Hewlett-Packard (HP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Andhra Pradesh government to build a centre of excellence (CoE) for additive manufacturing, powered by the company’s 3D printing technology, Press Trust of India has reported.

This CoE is part of the state government’s effort to increase 3D printing adoption among various industries like automotive, aerospace, defence, consumer goods, healthcare, apparel and construction.

Under this initiative HP would provide premium 3D printers to build functional prototypes and handle short run production. HP would also support various training programs and bring in global 3D printing expertise.

India has been taking positive strides when it comes to adopting 3D printing technology.

It was reported that Indian Institute of Technology Madras’ faculty members and alumni developed India’s first 3D printing construction technology and successfully built the first 3D printed structure.

3D printers enable the printing of shapes and structures, which previously were not possible or hard to build using the conventional technologies. The invention of 3D printers can result in the printing of partially hollow structures or structures of shapes that will result in a considerable amount of material saving.