New CMU centre to provide training in 3D printing
THE OFFERINGS of the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU) have been further diversified with the opening of the Dr Andrew Wheatley Centre for Digital Innovation and Advanced Manufacturing, which provides training in 3D printing.
Located at the university’s main campus at Palisadoes Park in Kingston, the centre is a state-of-the-art facility for additive manufacturing and digital prototyping.
Speaking during Wednesday’s launch, Professor Fritz Pinnock, president of CMU, said the centre was the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in the Caribbean.
He added that the centre would be used to help close the skills gap, thereby better enabling students to take full advantage of the opportunities that abound during this, the fourth Industrial Revolution.
RESEARCH HUB
“Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing, is a key area where we are seeing increased local and international demand. The centre will not just be a service provider, but a research hub for generating practical solutions for today’s and tomorrow’s manufacturing problems by bringing both students and industry practitioners together through technology,” Pinnock said.
Speaking at the launch, Wheatley said it was a distinct honour to lend his name to a facility that would undoubtedly transform Jamaica’s educational, technological and manufacturing landscapes and which is housed at an institution that is dear to his heart.
“Education is a remarkable force that can transform lives, change circumstances and improve communities and countries. As a long-time supporter of the CMU (formerly Caribbean Maritime Institute), I have seen at first hand the impact this institution has had, and continues to have on Jamaica. Through this centre, the CMU, will further cement its role as the premier institution for training in engineering and logistics within the region,” said Wheatley.