Three technology development projects were recently inaugurated at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) -Bangalore and the Central Manufacturing Technology Institute (CMTI).
IISc-Bangalore has created a technology for a metal additive printing machine with support from the Department of Heavy Industry (DHI). According to a press release, this is the first time the technology is being developed in India.
An Industry 4.0 Samarth Udyog Centre is being launched at the institute to support domestic manufacturing for the adoption and assimilation of data analytics, 3D printing, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, robotics, and machine-to-machine communication.
DHI aided the establishment of a sensor technology manufacturing/fabrication facility at CMTI.
Sensor technology helps make products and machines smart through the deployment of function-specific sensors, specially designed for data extraction.
Another facility for nanotechnology is being set up in CMTI. It will provide a better alternative route for precision manufacturing in strategic sectors.
Two technology development projects were also recently launched at the PSG College of Technology and the Scientific and Industrial Testing and Research Centre (SiTARC), Coimbatore.
At PSG, DHI helped developed welding robots and special alloy electrodes.
Through a collaboration between academia, industry, and the government, indigenous technology has been developed for smart submersible pumping solutions for industrial and water supply applications.
In November 2014, DHI launched a pilot scheme to increase competitiveness in the country’s capital goods sector.
The scheme aimed to help the sector compete globally and boost the economy. It addressed the issue of technological depth creation in the capital goods sector.
The scheme consists of five components: advanced centres of excellence; integrated industrial infrastructure facilities (IIFC); a common engineering facility centre (CEFC); a testing & certification centre (T&CC); a technology acquisition fund programme (TAFP).
A screening committee from DHI has selected several projects under the scheme:
- Additive manufacturing technology for high-performance metallic alloys at IISc, Bengaluru
- The development of smart submersible pumping solutions for industrial and water supply applications at SiTARC, Coimbatore
- The development of a five-cubic metre hydraulic excavator-HEX 400 at HEC, Ranchi
Projects launched at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras:
- The development of orbital motion abrasive cutting
- A multi-station grinding and polishing machine
- A five-axis multitasking machine
- An ultra-precision micromachining centre
- The development of a low-cost machine tending robot
- The automation of grinding process intelligence
Advanced centres of excellence (CoEs):
Eight CoEs for technology development have been established at IIT Madras, Delhi, Kharagpur, IISc, CMTI, and PSG.
Technologies have been built with industry partners in sectors like machine tools, textile machinery, earthmoving machinery, metallurgical machinery and welding, and submersible pumps.
A 500-acre world-class machine tool park has been established in Tumkuru, Karnataka in partnership with the state government. The park is in the centre of a machine tools cluster and will strengthen the output of the sector.
R&D capabilities are being leveraged to develop cutting-edge industrial technologies to deal with the challenges of the manufacturing sector.
The manufacturing sector is crucial for the development of the country’s economy as the capital goods industry contributes about 12% of the total manufacturing activity in India that is about 2% of the GDP. The government has set a target to have a US $1 trillion manufacturing economy in the next five years.
