Which companies and research institutions are active in the field of metal-based additive manufacturing in the Czech Republic? What opportunities are there for cross-border cooperation?

Lusatian companies and research institutions visited the Czech Republic at the beginning of December. The aim of the market exploration trip was to get to know the Czech entrepreneurial and research landscape in the field of additive manufacturing personally and to acquire new potential cooperation partners. Meetings were organized in Prague and Liberec with a particular focus on 3D metal printing, among other things. With a view to the upcoming new funding from the INTERREG cooperation program of the Free State of Saxony - Czech Republic 2021-2027, the aim was to identify possible cross-border cooperation opportunities.

The trip began with a visit to the company Prusa Research a.s., which, with its headquarters in Prague, is the No. 1 fastest growing technology company according to a market survey by Deloitte and also the market leader in the 3D printing industry with its 3D printers. Starting from the equipment side of the 3D printer, the focus then shifted to the start-up Sharplayers and the practical entrepreneurial application of additive manufacturing. The company presented its business focus in the context of professional services in the areas of 3D printing, rapid prototyping, manufacturing and product development using various processes: Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF ) or laser sintering etc..  At MSV Systems s.r.o., the focus was once again on the application area of metal-based 3D printing. The company offers comprehensive solutions for forming. This includes both operator-controlled and automated machines, larger production systems and fully automated process lines. In metal 3D printing, the company focuses on printed thermoforming and bending molds to deliver exceptional precision and an unlimited number of parts with identical shapes. For David Tichý, Director of the MSV SYSTEMS CZ Technological Center for Research and Development, metal 3D printing is "a key to fully automated production" in the company.

Research expertise was presented by Adama Blažka, Director of Industrial Cooperation, and his team at the Technical University in Liberec with its Institute for Nanomaterials, Advanced Technologies and Innovations (CXI). After an official welcome,  the research directions and most important projects of the CXI were presented. A presentation on 3D metal printing  by Jiří Šafka, Ph.D.  gave a technical outline of key research areas and was rounded off by a tour of the 3D printing laboratory and the CXI laboratories.

The business trip was rounded off with two further components: Training in 3D printing at the Higher Vocational School for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and a visit to Hardwario a.s., which focuses on configurable Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, connectivity and cloud services to, for example, also efficiently and economically utilize plant technology in the manufacturing sector. The company settled in the Lipo.ing innovation center of the Liberec administrative district, which, in addition to company settlements, also offers co-working and a rich program for start-ups and companies in the region, thus creating an innovation ecosystem just 20 km from Zittau.

The business trip was organized on the initiative of the Alliance Lusatia - Life & Technology and the Enterprise Europe Network in Saxony and Prague as well as the IHK Dresden and its contact center for Saxon-Czech-Slovak economic cooperation in Zittau and the CXI of the TU Liberec. Special thanks go to Anna Měrková, Leonie Liemich, Tobias Runte, Tobias Schlüter, Světlana Trejbalová and Jiři Zahradnik for this challenging and interesting program.