EU & R&D Projects

Supported by FP7 7.Çerçeve Programı. The DirectSpare project proposes a solution to the increasing demand for spare parts storage, driven by shorter product life cycles, faster time-to-market, and growing regulatory requirements. By utilizing Rapid Manufacturing (RM) technology, it enables on-demand, localized production of spare parts, eliminating the need for large warehouses and reducing costs, logistics complexity, and waste. This approach offers significant advantages, including cost savings in warehousing and production, environmental benefits by reducing excess manufacturing, improved competitiveness for SMEs, localized job creation, and the ability to enhance and customize spare parts before production.

Project Website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/213424

Supported by FP7 7.Çerçeve Programı. The STEPUP project focuses on enhancing the Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) process by developing advanced SLS-processable materials with improved mechanical and thermal properties. By incorporating ceramic fillers, stiffer polymers, and nanoscale alloying, the project aims to produce stiffer materials while maintaining desirable characteristics like surface finish and strength. Key developments include optimizing material design, processing nanostructured polymers using high-energy ball milling (HEBM), adapting SLS machines for new materials, and laser sintering parts with enhanced properties. These advancements will expand SLS applications in automotive, medical instrumentation, and consumer goods industries.

Project Website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/213927/reporting

Supported by FP7 7.Çerçeve Programı. The Weld-IT project aims to develop a knowledge-based assistive tool to help welding companies price, plan, and manage welding projects more efficiently. While welding is critical in many industries, current cost estimation methods rely heavily on manual calculations by experts, making the process time-consuming and costly. Weld-IT will automate and optimize welding project pricing by considering key factors such as project requirements, customer preferences, manufacturing capabilities, resource allocation, and industry standards. This tool will enhance flexibility, reduce costs, and improve competitiveness by enabling faster and more accurate decision-making in welding project management.

Project Website: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/262580

Supported by EuroStars. The RapidOrtez project aims to develop an additive manufacturing-based production system for the mass customization of medical foot orthotics, making them both personalized and widely accessible. Based on a 3D scan of the patient’s foot, a customized insole will be designed to meet individual needs through parameterized modeling. Additive manufacturing techniques will be utilized to produce the insoles, and post-processing steps will be applied to ensure that their mechanical properties align with the patient’s prescription requirements.

Project Website: https://www.era-learn.eu/network-information/networks/eurostars/cut-off-13-3-2014/novel-system-for-the-mass-customization-of-foot-orthotics-using-rapid-manufacturing-with-tailored-to-function-finishing2019s

Supported by ERASMUS+. The woodworking and furniture industries have a considerable investment on CNC technologies, yet the productivity, precision, and complexity of the products are not as high as expected as the end product of such technologies. One major reason for these discrepancies is related to the education of CNC operators. This two-way project aims to provide a guide to prepare a curriculum for on the job training of CNC operators in furniture industries based on andragogical principles and a new curriculum for training the CNC operators in these sectors to use the available technologies to their full potentials. Ultimately, this will enhance CNC operators’ technological skills to cope with the new CNC technologies in the realm of life-long learning activities as described in Bologna Process and enable them to solve on the job problems by themselves using any e-media. Regardless, it will aim to furnish them with basic computer literacy and CAD in order to interact with the machine and the model and/or designer whenever necessary.

Project Website: https://up2europe.com/european/projects/design-of-curriculum-for-woodworking-cnc-operators-in-turkey_105650.html

Supported by Eureka Smart. The project aims to develop cost-effective EDM electrodes using polymer-based additive manufacturing methods, specifically Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Traditional EDM electrode production using subtractive machining is time-consuming and expensive, whereas additive manufacturing can significantly reduce production time (24-48 hours), material waste, and costs. To enhance conductivity, commonly used polymers (ABS, PA, PLA) will be reinforced with carbon-based additives (graphite, carbon nanotubes, nano carbon fiber). Electrodes will be further improved through PVD or electrolysis coating. The project will focus on testing and optimizing highly conductive polymer-based EDM electrodes for industrial applications.

Project Website: https://www.smarteureka.com/projects/new-edm-electrodes-manufactured-with-electrically-conductive-materials-by-additive-manufacturing-am/

Supported by Eureka.

Project Website: https://infotron.com.tr/en/

Supported by Eureka.

Project Website: https://infotron.com.tr/en/