Opening up the AM landscape: Inside AMCRC’s Innovation Taskforce with Professor Suresh Palanisamy
- Mar 31
- 3 min read
As additive manufacturing (AM) moves beyond the hype and into a phase defined by real-world application and impact, one challenge remains: adoption.
To help address this, the Additive Manufacturing CRC (AMCRC) has established an Innovation Taskforce - an advisory committee to its Board - focused on accelerating industry uptake, strengthening collaboration and building a more connected national ecosystem.
Chaired by Suresh Palanisamy, Professor of Advanced Manufacturing at Swinburne University and Director of its Manufacturing Research Futures Platform, the Taskforce brings together industry and research leaders to address of the sector’s most pressing questions: how do we move from awareness to action?
“Awareness isn’t the problem. Adoption is.”
Despite additive manufacturing’s long history, dating back to the 1980s, and a surge of attention more than a decade ago, Palanisamy says industry understanding remains uneven.
“Most companies know AM exists,” he explains. “They’ve seen it, they understand the concept, and they know you can buy small, consumer-level 3D printers. But industrial-scale uptake that’s always been the challenge.”
For Palanisamy, the issue isn’t visibility, but clarity.
“That’s what the Innovation Taskforce is looking at: how do we open up the industrial landscape for additive manufacturing? A lot of people simply aren’t aware of the capabilities and technologies available.”
Navigating a complex landscape
Part of the challenge lies in the sheer breadth of the AM ecosystem. With hundreds of vendors and multiple process options, identifying the right pathway can be difficult.
“There’s no right or wrong pathway going forward,” Palanisamy says. “Anything can be applicable, depending on the material you’re using and the application you’re targeting.”
In metal AM alone, he points out, there are three broad application areas:
near-net shape manufacturing
repair and sustainment
coating
Each operates at vastly different scales and can involve multiple processes from laser powder bed fusion to wire arc, cold spray and electron beam technologies.
“It’s easy to get lost,” he admits. “But that’s also where the opportunity is.”
Turning innovation into impact
The Innovation Taskforce has been set up to cut through this complexity and help industry navigate Australia’s AM landscape.
Its remit is practical and targeted:
create new ways to connect and engage SMEs
accelerate the adoption of innovations emerging from AMCRC projects
identify local and international “lighthouse” case studies to showcase industry excellence
strengthen education and training to build capability
The Committee meets quarterly, providing insights directly into the AMCRC Board and research programs. At its core, the Taskforce is about enabling action - ensuring that AM is not just understood but taken up by the industry.
Tackling barriers to adoption
In the Australian context, Palanisamy points to a number of “unknown factors” that continue to limit adoption, from capability awareness to qualification and certification challenges.
“One of the key issues with additive manufacturing is qualification and certification,” he says. “Industry needs confidence before they adopt new processes.”
To address this, the Taskforce is engaging international expertise while also supporting AMCRC’s initiative of mapping Australia’s existing capabilities - building a clearer picture of what the local ecosystem can offer, both domestically and globally.
Beyond silos: connecting knowledge across industries
For Palanisamy, one of the most important opportunities lies in breaking down silos.
“Traditionally, you have individual projects solving individual problems,” he explains. “But how do you take knowledge from one sector, say aerospace, and apply it to another, like medical technology?”
This cross-sector knowledge transfer is central to the Taskforce’s approach.
“It’s about opening up access - to materials, process and application knowledge - and making that available across the ecosystem.”
From potential to practice
Having worked with different Cooperative Research Centres (CRCs) for more than two decades, Palanisamy sees AMCRC’s ecosystem-wide approach as a step forward.
Rather than focusing solely on individual projects, the Innovation Taskforce is helping to shape a more coordinated, strategic approach - one that connects research, industry and capability development.
As AM continues to mature, the focus is firmly on delivering value. Design-led innovation is one potential pathway to open up whole new ecosystem and eanble the sector to grow.
By bringing SMEs together, clarifying pathways, showcasing success and strengthening skills, the Taskforce is working to ensure that innovation doesn’t sit on the sidelines—but is translated into practical, scalable outcomes.
For Palanisamy, the goal is clear:
“Additive manufacturing has enormous potential. The challenge now is making sure industry knows how—and where—to use it.”
