Additive Manufacturing: MeitY's NSAM Moves to NSAM 2.0 Phase

Additive Manufacturing (AM), the family of 3D printing methods that build an object layer by layer from a digital file, is the subject of a backgrounder put out by the Press Information Bureau on 7 October 2026. The note sets out how India is building an AM ecosystem and what the next phase, called NSAM 2.0, will aim at.

The strategy and its targets

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) brought out the National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing (NSAM) in February 2022 as the guiding policy framework for 3D printing in the country. It is aligned with Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat and carries time-bound goals: a 5 per cent slice of the world AM market, close to one billion US dollars added to national income, 50 technologies designed for Indian needs, 100 fresh start-ups, 500 new products, one lakh trained workers and AM capability across 10 manufacturing sectors. Seven specialised Development and Deployment Centres anchor research, skilling and hands-on access to machines.

Progress so far

Four years on, the government counts more than 1,54,000 persons trained in AM-related skills and 56 AM start-ups supported. The national centres have delivered 65 India-specific technologies covering materials, machines, Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) and printed products, which in turn feed aerospace, medical devices, electronics, energy, food processing and photonics.

Where AM is already working

In space, the IIT Madras-incubated start-up Agnikul Cosmos flew Agnibaan-SOrTeD in May 2024 with a single-piece, AM-printed semi-cryogenic engine. In defence, the Indian Army opened its first AM-printed two-storey dwelling unit at Ahmedabad, raised in just 12 weeks, and has taken the method to precast defences in terrain such as Ladakh. In health, the Technology Development Board is backing 3D-printed bone grafts made from indigenous bioceramic materials, while the start-up OsteoForge prints silk-based implants. In electronics, IISc has shown Photonic Integrated Circuit blocks made by AM, a global first. In construction, the Kelvin 6K Pro on-site printer has built 2,500 sq ft homes in under 30 days using low-carbon geopolymer, pointing to 30 per cent lower material and logistics cost and 90 per cent lower emissions than cement-based work.

Market size and NSAM 2.0

The world market for AM machines is projected at 149 billion US dollars by 2035, while the AM-electronics supply chain is seen growing from 18 billion to 112 billion US dollars. NSAM 2.0 proposes faster creation of intellectual property, an AM network tied together digitally, cheaper machines and materials through clusters, wider support to Indian defence, pilots driven by the Sustainable Development Goals, and cooperation abroad on standards and joint research. MeitY held the second National Additive Manufacturing Symposium (NAMS) on 13 March 2026 in New Delhi. The second Emerging Science, Technology and Innovation Conclave, ESTIC-2026, runs from 27 to 29 October 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, organised by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research on the theme 'Creative Minds, Catalyzing Science, Empowering Technologies' across 12 thematic areas. At school level, each Atal Tinkering Lab gets a grant of 20 lakh rupees for a 1,200 to 1,500 sq ft innovation space fitted with 3D printers, robotics and IoT kits for students of Classes VI to XII.