RAPID + TCT 2024 may be a few months away, but several exhibitors are showing their latest technology to a different audience at the 2024 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
CES, produced annually by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is focused on consumer electronics and future advances in that space, and the list of exhibitors attending both CES and RAPID + TCT 2024 reflects the public’s growing interest in additive manufacturing technology, industrial 3D printing, and their increasing importance to producing consumer goods.
Creality, Flashforge, Goofoo and Formlabs will all be at both shows, reflecting the interest in each company’s additive manufacturing and desktop 3D printing solutions. The consumer 3D printing market continues to grow as home users take advantage of the flexibility the technology offers.
On an industrial scale, exhibitors like Jabil and Lincoln Electric will present their solutions for 3D printing, demonstrating how the technology is enhancing production of components, while SuNPe Prototype will show how the speed and flexibility of additive manufacturing can enhance the development stage of products.
Other exhibitors appearing at both shows include Altair, Constellium, Element Materials Solutions and Hamamatsu.
Machine learning and artificial intelligence are expected to dominate the conversation at this year’s CES, with many exhibitors presenting tools and services that leverage recent developments in AI.
The opportunities that AI can offer in the additive manufacturing space were highlighted at last year’s SME AM Summit. In particular, AI offers a solution for real-time process control to improve quality and minimize defects, crucial factors in the growth of additive manufacturing in the marketplace.
The AM Summit, held by SME with its AM Technical Communities, strategic organizational partners, RAPID + TCT Event Advisors and industry partners, gathered nearly 100 attendees representing over 45 businesses, universities, trade groups and manufacturing institutes. Participants collaborated to identify challenges and opportunities for AM in the marketplace. They highlighted the importance of investing in education and awareness of AM technologies to build a stronger workforce, encouraging knowledge sharing and industry collaboration to strengthen AM’s capabilities, while also providing evidence of the value that AM brings to justify incorporating it into future manufacturing plans.
Future advances in industrial 3D printing and additive manufacturing will continue to debut at North America’s largest additive manufacturing and industrial 3D printing event, RAPID + TCT. The 2024 edition of RAPID + TCT takes place June 25-27 in Los Angeles.