MANULAB aims at creating research infrastructure capable of performing cutting edge research with state-of-the art equipment, and to support the Norwegian manufacturing industry to increase its global competitiveness and sustainability.
MANULAB will serve national interests as a national infrastructure for manufacturing research and will strengthen Norwegian cutting-edge research and will contribute to a competitive and sustainable manufacturing industry in Norway.
The infrastructure will be open to researchers across Norway and will consist of a well-integrated network of 11 infrastructure nodes (laboratories) in Gjøvik, Oslo, Trondheim and Ålesund.
Research activities will include basic research on Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) 1-4 with added benefits of industrial demonstrations, dissemination, learning-/technology transfer and education. MANULAB will be complementary to other existing and planned infrastructures and centers, such as catapult centers.
Focus areas are
- Additive manufacturing research
- Research on joining technologies
- Cyber-Physical Manufacturing Systems (CPMS) and Industry 4.0
- Flexible automated manufacturing
- Learning factory and the design of future workplaces
- Research for Light Weight Materials Manufacturing
Partners are: Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), SINTEF AS (SINTEF) and SINTEF Manufacturing AS.