From the Director

From the Director

Additive Manufacturing technologies are among today’s strategic technologies due to the design freedom they offer, their efficient use of materials, their ability to produce complex geometries, and their potential to enable high value-added product development. Playing an important role in the transformation of advanced manufacturing systems worldwide, these technologies have also become an increasingly critical field of research and application for industry, universities, and research centres in Türkiye.

Gazi University Additive Manufacturing Technology Application and Research Centre was established in response to this strategic need and has been structured as one of Türkiye’s leading research infrastructures in the field of Additive Manufacturing. EKTAM operates not merely as a centre with manufacturing capability, but as an integrated research and application centre that holistically addresses material development, metal powder production, powder characterisation, feedstock development, process design, manufacturing, post-processing, characterisation, mechanical testing, validation, and digital manufacturing approaches.

The organisational structure of our Centre has been developed to support the entire Additive Manufacturing value chain. Within this framework, EKTAM’s core competence areas include powder production and characterisation, research and innovation activities, Additive Manufacturing and process development, post-processing and qualification processes, industrial applications and prototyping, as well as international collaborations and training activities. This structure enables the comprehensive management of all stages from a material or product concept at laboratory scale to its preparation for industrial application and validation processes.

EKTAM’s infrastructure has been developed through a multidisciplinary approach to support different stages of advanced manufacturing technologies. Our Centre is equipped with complementary infrastructures that support Additive Manufacturing processes, including post-processing operations, Hot Isostatic Pressing (HIP), machining, micro-computed tomography, material characterisation, mechanical testing, simulation, and digital manufacturing technologies. Through this integrated structure, it becomes possible not only to manufacture parts, but also to evaluate, improve, validate, and prepare their performance for industrial applications.

National and international projects, industrial collaborations, and research platforms have played an important role in the development of EKTAM. In the new period, our Centre aims to transform the institutional experience it has built to date into a more focused, more accessible, and higher-impact structure. Located within the TeknoHAB Technology Development Zone, EKTAM serves as a strong bridge between academic research and industrial needs, developing high value-added solutions in critical sectors including defence, aerospace, energy, biomedical applications, and advanced manufacturing.

In the coming period, our aim is to further advance Türkiye’s scientific, technological, and industrial capabilities in Additive Manufacturing technologies; to contribute to the development of domestic and national advanced manufacturing technologies; to establish stronger links with the international research ecosystem; and to enhance Türkiye’s competitiveness in this field. With its integrated infrastructure, interdisciplinary research approach, and close collaboration model with industry, EKTAM will continue its activities with the objective of becoming a centre that shapes the manufacturing technologies of the future.

Prof. Dr. Tuncay KARAÇAY
Director