India's Technology Story is Changing Gears

Over the last decade, India has moved from being only a user of technology to becoming a builder of it. Digital public infrastructure has already shown the world how India can build digital systems at population scale. That same confidence is now spreading from the digital world into the physical one - into how India designs, builds and manufactures things. This is where Additive Manufacturing (AM) enters the picture. It is the emerging technology and innovation that is quietly turning digital designs into real, physical objects.

Additive Manufacturing is becoming one of the newest engineering frontiers of India's manufacturing journey. The global AM machines market is projected to touch USD 149 billion by 2035, with the AM-electronics supply chain set to grow from USD 18 billion to USD 112 billion. This gives India a real opening to become a competitive manufacturer of AM platforms across polymers, metals, composites, ceramics and semiconductor-grade materials.

Understanding Additive Manufacturing Technology

AM is not just another manufacturing tool - it is a form of digital engineering that brings in a digital file that completely controls the layer-by-layer material deposition and sometime material composition to build an object. It brings in convergence of computing, electronics, design software and materials science. Every AM object starts out as a digital file, so the technology is closely linked to tools like Computer-Aided Design (CAD), Artificial Intelligence and pattern recognition. AM works on a simple but powerful idea - building an object up, rather than cutting it down. Here is how a digital design turns into a physical object, step by step:

• Virtual design: The process begins with a digital design made in a CAD (Computer-Aided Design) file - either modelled from scratch or captured using a 3D scanner or now a days made using AI from mobile phone photos.
• STL file: A STL (Standard Tessellation Language) file represents a 3D model as a collection of triangular surfaces. It is one of the commonly used file formats for preparing models for AM. This file instructs what to build to the machine.
• Slicing: Slicing software divides this digital model into hundreds or thousands of horizontal layers. Once done it instructs machine how to print layer-by-layer.
• Printing: The sliced file is fed into the AM machine, which reads each layer and builds the object step by step.
• Additive Process: An AM object is built by laying down successive layers of material until it takes its final shape. Technology evolution has taken digital manufacturing to such accuracies in deposition and composition control that without the digital instructions printing process fails to build properly. Currently there are 40+ such processes in market and R&D stage.
• Final object: The printer fuses successive layers of material together into a single, complete three-dimensional object. Once printed, post processing is done to make it marketable.

Reshaping Key Sectors of the Indian Economy

AM is no longer confined to labs and prototypes. It is already being adopted across critical sectors of India's economy and Strategic Sector, backed by government and private players projects on the ground.

India's space programme is embracing additive manufacturing to build lighter, faster hardware. In May 2024, IIT Madras-incubated start-up Agnikul Cosmos launched Agnibaan - SOrTeD, featuring a single-piece, AM printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine. The mission demonstrated how additive manufacturing can enable complex engine designs and support faster, indigenous development of space hardware. NSAM is helping more such start-ups in their R&D for development of critical engine parts using AM.

The Armed Forces are turning to AM for faster, disaster-resilient construction. The Indian Army inaugurated its first AM-printed two-story dwelling unit at Ahmedabad, built in just 12 weeks, and has since extended the technology to precast defenses in operational terrains like Ladakh. NSAM is supporting all three branches of defense for establishing workshop level facilities for MRO applications.

India is building indigenous alternatives to imported medical technology through AM. MeitY has supported AM based medical device manufacturing and startups like OsteoForge that is AM printing natural silk-based implant development under NSAM. The Technology Development Board is supporting 3D-printed bone grafts made from indigenous bioceramic materials. The technology can create grafts customised to a patient’s specific needs and anatomy. It can reduce imports, strengthen domestic medical manufacturing and support more personalised healthcare.

India's network of AM centres is building indigenous capability in electronics-grade manufacturing. NSAM has successfully demonstrated AM printed electronics components such as batteries, antennas, varistors, capacitors and many more.  A globally first, IISc has demonstrated Photonic Integrated Circuit blocks using AM printing.

India is exploring 3D printing as a potential solution for faster and more sustainable construction. The Kelvin 6K Pro, an on-site 3D construction printer, has demonstrated the ability to build 2,500 sq ft homes in under 30 days using low-carbon geopolymer material. The technology has the potential to reduce material and logistics costs, lower carbon emissions and improve construction efficiency. Early applications indicate potential for 30% lower material and logistics costs and 90% lower emissions compared with cement-based construction.

Behind this growing momentum lies a clear government push. Over the past few years, the Centre has moved from isolated pilot projects to a structured, mission-mode approach for Additive Manufacturing -backed by dedicated funding, institutions and a national strategy. NSAM is now developing concrete based supercapacitors for solar energy storage.

