MIT Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies (APT)

Additive manufacturing (AM) is poised to transform how we design, develop, and manufacture products. Across the world, industry is recognizing the compelling value of AM and making major investments toward applications including high-performance aircraft and automotive components, customized medical devices, advanced tooling, and more. Yet, AM is still at the infancy of its impact. Soon, AM will be used to create products with unforeseen capabilities and will unite a digitally-driven production workflow that rapidly deploys advances in materials, process technologies, and computational tools. New and conventional manufacturing technologies will converge into flexible, distributed manufacturing networks that enable responsive production with reduced cost and risk.

The MIT Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies (APT) aims to accelerate the implementation of AM and to invent its future. As such, APT convenes its members and MIT experts with a mission to: perform visionary research, continually and critically assess the status of AM technology, develop model-based decision tools and open strategic frameworks, build a vibrant academic-industry network including MIT students, and accelerate critical AM education initiatives for professional audiences. Taken together, these activities enable APT’s members to implement process, product, and business model innovation and to leverage AM in tandem with the rapidly changing digital manufacturing infrastructure that includes robotics, advanced materials, and computational intelligence.

(*) Research: APT’s membership fees support research projects on visionary new AM technologies, breakthrough materials, computational methods, and more. Our research leverages the multidisciplinary strengths of APT’s faculty and students--spanning mechanical engineering, materials science, computer science, and business--and enables members to reach beyond the constraints of today’s AM infrastructure and work hand-in-hand with MIT.

(*) Strategy: To complement its technical research, APT performs strategic analyses of the present and future capabilities of AM and of digitally-driven manufacturing systems. Broadly, we seek to identify the “scaling laws” of AM technologies and create insights that enable members to act decisively in this rapidly changing arena. These analyses include accurate, up-to-date cost models of AM, tools for value analysis, and a library of case studies derived from member interests. Key insights and detailed reports are shared with members far in advance of academic publication.

(*) Learning: APT hosts a flagship Annual Research Symposium, which features cutting-edge developments within MIT and across the fields of digital and additive manufacturing, a members-only annual workshop, and an on-campus regular seminar series available to members by webcast. In addition, APT manages a portfolio of AM education initiatives including a week-long summer course at MIT, and MIT's Additive Manufacturing for Innovative Design and Production, a 12-week online certificate program that has trained nearly 2,000 professionals in its first six months.

(*) Ecosystem: APT connects its members with the world's top talent from MIT, and enables MIT students to connect with industry leaders in their fields of interest and expertise. Moreover, the Boston area is a hive of manufacturing innovation, including fast-growing startups and world leaders in AM, robotics, design software, materials and automation. Our membership structure welcomes both small and large organizations, and therefore builds a one-of-a-kind ecosystem that accelerates the growth and adoption of AM for all.