Additive Manufacturing in a Nutshell - A Crash Course for Decision Makers

Aim of the course

Additive Manufacturing (AM) holds enormous potential with its diverse technologies for numerous industries and application areas. Nevertheless, AM has not yet been sufficiently established in the industry. Instead, in many cases, traditional manufacturing methods continue to be favored. However, the continuous advancements in AM, whether in terms of the process (e.g., printing speed), the materials used, and more, make it increasingly important for companies to recognize and leverage the potentials of additive manufacturing.

During this tailor-made certificate course, designed and certified by two higher education institutions (Carinthia University of Applied Sciences in Austria and the Faculty of Polymer Technologies in Slovenia) in the frame of the Interreg Project ADDCIRCLES (this project is funded by the European Union; Interreg Slovenia – Austria SIAT00036), decision makers (e.g., senior researchers with 15+ years of experience, executives with technical background, production managers) will get the opportunity to learn what they need to know to decide about implementing or not novel AM solutions in their company. They will learn, through practical examples, the basics of existing technologies as well as their advantages and disadvantages and their costs of implementation and use.

They will be trained by renowned international experts from the industry and academia. During the course, they will also meet likeminded decision makers and become part of network of companies and academic institutions involved in AM at all levels, on both side of the SI-AT boarder.

 

Information & Contact

Completion
Certificate

Location

  • WOOD k Plus, Klagenfurter Straße 87-89, 9300 St. Veit an der Glan, Austria
  • GPS-Kärnten, Europastraße 9, 9524 Villach, Austria
  • CUAS, Europastraße 4, 9524 Villach, Austria
  • FTPO, Ozare 19, 2380 Slovenj Gradec, Slovenia

Duration
60-hour course (3 Modules)

Dates
Twice a month on Fridays, from October 2025 to March 2026

Language
English

Costs
Free of charge

Modules

Module 1 – The big switch to AM technologies. What you need to know!

The additive manufacturing world explained: markets, trends, technologies, and motivations behind adoption 
Use cases for agile technologies in comparison to traditional manufacturing methods 
Practical examples in research and from an industrial point of view
Excursion and networking event

Module 2 – Hands-on!

Design for AM
Introduction to metal AM - Theory & practical work at GPS
Introduction to polymer AM - Theory & practical work at FTPO

Module 3 – Functional design & emerging technologies in AM

Integration of sensors in AM structures: active and passive sensors 
Rapid prototyping in R&D 
Generative design and vibration issues in lightweight structures 
AM of fiber-reinforced materials & structures - Basics and hand´s on!
Multi-axis AM - Basics and hand´s on!
Funding & networking opportunities

Organisation & Timeplan

Organisation: In order to facilitate the participation of professionals, the course will be held every other Friday over a span of five months. To ensure the quality of the training, we will limit enrollment to a maximum of 15 participants.

Time Plan: October 2025 until March 2026

The dates are (approx. 9 a.m. to 3-5 p.m.):

  • October 3 / 17, 2025
  • November 7 / 28, 2025
  • January 9 / 23, 2026
  • February 6 / 20, 2026
  • March 6 / 20, 2026

TARGET GROUP & REGISTRATION

TARGET GROUP
Senior experts and/or decision makers from the industry (with technical background). Good English skills are required to participate.

Team

Dr. mont. Sandra Schulnig
CUAS - ADMiRE

+43 5 90500 2156
s.schulnig[at]fh-kaernten[dot]at

Europastraße 3a
9524 Villach
Austria

Maja Mešl
FTPO

+386 51 315 970
maja.mesl[at]ftpo[dot]eu

Ozare 19
2380 Slovenj Gradec
Slovenia

FH-Prof. Dr.-habil Pascal Nicolay
CUAS - CiSMAT 

+43 5 90500 2109
p.nicolay[at]fh-kaernten[dot]at

Europastraße 4
9524 Villach
Austria