The tasks as adjunct professor include jointly supervising doctoral students in Canada and Australia as well as promoting the exchange of students and scientists between the two countries from and to Germany. “I am very pleased about the opportunity to strengthen our international networking and visibility. In Australia there is a well-established network of industry and research. Canada has just created a similar cooperation platform for Additive Manufacturing as we coordinate it from our Additive Manufacturing Center Dresden”, says Prof. Leyens with regard to the AGENT-3D network, the initiator and coordinator of which he is. “Developments in Additive Manufacturing proceed at such a rapid pace and demand interdisciplinary cooperation, so that an expansion of scientific cooperation beyond the borders of Europe is not only desirable, but indispensable,” the scientist explains his commitment.

About the University of Waterloo

Waterloo University is a Canadian public research university located in the eponymous city about 100 kilometers west of Toronto. It was founded in 1957. Currently, the Canadian University has 40,000 full and part-time students, who alternate cumulatively between Bachelor's and Master's programs. 85 percent are undergraduate and 15 percent are graduate students.

In addition, the University of Waterloo records 45,600 registrations per year for online study programs and graduate courses (2017/18). On approximately 1,000 acres of main campus there are more than 100 buildings with six faculties. The University of Waterloo is particularly known for its co-op program, a kind of part-time study, and for its mathematics and engineering disciplines. Lecturers include Donna Strickland, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, who was only the third woman in history to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2018.

About IfWW

The Institute of Materials Science (IfWW) at TU Dresdenincludes three professors appointed to the institute and one associate professor with more than 150 employees. In addition, there are six joint professorships with other institutions (Leibniz and Fraunhofer Institutes) and three honorary professorships. More than 250 students are enrolled in the Diploma and Bachelor Degree Programs in Materials Science. In addition, the institute offers teaching services for other diploma and master programs of the faculties of mechanical science and engineering, electrical and computer engineering, education, business and economics. The IfWW is headed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Leyens, who also holds the Chair of Materials Technology. This position combines basic research in materials science with application-oriented issues. The research results are published internationally and find their way into industrial applications, for example in the aerospace industry, energy and electrical engineering, the automotive industry, rail vehicle construction and medical technology. The Chair of Materials Technology is a cooperation partner of the Fraunhofer IWS in the Additive Manufacturing Center Dresden (AMCD).

About the Additive Manufacturing Center Dresden (AMCD)

The Additive Manufacturing Center Dresden is an international expertise center that interdisciplinarily develops material and manufacturing solutions for challenging products. It was developed in close cooperation between Fraunhofer IWS, TU Dresden and DRESDEN-concept. At the same time, the Agent-3D project coordinates cooperation with its consortium partners from AMCD. The center of excellence offers an ideal networking platform for industry as well as university basic and application-oriented research in a rapidly developing high-tech field. Activities focus on aerospace, automotive, energy technology, tool and mold making as well as medical technology sectors. The extensive range of processes includes laser cladding with both powder and wire, selective laser beam melting, electron beam melting and 3D printing. In addition, AMCD scientists are developing materials, processes, systems engineering, sensor technology and online process diagnostics.

About AGENT-3D

Leading research institutions, industrial representatives and SMEs are cooperating in the AGENT-3D consortium with more than 120 partners to develop a strategic alliance for research, innovation and growth. The common target is to anchor technological leadership in the central areas for additive manufacturing in Germany. The Federal Ministry of Education and Research is funding the project with up to 45 million euros as part of “2020 - Partnership for Innovation”. Prof. Dr.-Ing. Christoph Leyens and Dr. Elena López from Fraunhofer IWS lead the entire consortium at the AMCD site.