Weld Australia joins Additive Manufacturing CRC

Weld Australia has announced it has joined the Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (AMCRC) as an Associate Partner, in a collaboration designed to connect the nation’s welders and fabricators with the next generation of manufacturing technology.

“Additive manufacturing is welding’s next chapter,” said Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden. “Technologies like wire arc additive manufacturing are built on the same metallurgy, the same processes and the same skills our members have spent their careers mastering. This partnership ensures Australian welders and fabricators are not spectators to the additive revolution. They will help lead it.”

Under the partnership, Weld Australia will contribute its technical expertise in welding engineering, qualification, certification, training and standards development to AMCRC’s activities; capability that is critical as metal additive manufacturing moves from prototyping into safety-critical production for sectors including defence, maritime, infrastructure, resources and energy.

Weld Australia says the partnership creates significant opportunities for its members, from large fabricators through to regional SMEs, including pathways into collaborative, co-funded R&D projects, access to world-class research partners, and training initiatives that will prepare the welding workforce for advanced manufacturing careers.

“For our members, this is a door into a $57.5 million innovation ecosystem,” Crittenden said. “A fabricator in regional Australia with a good idea — a better way to repair a component, a smarter way to build a part — now has a pathway to the researchers, the funding and the expertise to turn that idea into a commercial reality.”

“The future of metal additive manufacturing will be built on foundations that Australia’s welding industry has spent decades developing,” said Simon Marriott, Managing Director of AMCRC. “Weld Australia brings world-class expertise in materials, processes, standards and skills development that will be critical as additive manufacturing moves rapidly into production applications across many critical sectors. This partnership strengthens Australia’s ability to turn new ideas into sovereign manufacturing capability and real-world industry outcomes.”

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