Government Policy Initiatives: Building an Indian AM Ecosystem

Recognizing AM as a strategic, next-generation manufacturing technology, the Government of India is building a structured national ecosystem. This effort is anchored in the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing (NSAM). It is supported by growing national platforms, institutions and initiatives that are strengthening the ecosystem.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing (NSAM) in February 2022. NSAM serves as India’s guiding policy framework for 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Aligned with Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, the strategy sets clear, time-bound national targets. These targets are being pursued through collaboration among the Centre, States, industry and academia.

The national strategy aims to capture 5% of the global additive manufacturing market and add nearly US$1 billion to India’s GDP. It also targets the development of 50 India-specific additive manufacturing technologies, covering materials, machines, processes and software.

The strategy also seeks to nurture 100 new additive manufacturing start-ups and develop 500 new products. It also aims to train 1 lakh skilled workers for the additive manufacturing workforce. Another objective is to build additive manufacturing capabilities across 10 existing and emerging manufacturing sectors.

To further advance these objectives, the Government has established seven specialised Development and Deployment Centres. These centres support research and development, skilling and hands-on technology access.

Progress Under NSAM

More than four years after its launch, the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing (NSAM) has made steady and measurable progress. Government-supported initiatives have strengthened India’s additive manufacturing ecosystem through skilling, entrepreneurship, technology development and sectoral applications.

More than 1,54, 000 individuals have been trained in additive manufacturing-related skills, creating a growing skilled workforce. Fifty-six additive manufacturing start-ups have also been supported, strengthening India’s innovation and entrepreneurship base. The network of national centres has enabled the development of 65 India-specific technologies including materials, machines, Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) and printed products. These capabilities are supporting the development of products and prototypes across aerospace, medical devices, electronics, energy, food processing and photonics.

NSAM 2.0 is being conceptualised to support India’s aspiration for AM market acceleration. The next phase plans to accelerate Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) generation, grow AM network through Digital Integration and proposes to develop globally competitive additive manufacturing technologies for commercialization. It aims to improve the affordability of machines and materials through clusters and strengthen the additive manufacturing electronics value chain.

NSAM 2.0 is planning to expand the additive manufacturing start-up base, provide extensive support to Indian defense and promote Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-driven pilot programmes. It proposes to deepen international cooperation through standards, joint research and technology partnerships. These priorities can strengthen India’s technological capabilities and mainstream additive manufacturing across economic, industrial and societal applications.

Towards a Viksit Bharat

AM is steadily moving from India’s research labs into factories, defence establishments and hospitals. Backed by focused government policies, it is strengthening indigenous manufacturing and reducing reliance on imports. It is also supporting the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat through greater domestic technological capabilities. As India scales its Additive Manufacturing ecosystem, it is creating skilled employment and strengthening its technology base. The technology also supports Industry 5.0 through digital production, advanced automation, distributed and flexible manufacturing. Its applications can further contribute to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through resource efficiency, localised production and sustainable solutions. Together, these efforts position AM as an emerging contributor to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat.

References:

NCAM

• https://ncam.in/national-strategy-for-additive-manufacturing/

Atal Innovation Mission

• https://aim.gov.in/pdf/3D_Printing-Guidelines_and_Links.pdf
• https://aim.gov.in/pdf/3D_Printing-Types.pdf

Ministry of Electronics & IT

• https://www.meity.gov.in/static/uploads/2024/02/35-1.pdf
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1887216&reg=48&lang=2
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseDetail.aspx?PRID=2308145&reg=48&lang=2
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2027072&reg=48&lang=2
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1800915&reg=48&lang=2
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2239876

NIST

• https://www.nist.gov/additive-manufacturing/research-areas/technologies/powder-bed-fusion
• https://www.nist.gov/additive-manufacturing/research-areas/technologies/vat-photopolymerization
• https://www.nist.gov/publications/upper-bound-feed-rates-thermoplastic-material-extrusion-based-additive-manufacturing
• https://www.nist.gov/additive-manufacturing/research-areas/technologies/directed-energy-deposition
• https://www.nist.gov/additive-manufacturing/research-areas/technologies/binder-jetting

Others

• https://www.lboro.ac.uk/research/amrg/about/the7categoriesofadditivemanufacturing/sheetlamination/
• https://newsonair.gov.in/isro-successfully-tests-new-liquid-rocket-engine-at-mahendragiri-in-tamil-nadu/
• https://frontiertech.niti.gov.in/story/ai-driven-3d-printing-robots-build-full-homes-in-30-days/
• https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2022161&reg=48&lang=2
• https://cdn.digitalindiacorporation.in/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/pdf5.pdf
• https://www.ugc.gov.in/pdfnews/8063467_Annexure--1-(NSAM).pdf

Additive Manufacturing in India

*****

PIB Research