The Aachen University of Technology ( RWTH Aachen ) and the Israeli 3D printer manufacturer Stratasys plan to work together in future in the framework of a five-year cooperation agreement . Based on mutual exchange of know-how and resources, the idea is to improve the uni-versity's study and training program in the field of additive manufacturing. For this purpose the printer specialists will provide the Aachen Center of Additive Manufacturing (ACAM) with an FDM technology -based Fortus 450mc printer.

With the new device the educational institution gains the foundation for expanding the prac-tice-oriented training courses for processing high-quality thermoplastics in industrial applica-tion scenarios. Future curricula for the budding engineers will be designed in close cooperation with Stratasys. Such cooperative projects between science and industry are by no means isolat-ed cases: the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen-Nuremberg, for example, is working together with Wacker Chemie AG in the field of silicone-based 3D printing to investigate the potential of this technology for the production of anatomical models .