Makerbot and Università Cattaneo recently signed an agreement on the first MakerBot Innovation Centre in Italy, which is also the first MakerBot Innovation Centre in Europe.
Alexander Hafner, General Manager with MakerBot Europe said, ‘We are excited about bringing the first MakerBot Innovation Centre to Europe. The opening of the MakerBot Innovation Centre will represent a great chance to empower students, faculty and professionals to innovate, keep pace with developments and will prepare students for the business challenges of tomorrow.’
The MakerBot Innovation Centre for LIUC includes 20 MakerBot® Replicator 3D Printers (three MakerBot Replicator® Mini Compact 3D Printers, 12 MakerBot Replicator® Desktop 3D Printers, five MakerBot Replicator® Z18 3D Printers). The MakerBot Innovation Centre Management Platform is the central aspect of the MakerBot Innovation Centre. It helps to manage and link all 20 MakerBot Replicator 3D Printers, provides remote access, print queuing and mass production of 3D prints.
‘MakerBot Europe is providing the consulting, technical support, and training needed to set up the MakerBot Innovation Centre at LIUC. We are bringing in Energy group from Bentivoglio, our MakerBot Authorized Reseller Gold, to provide the 3D Printers and technical support for LIUC,’ said Dr. Jochen Zimmer, Director Professional Services with MakerBot Europe.
‘From next year, our Engineering students will have the chance to challenge their skills in designing and manufacturing prototypes in the context of simulated startups. The MakerBot Innovation Centre will allow us to continue and develop the activities carried out by SmartUp, giving our students a concrete opportunity of hands-on experience with the next technologies of digital manufacturing, which are increasingly part of the everyday life of enterprises,’ said Prof Luca Mari, Director of SmartUp – Digital Manufacturing Laboratory and Professor in the School of Industrial Engineering of LIUC.
The companies of the Province of Varese are allied in the Unione degli Industriali della Provincia di Varese. The main goal of this union is to support the development and the growth of the member companies and the LIUC, that offers academic curricula in Management, Law and Engineering, and was established through the sponsorship of this association.
Furthermore, the MakerBot Innovation Centre will be carried out with the help of the researchers of SmartUp Digital Manufacturing Laboratory. SmartUp is a project with the goal to spread the culture of digital manufacturing and has been developed by the LIUC and the Unione degli Industriali della Provincia di Varese.
Samuele Astuti and Mauro Mezzenzana, Innovation Centre Team Leaders said, ‘This project, is aimed at supporting companies that are moving toward product and process innovation in order to get new market opportunities in a highly competitive environment.’
LIUC will hold its grand opening of the MakerBot Innovation Centre in June and the university will welcome partners, teachers, students and their families for this big event. There will be courses for the LIUC students and also for entrepreneurs, technicians and professionals. Students and teachers of local schools will also have the chance to join several courses.
