INTERVIEW WITH AITIIP TECHNOLOGY CENTRE

Aitiip Technology Centre has been manufacturing the future for more than 30 years. Strongly committed to sustainability, Aitiip steers the Green & Digital Transition industry, through innovation, circular economy and industry 4.0. Aitiip is specialised in developing advanced materials and technological processes to help strategic sectors overcome upcoming challenges. Aitiip offers innovative solutions focused on the plastic value chain by setting up sustainable development paradigms: biomaterials, additive manufacturing and eco design. To this end, Aitiip is coordinating at least 25 revolutionary European projects.

Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the organization?

AITIIP: Aitiip focuses its developments on three fundamental Research Lines.

  • Development of new advanced sustainable materials
  • Advanced manufacturing processes and digitization
  • Circular economy

In addition, Aitiip’s commitment to the industrial fabric is reflected in the technological transfer of developments and innovations and in the provision of advanced technological services such as development of materials on demand, design and engineering, 3D printing, mechanical manufacturing, plastic processing and industrialization, creating added value for the companies, at European, national, and regional level, with a special focus on SMEs.

E.E: What’s the news for 2023 about new directions?

AITIIP: During 2023, in addition to continuing to provide technological services to companies, empowering new possibilities in additive manufacturing and 3D printing, Aitiip will consolidate existing lines of research. In the case of new materials, the great results that are being obtained in projects such as INN-PAEK, WELDER and BIOUPTAKE on new sustainable composite materials for aeronautics, will integrate new concepts of additive manufacturing, not only in final parts but also for the flexible manufacture of tools, influencing a green transition in the sector while digitizing and increasing efficiency in manufacturing processes, aiming the consolidation of AITIIP as one of the main references in 3D printing in Europe.

AITIIP’s robotics and mechatronics lines will validate the new concepts of interactive robotic programming, based on Human-robot collaboration and artificial intelligence, advanced by the ACROBA project, to develop simpler robotic systems, accessible to the public, to perform complicated and potentially risky operations, in manufacturing environments, aiming to profit on human knowdledge and working experience

In addition, the circular economy research line that are managing the end of life of aeronautical components, in projects such as BIZENTE, VIBES or HELACS, will apply the developments to other sectors such as the energy sector, for the reuse, remanufacturing or recycling of composite material, with the launch of the EOLO HUBs project. A technology transfer and optimization between different industrial sectors, to ensure a green and digital transition. 

Furthermore, AITIIP will contribute to basic science concepts, contributing to the LIFE-MIRROR project, for the development of new materials, processes and products, for astronomical research sector, paving the way for more efficient and profitable large telescopes.

E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?

AITIIP: The world market, and especially the European, is demanding solutions, aligned with AITIIP’s lines of business and research, integrating a higher level of digitization in an orderly manner, in such a way that the integrating and social component that has to be never forgotten. have the technology, developing more efficient products and processes, and that minimize the consumption of resources. Society demands a commitment to the planet, so that the circular economy and the reduction of consumption will become a reality, but also retroactively, demanding new developments and concepts for the end of life of the products in use.

E.E: What estimations do you have for 2023?

AITIIP: As anticipated 2023 will be the consolidation of AITIIP in the European picture. This will take place in a difficult scenario, derived from the different crisis and global drawbacks from the las 4 years. 

From AITIIP we believe that the market will self-regulate, to become a more stable scenario, but all these changes and conditions experienced in the immediate past, will require a paradigm shift, especially at an environmental level, to reduce consumption, waste and enable the green transition. This requires that companies and people are going to have to become more flexible to undertake future scenarios, where resilience is going to be a necessity.