Ricoh extends 3D-printing expertise to manufacturing

EXTON, PA, March 11, 2024 – Ricoh, a leading provider of additive manufacturing for 3D-printed medical devices, today announced it will partner with North Carolina State University (NC State), one of the nation’s top graduate programs for additive manufacturing, to address supply chain challenges through the application of 3D-printing technology.

The Ricoh Center for Additive Manufacturing will focus on research and development of new additive manufacturing applications, as well as function as the ‘nerve center’ for Ricoh’s Managed 3D-print services network, enabling product teams to design, prototype, and quickly refine and reiterate a product design in-house. Global revenue for additive manufacturing products and services, widely used for prototyping, manufacturing aids, personalized consumer products and other end-use parts, grew by 18.3% in 2022.

“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.”

Results from Ricoh’s initial pilots have been noteworthy. A leading provider of process control and yield management solutions expanded Ricoh’s onsite managed services remit to include onsite 3D-printing and cut time and cost by nearly 90 percent by bringing its 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 center.”

“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.”

Ricoh will feature Managed 3D-print services at MODEX 2024, the premier manufacturing and supply chain event in Atlanta, GA, March 11-14.

About NC State

NC State is a pre-eminent teaching and research enterprise that excels across disciplines and contributes more than $6.5 billion annually to North Carolina’s economy. More than 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students learn by doing — pursuing original research, starting new companies, forging connections with top employers, and serving local and global communities. NC State’s 9,000 faculty and staff are world leaders in their fields, bridging the divide between academic disciplines and training high-caliber students to meet tomorrow’s challenges. Together, they build powerful partnerships with industry, government, nonprofits and academia to remake our world for the better. For more information, visit www.ncsu.edu.