Fabricators, industry and academia: the technology transfer challenge

Automated fabrication is a cornerstone of the revolution in manufacturing technology. The ever-increasing number of machines and the widening variety of applications both state that the technology is here to stay. But, there are still many lessons to be learnt before we are faced with a mature, stable and fully integrated technology. Industry uses automated fabricators to gain a market advantage. Eventually they will be used in order to avoid being left behind. The role of academia is to guide industry through these developmental stages and to ensure the transition to maturity is smooth. It is important to analyse the roles of industry and academia in supporting this new technology. There are a number of strategies for gaining industrial acceptance and the experience of the University of Hong Kong and other institutions in Hong Kong, in liaison with local industry, may help future technology transfer programmes