Digitizing European industry is essential for European competitivity in the 21st century, but only 1/5 of EU SMEs is highly digitised. Laser Based Advanced and Additive Manufacturing (LBAAM) technologies are regarded as Key Enablers for Digital Production and offer important advantages to the adopters. SMEs have strong entry barriers for the technology: Investment cost, technology complexity, system integration and awareness/adoption readiness. PULSATE aims to lower all said barriers to boost the adoption of Laser Based technologies by SMEs and promote the development of SME-friendly laser based equipment and solutions. PULSATE will establish a Pan-European Network to stimulate SMEs to take part in Innovation Ecosystem of LBAAM, by connecting Digital Innovation Hubs (DIHs) to a support structure of knowledge, infrastructure and services, designed to tackle the issues currently limiting the adoption of LBAAM technology. A balanced combination is proposed between wide outreach using interconnected Virtual Communities and ICT tools (a Single Entry Point will connect a wide range of networking and servicing tools), and close exchange and interaction via DIHs. The project relies on a consortium of 6 competence centres (AIMEN, FTMC, MTC, SINTEF, Fraunhofer, CEA), service community and marketplace providers (FBA, CLESGO) and a photonics industry association (EPIC). With >50 previous projects outcomes, existing tools and services, connections with 74 running DIHs, Clusters and regional initiatives, PULSATE counts with the explicit support of companies and institutions (>80LoS), and an independent Board of Stakeholders gathering key players in LBAAM will ensure the quality and pertinence of PULSATE orientation. PULSATE will operate under 4 action areas: Business, Technology, Competence & Awareness, addressing the following technology domains: Nano/Micro Fabrication, AM, High Power Laser Manufacturing and Digitisation, and implementing 4 Open Calls and a catalogue of services.

The objectives of Computer Aided Technologies for Additive Manufacturing (CAxMan) are to establish Cloud based Toolboxes, Workflows and a One Stop-Shop for CAx-technologies supporting the design, simulation and process planning for additive manufacturing. More specifically the objectives are to establish analysis-based design approaches with the following aims: -To reduce material usage by 12% through introducing internal cavities and voids, whilst maintaining component properties; -To optimize distribution and grading of material for multi-material additive manufacturing processes; and -To facilitate the manufacture of components which are currently impossible or very difficult to produce by subtractive processes (e.g., cutting and abrasive operations); -To enhance analysis-based process planning for additive manufacturing including thermal and stress aspects, and their interoperability with the design phase; -To enable the compatibility of additive and subtractive processes in production in order to combine the flexibility of shape in additive manufacturing with the surface finish of subtractive processes. CAxMan delivers: -Cloud Portal in form of a market place - of Cloud application and services addressing the design, analysis, production chain for additive manufacturing. Hence, all necessary software components to act a Broker of such services will be developed in CAxMan. ARCTUR will host the marketplace. -An ecosystem of Open Source of algorithmic toolkits for additive manufacturing will be established during the life time of the project, in order to enable sustainability of the marketplace after the project duration, SINTEF will trigger the Open Source community. -Lessons Learned and practical pattern collections of quantifiable advantages of findings with respect to interoperable model representations for the design production chain for Additive Manufacturing -Proposed extension to ISO 10303 (STEP) Part 242 edition 2, and byISO / ASTM52915

Nowadays, European manufacturing enterprises are facing a number of challenges in a turbulent globalized market facing unprecedented and abrupt changes in market demands, an ever-increasing number of product variants and smaller lot sizes, intensifying the worldwide competition and causing a continuous pressure on production costs, product quality and production efficiency. Therefore, novel product development strategies for ensuring and optimising the manufacturing of new products or variants in low-volume production systems must be implemented. PIONEER aims the development of an open innovation platform and interoperable digital pipeline for addressing a design-by-simulation optimisation framework. For that, PIONEER implements inline feedforward control strategies for enhancing the efficiency of the industrial systems in high-mix/low-volume production schemes, based on the connection between materials modelling and materials characterisation, simulation-based digital twins and data-driven models, updated through distributed production data from embedded IoT edge devices and product quality. PIONEER is built over five pillars for development a common methodology deployed in two demonstrators by involving multidisciplinary optimisation for ensuring certified path planning strategies for the manufacturing of topology optimised structural elements through Wire-Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) in construction –i.e., low-volume production schemes–, as well as for ensuring an efficient design and manufacturing strategy for the manufacturing of Carbon Fibre Sheet Moulding Compound (CF-SMC) components in automotive –i.e., high-mix production schemes–. PIONEER is built on the knowledge and results gained in i) previous H2020 EU projects; ii) associations –i.e. EMMC ASBL, IOF, VMAP Standard Community, IDTA—; and iii) commercial products from project partners.

The project's main objective is to develop a highly innovative, secure-by-design framework that fully exploits the MaaS paradigm. This framework will offer secure data exchange between companies and cutting-edge tools to enhance production efficiency and sustainability. The MEDUSA framework will establish a seamless connection between existing marketplaces, facilitating optimized production by leveraging users' machinery and shared resources from other manufacturers. All resources will be treated as part of a distributed Cyber-Physical System of Systems (CPSoS), maximizing production. The implementation of an automation layer will enable the exchange of real-time production data and asset monitoring, allowing for the tracing and optimization of the product life cycle. The framework will also support the implementation of a DPP and provide AI-based tools for manufacturers to support decision-making for production planning, remanufacturing, and machine reconfiguration, always being energy-aware.

The goal of the project is the creation of the MaaSAI System, a comprehensive digital system to automate and facilitate interactions between suppliers of manufacturing systems (Providers) and manufacturing companies (Consumers) in a Manufacturing-as-a-Service (MaaS) ecosystem, in an agile, efficient and transparent manner. The MaaSAI System aims to revolutionise manufacturing and remanufacturing processes by facilitating access to flexible and decentralised capacities, through the MaaS business model, that extends the principles of the service-oriented economy to the manufacturing industry. The MaaSAI System aims to contribute to the reduction of the heavy investments that manufacturers have traditionally had to make to set up and maintain their operations. With an emphasis on production flexibility, agility and responsiveness, the MaaSAI System enables on-demand sustainable manufacturing, optimising resource utilisation, facilitating the transition towards circular facilities, and promoting better integration of the value chain. The MaaSAI project leverages on Explainable Artificial Intelligence (xAI) in autonomous agents to negotiate the use of manufacturing capacities between providers and consumers in a dynamic MaaS ecosystem. The incorporation of secure, and real-time data exchange between participating companies ensures fast response times and improves collaboration. The MaaSAI System represents a paradigm shift that enables manufacturers to access and utilise on-demand production capabilities, further increasing efficiency and lowering barriers to entry for SMEs. The MaaSAI project will deploy 3 main key exploitable results: 1) MaaSAI Cloud MaaS Marketplace; 2) MaaSAI Provider Suite; 3) MaaSAI. The MaaSAI System will be demonstrated in 5 Pilots of European companies from different sectors: metal machining, gears and mechanical power transmission, biomaterials, food processing, and electronics manufacturing.