How India is building its next-gen digital manufacturing

New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS) India is emerging as a competitive player in the digital revolution through Additive Manufacturing (AM) -- a 3D printing technology in which digital file controls the process of manufacturing, a government factsheet said on Wednesday.

The National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing (NSAM) is a strategy introduced in 2022 to build India's AM ecosystem.

It has made steady progress so far, training over 1,54,000 individuals and supporting 56 AM startups.

The strategy is now moving into its NSAM 2.0 phase, planning an even bigger market than NSAM 1.0 -- positioning AM as a building block of Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat, according to the factsheet.

AM is the emerging technology and innovation that is quietly turning digital designs into real, physical objects. It is becoming one of the newest engineering frontiers of India's manufacturing journey.

The global AM machines market is projected to touch $149 billion by 2035, with the AM-electronics supply chain set to grow from $18 billion to $112 billion.

This gives India a real opening to become a competitive manufacturer of AM platforms across polymers, metals, composites, ceramics and semiconductor-grade materials.

The 'ESTIC-2026', the second edition of India’s Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave, will be held from October 27–29.

Organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), ESTIC-2026 will advance emerging science and technology frontiers. These include Additive Manufacturing (AM) and other emerging technologies with potential for transformative applications. The conclave will catalyse strategic collaborations and support India’s vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. Spanning 12 thematic areas, the event will feature plenary sessions, technical discussions and exhibitions.

India's space programme is embracing additive manufacturing to build lighter, faster hardware. In May 2024, IIT Madras-incubated startup Agnikul Cosmos launched 'Agnibaan - SOrTeD,' featuring a single-piece, AM printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine. The mission demonstrated how additive manufacturing can enable complex engine designs and support faster, indigenous development of space hardware. NSAM is helping more such start-ups in their R&D for the development of critical engine parts using AM.

Similarly, the Armed Forces are turning to AM for faster, disaster-resilient construction. The Indian Army inaugurated its first AM-printed two-story dwelling unit at Ahmedabad, built in just 12 weeks, and has since extended the technology to precast defences in operational terrains like Ladakh. NSAM is supporting all three branches of defence for establishing workshop level facilities for MRO applications.

The Technology Development Board is supporting 3D-printed bone grafts made from indigenous bioceramic materials.

The technology can create grafts customised to a patient’s specific needs and anatomy. It can reduce imports, strengthen domestic medical manufacturing and support more personalised healthcare, the factsheet added.

--IANS

sps/na