According to the public relations and information center of the Vice-Presidency for science and technology affairs, Mahmoud Mehrdad Shokrieh, secretary of advanced manufacturing and materials technologies development, stated in the gathering of activists of this field: after the formation of the headquarter, measures were taken to improve this area due to the importance of 3D printing. Despite the ancient history of this technology in the world, Iran has just started its activities in this area. Therefore, we need to increase our pace in order to compensate for the wasted time.

3D Printing, a Strategic Technology

According to Shokrieh, compilation of a national document for development of additive manufacturing industry has been one of the actions of the headquarter in the past year to develop this area.

In another part of his speech, Shokrieh talked about the first 3D printing event, which will be held next May, regarding this event as an opportunity to showcase the abilities of the country.

Formation of Additive Manufacturing Industry Guild in August

Secretary of advanced manufacturing and materials technologies development considered the formation of additive manufacturing industry guild as another measure taken by the headquarter to develop this field in the country.

In terms of future plans of the headquarter, he affirmed: the national program for additive manufacturing includes mechanisms to implement the document and roadmap of additive manufacturing industry, measures of which have been designed for 2017-2026 so that all domestic and foreign capacities are applied to achieve an appropriate status in the region. Shokrieh also mentioned: the major goals of the headquarter are increasing the market size, improving the level of access to this technology and growing the value chain to obtain the first rank in the region.

Holding ICDL Educational Courses

Shokrieh introduced the ICDL courses as another action of the headquarter, expressing: holding of these educational courses will strengthen the technical knowledge of the country. After the courses, applicable international 3D printing licenses will be provided for participants, which is the first and only license for education of experts in various fields of 3D printing, 3D scanning, and 3D modeling and engineering with the help of computers.

In terms of the following challenges in this area, Shokrieh pointed out: some of the challenges in this area include the need for market development, competition with foreign competitors, association with universities and entering the field of export. In terms of market development, Iran has a small market in this area, which can be developed by innovation and creativity. In addition, companies must interact with scientific centers. Regarding export, the headquarter has some plans to familiarize companies with products, ideas and abilities of other countries by attending international exhibitions.

In another part of the event, Seyed Mohammad Sahebkar Khorasani, head of knowledge-based institutes and companies affairs, explained about the law for support of knowledge-based companies.

In addition, Seyed Amir Ghafari, manager of this gathering, provided some explanations about the second 3D printing event, which will be held in 2018, expressing: similar to the first round, this event will be held in three sections of competition, exhibition and lecture. In the competition section, those who produce equipment, software and raw materials compete with each other. Moreover, the exhibition of the second round will have an international section in addition to its domestic section, so that companies of other countries could attend the exhibition to exchange technology. Furthermore, some booths will be provided for researchers and academics. In the section of lectures, one of the important subjects is restoration of monuments through additive manufacturing.