Why in Russia additive technologies?

Attempts to develop the Russian industry of additive technologies have been going on for more than a year.

In July 2021, the Government of the Russian Federation approved the Strategy for the development of additive technologies in the Russian Federation for the period until 2030. She focuses on key technologies needed to form a competitive industry. We are talking, in particular, about the development of 3D printing of biological tissues, high-precision objects for the aerospace and nuclear industries, elements of residential buildings. The most important sectoral projects are promised state support.

The decision is overdue, the AT market has been formed in Russia, its development is able to significantly optimize production processes.

The essence of AT is the process of creating objects from various materials using three-dimensional models through layer-by-layer growth of objects. The advantages of these technologies include the fact that when they are implemented, the process of creating single products is more economical, since it does not require the creation of complex molds, is compact - most growing plants are placed in a room and large factory areas are not required. Grown objects often have special properties that cannot be obtained using traditional methods of creating objects.

The main areas of application of additive technologies in the Russian Federation were construction, mechanical engineering, shipbuilding, cosmonautics, medicine and pharmacology.

A landmark event in 2020 was the creation of the Association for the Development of Additive Technologies. Its founders included the industry integrator RuSat - Additive Technologies, JSC Concern East Kazakhstan Region Almaz-Antey, PJSC Gazprom Neft, FSUE VIAM GNC of the Russian Federation , FSUE NPO Technomash of the State Corporation Roscosmos, AO Additive Technology Center.

At the same time, reality indicates a significant lag behind the domestic AT industry from foreign competitors. Additive production in Russia is at the initial stage of development, and the delay of the Russian Federation in this area is about 20 years. At the same time, the volume of the additive technology market in the world is about $12 billion, by 2030 it is projected to grow to $50 billion. At the same time, at the moment, the market volume of the Russian Federation is less than 1% of the world.

The strategy approved by the Government of the Russian Federation should change this situation. It provides for the improvement of the legal framework. This is done to attract entrepreneurs to the segment, which, on the one hand, will make production cheaper, on the other, to arouse interest in innovation among the population. The role of popularizers will also be played by technoparks, which, in fact, were the first in Russia to talk about the successful use of AT.

The transfer of this experience to the field of industrial production will allow, first of all, the provision of mass production of equipment for 3D printing and components. In this regard, I would like to draw attention to the issue of training in the field of AT.

There are very few workers in the labor market whose knowledge in the field of additive technologies would fully meet the qualification requirements for them. It is necessary to start monitoring the needs of the industry and begin training such specialists in higher educational institutions. The updating of professional and educational standards will also help to strengthen human resources capacity.

Summing up, it is worth saying that the development of AT in the next decade will provoke the growth of engineering industries and lead to the emergence of new specialties, and this will increase the overall scale of demand in the labor market, especially the demand for highly educated personnel, which the entire field of advanced technology so badly needs. The implementation of the strategy will increase the volume of the Russian AT market by more than three times, create a competitive industry, overcome import dependence and create conditions for entering foreign markets.