INOV.AM is a multidisciplinary project aimed at developing and disseminating technologies and materials for additive manufacturing within Portuguese industry, enabling the production of customised, high-value products. The project brings together 72 entities, 61 of which are companies. Funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), with a total investment of €76 million, this agenda is organised into 24 work packages (WPs) with the goal of developing 40 new products and systems.

Researchers at LiDA apply design methodologies to strategically develop products and prototypes that explore the potential of digital technologies and additive manufacturing, participating in nine WPs.

The project stems from a long-term collaboration between LiDA’s product design team and CDRSP engineering, highlighting the benefits of interdisciplinary cooperation through several prototypes that demonstrate the potential of digitalisation for more inclusive and sustainable industrialisation approaches. These prototypes include mobility products; an integrated system for the design and manufacturing of orthotics and other personalised medical devices; housing solutions using large-scale 3D-printed cementitious materials; and product design for new materials and processes, such as 3D-printed wood veneer products formed from digitally fabricated moulds.

INOV.AM fosters new approaches to industrial design and promotes sustainable production and consumption, advancing design practices in digital innovation and industrial sustainability.

WP13 – Laam.Composite and WP20 – Conformal.Wood

In the field of high-performance components, polymer matrix materials reinforced with continuous fibres have emerged to increase structural strength while enabling greater formal complexity. The INOV.AM project addresses these needs by developing a pin-bed system—an adjustable printing surface—on which panels with complex geometries can be produced through the deposition of continuous fibre tapes.

The development of this pin-bed with independent actuators enables printing on non-planar surfaces, following the geometry of the part along its vertical axis and minimising the need for support structures in overhanging geometries. The resulting panels and objects are highly customised, enabling applications such as façades, interior cladding, and other solutions that explore organic forms.

WP15 – OrthoScan3D

This work package aims to develop customised technical cushions and orthotics designed to protect parts of the body in situations of physical weakness or disability. The customisation of medical devices through body scanning improves their effectiveness in supporting or restricting movement, ensuring precise adaptation to the patient’s anatomy.

Additionally, the integration of multiple materials reduces weight and thickness, increases breathability, and provides controlled flexibility. Although additive manufacturing systems are well suited for customisation, their application in the Portuguese healthcare sector remains limited. Integrating these technologies is therefore essential to transform both the technical possibilities of these products and their production processes.

WP16 – AM.Ceramic

This work package is developing highly resilient, low-maintenance green façades aimed at improving passive cooling in buildings and enhancing carbon capture in urban environments, advancing a new way of bringing  vegetation into cities.

These façade modules are produced using an infinite Z-axis 3D printer, allowing the fabrication of large-scale panels in a ceramic material incorporating 40% stone powder—an industrial by-product from the stone cutting and machining industry used in construction. The project leverages this innovative material, which, due to its high porosity, demonstrates excellent biocompatibility with native plant species that naturally grow in Portugal on vertical stone surfaces.

WP17 – FABCeram3D

In this work package, LiDA’s efforts focus on developing cladding panels that optimise building thermal performance by integrating passive ventilation strategies into their design. The adoption of ceramic 3D printing technologies streamlines production processes while significantly reducing material waste.

To increase speed and further enhance 3D printing productive capacity, the project explored innovative clay compositions, introducing new refined finishing techniques and machine configurations.

WP19 – Rein4Concrete

This work package employs hybrid construction technologies and specialised robotic systems to create large-scale cementitious mortar modules offering significant formal freedom and innovative design potential.

A small housing unit, approximately 30 m² in size, was developed to test the feasibility of using concrete 3D printing for more sustainable construction, while incorporating qualities associated with traditional modular manufacturing and materials developed within the project.

Inorganic industrial waste has been incorporated into the raw materials used to manufacture the modules, promoting a circular economy approach. The entire project operates within a digital ecosystem that enables the design, planning, monitoring, and control of the different phases of construction and manufacturing processes.