Researchers who design parts for rocket ships are looking to help Abu Dhabi become a manufacturing-on-demand hub for major industries like aerospace and energy.
Three-dimensional printing was meant to revolutionise how we made things.
However, over three decades of development, it has not quite caught on — you didn't print your last pair of running shoes from a tabletop machine in your home.
While consumer-facing 3D printing, or additive printing, is likely to remain the stuff of science fiction for some time, its use in modern supply chains is now mainstream.
The manufacturing landscape in the UAE is relatively young comparatively
Nesma Aboulkhair,
Technology Innovation Institute
"Most consumer products, sporting goods, automobiles and aeroplanes have benefited from additive manufacturing at some point in their design and production lifecycle," according to the Wohler's Report, a research publication that has been tracking the industry for the last 28 years.
For example, Boeing uses 3D-printed parts in commercial jet engines manufactured by GE. And if you've driven a Dodge Challenger Hellcat, you've used a 3D-printed rotor to brake.
The 3D printing process reduced the weight of the part by more than half and improved how it handled heat, making it a better performer than a traditionally made cast-iron piece, according to Wohler's.
In Abu Dhabi, a team of seven researchers is working to get a place at the table, which has long been dominated by the US, Germany, the UK and China.
Their work at the additive manufacturing lab at the Technology Innovation Institute, a government-backed entity for applied research, is focused on identifying applications for the local market.
They are also expanding the available library of materials and metals used by 3D printers, identifying mixtures of metallic powders to create high-performing metals that are good heat conductors, strong and lighter weight.
Rocket parts
Down the hall from the additive manufacturing lab at TII is the propulsions and space research centre.
"They work on the design of rocket engines and the rocket parts, then they talk to us," Nesma Aboulkhair, head of the additive manufacturing lab, told The National.
In traditional manufacturing, a rocket engine part may be three separate pieces, she said. But by using their 3D-printing machines and improving their ability to print using multiple materials, Ms Aboulkhair's team are developing a way to print the part as a single piece.
The machines they use are open-source platforms imported from Germany, equipped with sensors and monitors to capture data that helps the team develop better compounds.
"You can print the whole thing in one go ... no fasteners or screws," she said, adding that this capability changes the conversation.
"We push them [propulsions and space research centre] to design for performance, rather than design for manufacturing."
For now, their work is all prototyping, that is building a preliminary model for how something might be made in the future.
Print on demand
Over time, a commercialisation arm of the institute will work with its research labs to identify potential customers in aviation, aerospace, healthcare and energy to bring their best functional devices beyond the prototype to market.
"Let's say that BMW releases a new car, " she added, "they don't have to have spare parts for the next five to 10 years in stock to make sure that they covered the customers for the foreseeable future. All they need is to store a digital inventory of all the spare parts they need and print them on demand.
"That's the vision that we're going for, we want the factory of the future to be manufacturing-on-demand."
No tools are needed for this kind of manufacturing, things can be made one at a time and costs are fixed, making on-demand manufacturing a very competitive way to make things, according to Thierry Rayna, a professor at Ecole Polytechnique in Paris who studies additive manufacturing.
He predicts that once data collection and internet-enabled devices become more ubiquitous, 3D-printed objects "will thus cease to be a niche technology".
"It will then be possible to print a large number of objects ... for which customisation will be fine-tuned and automatic, with real added value," he added.
This capability will allow the UAE to become a more self-sufficient manufacturing hub.
"The manufacturing landscape in the UAE is relatively young comparatively," Ms Aboulkhair said.
She sees 3D printing as allowing the country to leapfrog others.
"We saw in the Covid-19 lockdown that if you didn't manufacture your own things, you were just stuck, because the whole world came to a stop," she added. "So you couldn't get any products or spare parts.
"Whereas the country that was a manufacturer was the one that was self-sufficient. And that's when governments started to realise how additive manufacturing can be empowering and a key enabler."
The institute's research lab dovetails with Abu Dhabi’s industrial strategy, a 10-year plan that aims to double the sector’s GDP contribution by 2031, increasing development in infrastructure, bringing down operational costs and improving regulations and access to financing.
The "Make it in the Emirates" campaign encourages local and international investors to manufacture and export products from the UAE.
Additive manufacturing still has hurdles in order to scale, such as a lack of global standards and the high start-up costs to enter the space.
It's also still time-consuming. At the institute, a small rocket engine prototype part about 13cm in height takes 24 hours to print.
But analysts say the pandemic reignited interest in on-demand manufacturing, and governments, including the UAE's, are doubling down on making progress.
"It's a complete paradigm shift," Ms Aboulkhair said, and her team are working to accelerate the change.
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
The specs: 2018 Jaguar F-Type Convertible
Price, base / as tested: Dh283,080 / Dh318,465
Engine: 2.0-litre inline four-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 295hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm @ 1,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.2L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
MATCH INFO
Pakistan 106-8 (20 ovs)
Iftikhar 45, Richardson 3-18
Australia 109-0 (11.5 ovs)
Warner 48 no, Finch 52 no
Australia win series 2-0
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Essentials
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Delhi from about Dh950 return including taxes.
The hotels
Double rooms at Tijara Fort-Palace cost from 6,670 rupees (Dh377), including breakfast.
Doubles at Fort Bishangarh cost from 29,030 rupees (Dh1,641), including breakfast. Doubles at Narendra Bhawan cost from 15,360 rupees (Dh869). Doubles at Chanoud Garh cost from 19,840 rupees (Dh1,122), full board. Doubles at Fort Begu cost from 10,000 rupees (Dh565), including breakfast.
The tours
Amar Grover travelled with Wild Frontiers. A tailor-made, nine-day itinerary via New Delhi, with one night in Tijara and two nights in each of the remaining properties, including car/driver, costs from £1,445 (Dh6,968) per person.
UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Honeymoonish
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