1996 - 2008
Founded in the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland)
- The foundation of the RPD Institute (Rapid Product Development) is based on an initiative of the St. Gallen Intercantonal Engineering School (ISG). The defined focus of the newly established institute was research and development in the field of additive manufacturing technologies. (1996)
- Five years later, the Institute RPD moves to the University of Applied Sciences St. Gallen (FHS), which in 2001 emerged from a merger of the St. Gallen Intercantonal Engineering School (ISG), the Higher School of Economics and Management (HWV) and the Higher Secondary School for Social Work and Social Education (HFS). (2001)
- By cleaning up the landscape of the Advanced Technical College in Switzerland, the RPD Institute was taken over by the ETH Zurich or the inspire AG and given the abbreviation "irpd". As a strategic partner of ETH Zurich, inspire AG is the leading Swiss competence center for technology transfer to the MEM industry. (2008)
2009 - today
IRPD becomes part of UNITED GRINDING Group
- Acquisition of services by means of a joint venture with the UNITED GRINDING Group. Creation of Irpd AG as a competence centre for additive manufacturing of the UNITED GRINDING Group with a focus on innovative manufacturing processes, in particular Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), Selective Laser Melting (SLM) and 3D Pressure (3DP). (2015)
- As a result of the further expansion of production capacities, the IRPD will move into the new office and production rooms in December 2016 in the innovative and dynamic environment of the Startfeld company, a leading technology incubator in Eastern Switzerland. (2016)
- UNITED GRINDING Group becomes the sole shareholder of Irpd AG (2019)