IceSL obtains an ERC Proof of Concept grant
Date:
Changed on 12/07/2023
After 4 years of work, Sylvain Lefebvre and his Shapeforge project have obtained a European Research Council grant to launch the pre-market phase of the IceSL software. The software is designed to simplify object modelling with a view to 3D printing.
By awarding a Proof of Concept grant to the IceSL software the European Research Council jury will enable Sylvain and his team to initiate the pre-market phase and thus open the way to applying the technology in an industrial environment. Sylvain Lefebvre will now be able to recruit an engineer to carry out case studies with manufacturers.
The goal is to make this software, which for the moment is a research project, functionally operational in different economic sectors.
The European Research Council has recognized that IceSL – a software application that simplifies the modelling of objects in order to print them in 3D – offers innovations that are likely to be of considerable economic interest. “The application presents a large number of advantages”, explains Sylvain Lefebvre. "Technically, its approach is very different from other existing applications. We can model very complex objects, without using overly large quantities of data.” Going forward he sees applications not only in the medical field, in particular for the modelling of prostheses, but also in mechanical engineering and design (automobile production, aeronautics).
The engineer that we wish to engage will allow us to finalise the software and identify its limits with our industrial partners. This will give us a very detailed plan of the problems we need to resolve.
The ERC grant will also be used to iron out certain legal and commercial aspects of the transfer to manufacturing industry.