Manufacturing Technology Centre

To develop and prove innovative manufacturing processes and technologies in an agile, low risk environment, in partnership with industry, academia and other institutions. The UK National Centre for Additive Manufacturing (NCAM) is here to accelerate the uptake of Additive Manufacturing (AM) by developing the technology and systems required to address the key challenges within the Additive Manufacturing value chain. The National Centre for Additive Manufacturing is based at the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult. We are also home to The European Space Agency (ESA) AM Benchmarking Centre and a founding partner of the ASTM AM Center of Excellence.

The National Centre for Additive Manufacturing has a team of engineers and technical specialists who are available to answer your questions on all aspects of Additive Manufacturing. Our facilities comprise metal, ceramic and polymer printers, plus a wide range of equipment for post-processing, and our digital factory environment has the latest software available to help you de-risk your adoption of Additive Manufacturing.

In 2019, The Coventry-based MTC took delivery of a Nano Dimension DragonFly LDM precision additive manufacturing system to enhance the additive manufacturing for Electronics. The new equipment will allow the production of small-scale electronic components used in smart connected devices, as well as multi-layer printed circuit boards and sensors.

The innovative technology will be available to all MTC clients, to allow them to take advantage of the speed and cost benefits of the rapid prototyping of electronic components.

You can use these facilities to make your first prototype or to do your initial production run supported by our staff before making your own capital investment decisions. Whether you are at the beginning of your additive journey or an advanced practitioner looking to improve your productivity or product offering, we can help you to:

• Shape your AME strategy: Understand if Additive Manufacturing is an opportunity and develop the business case and implementation plan.
• Mature your AM process: Help select the right process technology, review the design and optimise the processing route. We can also help with factory design and planning scale-up to production.
• Develop your technology: Test your technology in an industrial setting and demonstrate it to your potential customers. The National Centre for Additive Manufacturing can help you secure public funding for your development.
• Improve your workforce competency: We have a comprehensive range of training courses for technicians, engineers and business leaders, available online or face-to-face.