Additive manufacturing, a cutting-edge approach in the manufacturing sector, is redefining how products are designed, created, and brought to market. This technology, also known as 3D printing, is transforming various sectors by enabling the creation of complex structures that were once impossible to produce with traditional manufacturing methods. The continuous advancement of this field is pushing boundaries, driving innovation, and opening new avenues for industries ranging from healthcare to aerospace. As the industry matures, it plays a crucial role in addressing contemporary challenges such as resource scarcity, environmental impact, and the need for agile production systems.
Dr. Nesma Aboulkhair, a prominent figure in this transformative field, serves as the Director of Additive Manufacturing. She is recognized for her deep technical expertise and relentless passion for advancing the science and application of additive manufacturing. Dr. Nesma’s leadership is defined by her commitment to advancing technology and her ability to inspire and guide teams toward pioneering breakthroughs. Her work pushes the technical boundaries of additive manufacturing and focuses on mentoring the next generation of specialists, ensuring that the field continues to evolve and thrive.
At the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi, Dr. Nesma leads initiatives that bridge the gap between fundamental research and practical applications in additive manufacturing. Under her guidance, TII’s additive manufacturing division has become a hub for innovation, where cutting-edge technologies are developed and explored to meet the specific needs of industries. The company’s work in this area is helping solidify the UAE’s position as a leader in advanced manufacturing, contributing to the nation’s broader goals of technological advancement and economic diversification.
Let’s explore Dr. Nesma’s transformative journey in the manufacturing sector:
Leading Additive Manufacturing Innovations
Dr. Nesma is a mechanical engineer specializing in materials and manufacturing through training. Ever since she was a little kid, she has always been intrigued by how things are made. When she first started her PhD in 2012 at the University of Nottingham (UK), she was focused on natural fiber-reinforced composites until she sat in on a talk titled ‘Additive Manufacturing of Metals.’ The topic instantly caught her attention because she had never heard of this approach to manufacturing.
She was so intrigued that she decided to change her PhD topic to study this captivating, yet at the time undeveloped, manufacturing technology. She completed her PhD in additive manufacturing of aluminum alloys and then worked at the University on various other materials for a year or so. In 2017, she was awarded the prestigious Anne McLaren Fellowship to focus on a new metal drop-on-demand technology (MetalJet).
At the end of it, she became an Assistant Professor at the University where she enjoyed both the research aspect of additive manufacturing as well as teaching the new generations about the enormous opportunities it unfolds and passing on the inspiration. In 2021, she moved to the UAE to start and lead an additive manufacturing team at the Technology Innovation Institute (TII) in Abu Dhabi.
She is very proud of her journey discovering additive manufacturing and has been blessed to build a strong track record of scientific publications, funding, and keynotes at international conferences and reputable institutions.
Empowering Future Manufacturing Specialists
Dr. Nesma currently serves as the Director of the Additive Manufacturing Division at Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII). TII is a leading global R&D company dedicated to pushing the frontiers of knowledge and is part of the Emirate’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC), which oversees technology research in the capital.
From a technical perspective, she is responsible for leading the additive manufacturing activities within the company. These activities fall under four verticals: Processes, Materials, Design, and Digitization and Applications. It is important to note that their work bridges the gap between the fundamental science and the applied research for use cases that address specific pain points of a client or end user.
Together with her team, she has established a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing laboratory with facilities for manufacturing, post-processing, and characterization, which is now completed and fully operational. She works closely with key players in the UAE’s local industry, providing them with support and business solutions that meet their advanced manufacturing needs.
She also manages a team of researchers, empowering them to become additive manufacturing specialists and future pioneers in the field. Lastly, she is involved in a number of outreach activities to increase the public’s awareness about materials and manufacturing more broadly.
Building a Skilled and Complementary Team
According to Dr. Nesma, the additive manufacturing field is a constantly and rapidly evolving sector. To stay on top of it, one must be agile, responsive, and adaptable. Since she focuses on metal additive manufacturing, which is a very complex manufacturing process, several knowledge domains need to be nicely woven together to create a strong impact. This was her central approach when she first started the current team at TII.
She built a team of experts that have the right skills to complement each other so that they can have a powerful 360-degree view of their capabilities. She also intentionally recruited people who were more knowledgeable than she was in their respective domains so that they were constantly learning from each other and could blend their respective expertise and knowledge.
She strongly believes that being approachable as a leader is one of the most integral ingredients for success, so they operate in a very friendly environment, which does indeed bring out the best in everyone.
Promoting New Alloys in Additive Manufacturing
One challenge TII faces is limited talent in this particular field, i.e., finding the right people with exactly the right additive manufacturing skillset is quite challenging since it’s still an up-and-coming field. Of course, some domains in the field are easier to find talent in than others.
