CUSTOM-FIT: A KNOWLEDGE-BASED MANUFACTURING SYSTEM ENABLING THE CREATION OF CUSTOM-FIT PRODUCTS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE

A radical change [1] in manufacturing is starting to occur. Rapid Manufacturing [2] (RM) is based on completely new additive manufacturing techniques that produce fully functional parts directly from a 3D CAD model without the use of tooling. This offers the potential to change the paradigm of manufacturing, service and distribution with opportunities for producing highly complex and customised products. The ambitious scope of the European Initiative CUSTOM-FIT, a Framework 6 Integrated Project, is to create a fully integrated system for the design, production and supply of individualised customproducts. Personalised and customised both to fit geometrically and functionally the requirements of the citizen for (initially) the medical & consumer goods sectors. This project is being funded by the EC over the next four years and a half years and will become central to European research concerning RM. With a total budget of 16 Million Euros and with 55% industrial participation it will encompass the whole process from geometry capture through to the design of the product, the simulation of performance, production of parts and finally the distribution of the fully individualised products. This paper will describe the following subjects: • introduction with the projects’ background, output descriptions, technical, scientific, social & policy objectives • core with a description of work and the enabling technologies This Integrated Project is identified as highly ambitious with corresponding breakthrough and potential, and a carefully selected consortium provides the project a basis to become successful.