate Catalonia as a European knowledge hub. The main objective of the project is to obtain final products for industrial production lines and machinery components combining in their production polymeric properties with advanced thermal properties and mechanical properties on demand optimized for additive manufacturing techniques. MJF (MultiJet Fusion) and UDM (Ultrasonic Deposition Modeling).

Abrast, leader in post-processing solutions.
Within the RIS3CAT strategy is the LLAVOR 3D Community , composed of 31 members and with a budget of almost € 11M. with the objective of accelerating the development and adoption of additive manufacturing and 3D printing technologies by industry. The Community is co-financed by the Generalitat de Catalunya (ACCIÓ), through a grant of 3.8 million euros from the FEDER fund.
One of the projects that LLAVOR 3D is structured around is PRO2, which deals with the study and development of new design techniques and tools for the prediction of the mechanical behavior of parts manufactured with these technologies with the aim of Eurecat, Virutex, Fluidra, CTM, Fisa, Coniex, Hewlett Packard, Leitat and CIMNE. This project has an investment of €3 million.
Within the framework of this project, CONIEXthanks to our more than 30 years of experience in surface treatment and together with the new business unit AbrastIn this area, we address and develop in depth the finishing processes of parts manufactured with 3D technologies with the mission of adapting these new manufacturing methods to the industrial environment.
CONIEX ‘s research points with PRO2 The first step is the development of new finishing processes for polymeric parts based, on the one hand, on the infiltration of polymers into the outer layers to reduce roughness to less than 0.1 Ra and, on the other hand, on specialized coatings to give non-stick and inert properties to parts manufactured by additive technologies. Finally, with Abrast we researched new abrasive materials for mechanical polishing of 3D parts made by MJF and UDM.

Within PRO2 new products are being developed in addition to new post process y surface treatmentsThe new technologies will reinforce Catalonia’s position as an international benchmark in the creation of new materials, production processes and new 3D printing applications, which will contribute to the creation of an R&D ecosystem in additive manufacturing.
“Aquest projecte està cofinançat pel Fons Europeu de Desenvolupament Regional de la Unió Europea de la Unió Europea en el marc del Programa Operatiu FEDER de Catalunya 2014-2020.”
“This project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund of the European Union under the ERDF Operational Program of Catalonia 2014-2020.”