Debashis Mazumdar
Director
Webel Fujisoft Vara CoE
Accelerating Growth for Local Small-Scale Industries through the Common Facility Centre (CFC)
Webel Fujisoft Vara Centre of Excellence: Industry 4.0 is a multi-disciplinary initiative of the Government of West Bengal, established in 2020. It has been set up by West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Ltd. (Webel), nodal agency of the Department of Information Technology & Electronics, Govt. of West Bengal, together with Fujisoft Incorporated, Japan and Vara Technology, India
The CoE is a unique triangulation of leading industry organizations, academia and technology providers. Its key objectives are to :
- Create relevant skills for Industry 4.0
- Help local medium and small-scale industries with cost-effective design and prototyping services.
- Work with start-ups to turn ideas into businesses.
“The Webel Fujisoft Vara Centre if Excellence: Industry 4.0 through its Additive Manufacturing lab aim to help Micro, Small, Medium Enterprises of West Bengal scale up their Manufacturing capabilities and create new business models as well as be more competitive, resilient and avle to penetrate new domestic and global markets. The Additive Manufacturing lan of CoE presents huge opportunities for the MSME of West Bengal to become front-runners in the advances manufacturing world.”
Pranav H,
Debashis Mazumdar,
Director at Webel Fujisoft Vara CoE
Stratasys FDM & Polyjet Machineries at the COE
Make in India
Solving challenges of Localized Manufacturing
Indian manufacturers face persistent pressure to enhance their product development processes, achieving efficiency and affordability. This necessitates an emphasis on accurate initial designs to mitigate the high costs associated with revisions. The advent of COVID-19 has further exacerbated cost challenges, particularly for smaller enterprises, complicating their journey from product development to market entry.
Addressing these complexities, the CoE (Center of Excellence) emerges as a pivotal solution provider, offering streamlined design, prototyping, and batch manufacturing solutions. Notably, the CoE responded effectively when approached by a consumer electronics firm for an urgent batch prototyping project. This specific requirement entailed crafting multiple prototypes for functional testing within real-world usage scenarios.
Leveraging the proficiency of six in-house Stratasys FDM ( fused deposition modelling ) and one Polyjet 3D Printing machine, the CoE adeptly executed this task, expediting production timelines significantly. In contrast to conventional methods that would span weeks, the CoE efficiently achieved the project’s completion within a matter of days.
Vocal for Local – A step towards self-reliant India.
One of the key goals for the growth of the Indian economy is to promote localized manufacturing and reduce dependence on imports. Currently several industries (which don’t have the capacity to manufacture inhouse) depend heavily on South- East Asian countries for components, which increases the cost.
One such challenge was faced by an Oil and Gas company who would import several low volume parts from China. The CoE took on the challenge of indigenizing this and reverse engineered the components and produced using PC-ABS 3D Printing materials on Stratasys Fortus 450 production grade 3D printing machine. Within four working days the first batch of parts was ready and deployed which is working perfectly under continuous use. This enabled the client to save tremendous cost and time.
Preparing the New age Industry Workforce
Skill development in Industry 4.0 technologies stands as a primary focus of the CoE’s initiatives. The CoE provides an array of offerings, including certificate and short courses in Additive Manufacturing tailored for graduates and working professionals. Collaborating with corporate entities, the CoE also delivers customized courses encompassing emerging technologies.
Batch Proctyping of electronics endures with F123 series FDM 3D Printing
Cable grand component (left) used in the oil and gas industry, reverse-engineered and produced using PC- ABS material on Stratasys F450mc
“Emerging technologies are transforming the way we live, work, and manufacture. Practically every facet of our lives are touched in some form by digitization and the technologies of industry 4.0. It is therefore imperative that we unskill the present and future work-force to equip them to flourish in a world that is rapidly changing through technology.
The Webel Fujisoft Vara CoE has state-of-the-art facilities for imparting training in technologies of Industry 4.0. With industry approved curriculum, world class clarification and 70% hands-on training our programmers ensure that our students are workplace ready when they complete our courses.”
Dr. Rashmi Sharma,
Head-Webel Fujisoft Vara CoE
Training session on 3D Printing Application at the CoE
Beyond Heavy Engineering
The Eastern region of India (to which the CoE primarily caters) is home to several consumer products and packaging industries which also require product development services.
The requirements of these customers is both functional as well as aesthetic. Using a combination of FDM and Multi-Material Polyjet 3D Printing technology based resin 3D Printer, the CoE provides prototyping services to create realistic and high- fidelity prototypes.
Saving Lives with 3D Printing
The CoE’s contribution extends to local hospitals, offering patient-specific pre-surgical planning models. These models enable surgeons to meticulously visualize the anatomical structure and practice surgical procedures, thereby enhancing surgical precision and planning. The utilization of the Multi-Material Connex3 Polyjet 3D Printing machine stands as a remarkable asset in this context. Its capability to fabricate both hard and soft tissues concurrently facilitate the creation of anatomical replicas that closely mirror the actual human structure.
Publication Date : September, 2022
About Altem Technologies Pvt. Ltd
Altem Technologies is a well-established 3D digital experience company that has been actively contributing to the industry for nearly 15 years. Initially rooted in PLM software and 3D Printing, Altem has successfully transformed into a prominent provider of comprehensive 3D digital solutions. Altem’s 3D Innovation platform offers an extensive array of products catering to various applications, including design, reverse engineering process, asset digitization, prototype manufacturing, life science, healthcare, culture and heritage, and consultancy services, among others.
With a diverse clientele spanning automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, healthcare, research academia, and more, Altem adeptly addresses the unique requirements of each industry through a combination of expertise and innovation. Our team comprises skilled professionals, including Scientists, Application Engineers, Designers, domain experts, and software specialists, all working collectively to deliver exceptional solutions to our valued customers.
Altem Technologies Pvt Ltd, besides being a major provider of 3D Scanning services in India, is also a leading provider of 3D Printing Services in India with 3D Printing technologies like FDM, Polyjet, DLP, Metal, etc. Altem offers a complete solution around 3D Digitization and Innovation, and has emerged as a one-stop-shop for all 3D Printing, 3D Scanning, CAE, PLM, and Life Sciences needs, offering a wide spectrum of products for engineering and life sciences companies in India.