But generally, putting together the strong team at TII has now required a lot of searching and vetting. Dr. Nesma was lucky to have a strong network that was extremely helpful in building the right team.
She believes another obstacle is market resistance. Metal additive manufacturing in this part of the world is still not fully embraced despite the hype around it. Sometimes, TII is put in positions where key industry players are impressed by additive manufacturing, but when encouraged to adopt the technology, they become resistant. For example, they have done some remarkable work developing a new alloy for metal additive manufacturing (AMALLOY3D).
However, there is some resistance when it comes to replacing materials used for many years with a new material that isn’t common. To overcome this obstacle, TII is hosting a lot of show-and-tell events, like their annual Additive Manufacturing the Future seminar. TII started this series back in 2021, and it has been growing since. This year, TII is expanding it to a conference and exhibition, which will be held on the 7th and 8th of October.
Promoting Sustainability through Innovation
TII’s mission is to widen the adoption of additive manufacturing locally and contribute to advancing the field globally. This has a multi-faceted impact on society and is indeed aligned with the overall strategic goals of the company. Additive manufacturing is an advocate of sustainability as it ensures using only the resources necessary functionally and structurally, minimizing waste.
This, in turn, results in the sustainable use of the earth’s resources, securing a brighter and more resourceful future for generations to come. The benefits promised to various sectors are reflected in a myriad of applications, some of which are in everyday use. Improving these is guaranteed to improve quality of life, as can be seen in lighter electronic gadgets, custom prosthetics, security, and more.
In addition, TII is actively contributing to developing and empowering Emirati talent in the manufacturing sector. This will further enrich the UAE’s research community with the next generation of Emirati scientists, contributing to a knowledge-based economy and accelerating innovation aligned with the country’s vision.
Dr. Nesma believes additive manufacturing has created a paradigm shift in today’s business models across the globe in terms of decision speed, adaptability, agility, complexity, and inclusivity of technologies. The UAE is very focused on manufacturing nowadays as part of its strategy to diversify its economy.
From a national impact viewpoint, bridging this gap and widening the adoption of additive manufacturing will further strengthen the UAE’s position and enhance the global competitive capability of local industries. Additive manufacturing adoption will also enable manufacturing independence, or, in other words, self-sufficiency, and enrich the manufacturing ecosystem.
Sharing Knowledge and Learning Together
Dr. Nesma finds the easiest part of her job to be managing and motivating her team to achieve their best in a rapidly evolving industry like additive manufacturing. This is because her team was carefully selected and handpicked. The team is great and vibrant; she considers herself very lucky to be working with them.
They are all very passionate about additive manufacturing and absolutely devoted to their roles in the company. They work together collaboratively and without boundaries. Everyone is quite approachable, and they omit bureaucracy from their ways of working, which makes all the difference.
They get together frequently to share new findings so that they are always learning from each other. She is very thankful to them all for always going above and beyond to push past the limits of additive manufacturing.
Harnessing the Best Through Collective Leadership
Dr. Nesma believes it is essential to have a flexible mindset to cope with the market resistance that one may face at some point. Additive manufacturing, while up and coming, is still new to many. It is also evolving so fast that it remains new in a way with each development.
This is quite hard for the audience to accept, and this is where flexibility will be key. It is also important to recognize that this is not a one-person job and that, to get it right, cooperation and collaboration are necessary. The field is too vast for just one person or entity to cover, but if leaders in the field join forces, then together they will harness the best of what additive manufacturing has to offer, she states.
She is a fan of breadth of knowledge over depth, but she recognizes the importance of working with those who master the depth. In her view, this is another important aspect of the knowledge required for an emerging leader in this field, as there are many interconnected domains that can serve the progression of the field.
Enhancing Efficiency and Reducing Environmental Impact
Dr. Nesma’s primary goal is to continue driving innovation and sustainability within the industry. She is keen to lead initiatives that push the boundaries of what additive manufacturing can achieve, particularly in the areas of new materials development and complex, high-performance applications.
Her vision is to not only enhance the efficiency and quality of additive manufacturing but also reduce its environmental impact. To achieve these goals, she will focus on continuous learning, collaborative innovation, sustainability, and mentorship. The last one is very dear to her heart. She spent years at the University as a researcher and academic, where she started the nucleus of a team of researchers and PhD students.
Today, she is very proud to see her former students excelling in various additive manufacturing industries. She will continue to teach and mentor, just in a different setting, and expand her mentorship of the next generation of engineers and innovators. By sharing her expertise and experiences, she hopes to inspire others to explore and contribute to the field of additive manufacturing.
