The OPENHYBRID project will overcome the technical and commercial barriers of current hybrid manufacturing systems to deliver a single manufacturing system capable of undertaking a wider range of processes in a seamless automated operation. The new system will offer unrivalled flexibility in terms of materials, including the ability to switch between powder and wire feed-stock within a single part. Moreover the process can be fitted to a diverse range of platform to produce parts from 2cm to 20m in length. The capability of the OPENHYBRID approach will be validated through the production of industrial demonstrators from the power generation, automotive and mining equipment sectors

Individualised production is an emerging trend in manufacturing. Laser-based Additive Manufacturing (LBAM) fits well with this trend, due to its capability of transforming digital designs directly into physical products. LBAM is not yet competitive for a widespread industrial adoption: post-processing operations are necessary and they are not currently integrated, human intervention is needed to overcome technology gaps, and a poor integration with production planning systems hinders process traceability and resource optimisation. HyProCell proposes the combination of available cutting-edge LBAM machines and ICT innovations within an integrated multiprocess production cell, which will include at least LBAM and subtractive manufacturing machine/s, in order to ensure a fully finished product from the incoming raw material. The general objective of HyProCell is to implement and validate this concept in real settings, manufacturing real parts and measuring obtained benefits. HyProCell is expected to produce a sound impact on all the stakeholders of LBAM-related industry: - Making feasible a demand-driven LBAM production process supported on fast manufacturing procedure development capacities; - Creating highly automated and integrated multiprocess production cells, thus reducing dramatically downtime. - Enabling the rapid reconfiguration of the production cells, for scalability and/or new product demands, thanks to their modular architecture. - Fully enabling end-users to address new production trends. Relevant technological impacts are expected on hardware and software levels. A well-balanced consortium representing from machine manufacturers and end-users to Photonics experts, industrial automation specialist, ICT for smart manufacturing providers and technical services assures to meet project goals. Heavy involvement of SMEs (50% of the budget) guarantees an outstanding innovation push.