Ricoh partners with Carolina State University

Ricoh, a provider of additive manufacturing for 3D-printed medical devices, announced a partnership with North Carolina State University (NC State), one of the nation’s leading graduate programs in additive manufacturing, to solve supply chain challenges through the application of 3D printing technology.

The Center of Excellence (COE) will focus on research and development of new applications for additive manufacturing and serve as the hub for Ricoh’s Managed 3D Printing Services. This initiative will enable product teams to refine design, prototyping and product iterations quickly and in-house.

“Ricoh’s Managed 3D-print services will help manufacturers accelerate innovation and product development through rapid, onsite prototyping,” said Gary Turner, Senior Director, Additive Manufacturing at Ricoh. “As the applications for additive manufacturing grow, adopting an as-a-service model leverages existing onsite 3D-printing expertise and resources to shorten time while minimizing any additional capital investment.”

Ricoh’s first pilot projects are already showing impressive results. A well-known provider of process control and yield management solutions was able to reduce time and costs by nearly 90 percent by bringing prototyping in-house.

“Ricoh’s partnership with NC State provides our Managed Services customers with direct access to additive manufacturing best practices and resources they wouldn’t have on their own,” said Turner. “We are able to drive efficiencies through our teams onsite, as well as address unique challenges through the COE.”

The partnership with NC State gives Ricoh’s managed service customers direct access to additive manufacturing best practices and resources.

“Additive manufacturing has significant potential to reduce supply chain complexity and drive innovation in a myriad of industries,” said Mark Schmidt, Ph.D.,NC State’s associate vice chancellor for partnerships. “Partnering with a company like Ricoh with its vast onsite network will help prepare students for impactful careers and identify new opportunities to advance research.”