Dubai's Immensa set to launch 'school' for 3D printing

Dubai-based Immensa Technology Labs will soon launch the region’s first unaffiliated 3D printing “institute”, Immensa CEO Fahmi Al Shawwa said on Thursday.

Speaking to Arabian Business, Al Shawwa said that the institute’s courses “will all be related to the application of additive manufacturing for different sectors, the materials, and the technologies.”

Al Shawwa added that at the outset there would be 25-30 different courses, targeting professionals and students alike. The courses are expected to begin in November, Al Shawwa said.

Founded in early 2016, Immensa was the first private company in the UAE dedicated to 3D printing.

“It [Immensa] has moved from just a business to being an advocate of sitting down and [gathering people] to talk about how we can utilise this technology in a very cost effective way,” Al Shawwa added. “There has been a lot of hype and a lot of people talking about it. But how much application has there been? It’s not even minimal. It’s negligible.”

Immensa will also be holding a seminar for the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) next month, as well as one for the general public, he noted.

Additionally, Al Shawwa said that Immensa is creating a website aimed at consumers to educate them about 3D printing.

“We realised a lot of inquiries we get are from individuals and consumers…so we’re launching a portal, a website,” he said. “In the ‘make it’ section, you upload your 3D design, and it tells you the available materials, the pricing and so on. You click it, you buy it and it gets shipped to you.”

The second section, Al Shawwa noted, is a marketplace in which people can upload and sell their designs and 3D printed products.

“This facilitates AM [additive manufacturing] accessibility in the region, instead of shipping internationally,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of designers, students and freelancers [here] that come up with fantastic designs.”