- The graduates are the 1st cohort of DEWA 3D Printing Champions programme
By : Amir Taha
17 engineers from Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) have completed a one-year advanced training programme in 3D printing The programme, which was organised by DEWA’s R&D Centre, supports DEWA’s efforts to develop innovative future solutions that enhance productivity and operational efficiency.
DEWA has honoured the graduates who represent the first cohort of the DEWA 3D Printing Champions Programme, which aims to improve the organisation’s 3D printing capabilities through academic and practical workshops on the latest 3D printing technologies, reverse engineering, and manufacturing economics. This will prepare qualified specialists in 3D printing by providing them with the necessary skills to deal with the latest technologies in this field and to build models and manufacture spare parts for all of DEWA’s divisions.
The 3D Printing Champions facilitate communications between the R&D Centre and DEWA's business units to identify use cases for Additive Manufacturing (AM) spare parts. This helps implement innovative design concepts during the reverse engineering stage to enhance the performance of the spare parts.
“The 3D Printing Champions training programme supports our efforts to achieve the goals of the Dubai 3D Printing Strategy launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which aims to use this promising technology to serve humanity and promote the UAE and Dubai as a global hub for the development of 3D printing technology.
At DEWA, we adopt 3D printing as one of the innovative solutions we use in our internal operations to print spare parts for devices and equipment, in addition to extending the lifespan of the equipment.
Our 3D printing capabilities include reinforced plastic printers using a mixture of carbon fibres and fibreglass. We are proud to be the first organisation in the GCC countries to apply metal 3D printing technology using threads and wires, which is highly accurate and reduces time and cost, improving productivity and efficiency, and promoting innovation.
Our 3D printing projects have been widely recognised by utilities around the world, and we are committed to enhancing our production and operational capabilities by increasing investment in this type of technology,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.
Waleed Bin Salman, Executive Vice President of Business Development and Excellence at DEWA, explained that DEWA has developed state-of-the-art infrastructure and advanced specialised programmes in 3D printing and additive manufacturing.
DEWA seeks to keep pace with technical developments through the Research and Development Centre, which contributes to enhancing the capabilities of DEWA’s employees through workshops and training programmes. The R&D Centre also aims to develop the expertise of its engineers and researchers and consolidate their knowledge of 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies.
DEWA achieved the Guinness World Records title for the first 3D-printed laboratory in the world for its Robotics & Drone laboratory, which is housed within the R&D Centre at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park.
