On the sofa with… Nerea Ordás, Co-director of the Advanced Manufacturing in Powder Metallurgy and Laser group, Ceit

Advanced Manufacturing Madrid – What is the CEFAM project that you mentioned at the congress?

Nerea Ordás – CEFAM is a research project in which four centres, CATEC, AIDIMME, LORTEK and CEIT, are participating. It is a project that is funded by CDTI and we are tackling different technologies, all related to the additive manufacturing of metal components, and we are developing these technologies for applications in which the requirements are particularly critical.

AMM – In terms of additive manufacturing, what are the trends and major developments?

N. Ordás – If we think about what the trends or developments are that are currently starting to be seen in the market related to additive manufacturing.

I would dare to say that in addition to being increasingly widespread in the production chain of companies, there is a greater awareness of the possibilities of hybridisation, of combining these technologies with other conventional technologies, so that it is possible to exploit the advantages of both and obtain a synergy.

The issue of sustainability, reduction of environmental impact, cost reduction, offshoring of manufacturing is also an issue of growing concern and we are seeing that companies and research centres that are working on these technologies are becoming more and more aware of this.

AMM – Among the different sectors, in which one do you think additive manufacturing has the greatest presence?

N. Ordás – Well, at present I would say that additive manufacturing has already penetrated a large number of sectors and you only need to take a walk around Metal Madrid and you can see that it is being applied in very diverse sectors, not only in those in which additive manufacturing was traditionally more established, such as bio applications, medicine or aeronautics.

It is now easy and common to see components in the automotive, manufacturing and component processing industries. And well, I think that is something that we can all see. In everyday applications, it is common to see them. Well, jewellery, fashion, consumer goods, I think it is here to stay and it is widespread. Well, I think that in everyday life, if you look at it, it’s easy to see it in all sectors.

AMM – How would you define the relationship between training and the business world in this sector?

N. Ordás – It’s good to say that there is a valley of death from the time that research centres and universities carry out our activities, our developments, because we come up with a series of findings that can be very positive for society, until those developments are applied in companies and we can benefit from them for society in general.

Well, I believe that the role of technology centres such as the ones we are part of is having a very positive value, a very positive activity in this sense, thanks to a series of projects such as this one, in which our research is aimed at transferring these results that we have been maturing for some years now, to implement them in companies. In the end, it is a question of responding to the needs of companies and adapting ourselves to their requirements.

AMM – As a knowledge centre, what is your assessment of Advanced Manfacturing Madrid?

N. Ordás – We have been attending Metal Madrid as visitors for several years. Well, we know the stands, some of the companies that usually participate on a regular basis, not only from my materials and manufacturing division, but also from other divisions. And this year is the first time that we have a more active role in the fair. In this case, with a series of presentations about a project. And well, we have just arrived, but well, I see that there are a lot of people, a lot of animation.

In a first visit we made before the presentation, we saw a very large number of companies that are really very interesting, that do, well, that do very cutting-edge activities and, well, we hope to be able to take advantage of this visit to get to know some of them and I think that in future editions we will repeat the visit.