After a successful first day of RAPID + TCT 2021, the passion and excitement for additive manufacturing (AM) amongst attendees and exhibitors remained strong heading into day two. Here’s your recap of what happened at the conference today.
Day 2 Keynote Presentation
After a warm welcome from SME COO Steve Prahalis—during which he showed a video hyping RAPID + TCT 2022 in Detroit—the second keynote speaker of the conference, Terry Wohlers, took the Main Stage.
A staple figure within the AM community for nearly three decades, Terry Wohlers—principal of Wohlers Associates and author of the annual Wohlers Report—focused his presentation on industry expansion and the pandemic. He relayed several illuminating data points, including:
- The AM market grew to $12.8B in 2020—a 7.5% increase from 2019—but still comprises just 0.1% of the world manufacturing economy.
- More than a dozen AM IPOs in the last 12 months.
- A “conservative” forecast that AM will grow to $18B by next year, and to $115B by 2030.
After regaling the audience with numbers, Wohlers discussed some of the industry’s challenges and obstacles—including product pricing, processing speeds, understanding of design for AM (DfAM), supply chain development, adoption of standards, talent development and more.
In closing, he stated that as more organizations ramp up innovation, competition, new methodology and forward-looking processes, AM remains strongly positioned for a bright and successful future.
Stories From the Floor
Yesterday, we remarked on several new innovations being showcased on the RAPID + TCT 2021 exhibition floor this year. Today, we’re continuing to highlight organizations that are molding the future of the AM and 3D printing industry.
3D Systems | Booth E7601
3D Systems continues to drive new levels of speed, efficiency and precision at lower cost for a range of biomedical applications—including surgical planning, implants, instrumentation, dental solutions and more.
Stratasys | Booth E8201
Every 3D printer showcased at the Stratasys booth is new since the last RAPID + TCT event—demonstrating the organization’s commitment to industry innovation and acceleration.
Markforged | Booth E7207
At RAPID + TCT 2021, Markforged released their Eiger Fleet—a cloud-based software solution designed to accelerate the adoption of AM operations at scale through a secure, centralized source of control.
Inkbit | Booth E7004
Inkbit is enabling industrial-scale AM through InkBit Vista—the only AM system with integrated 3D machine vision to enable real-time, voxel-level feedback control.
nTopology | Booth E6901
nTopology’s next-generation engineering design software seamlessly combines synthesized geometry and simulation results into finely tuned manufacturing models—helping engineers create lightweight and optimized parts with their functional requirements built right in.
Attendees who were enthralled by the RAPID + TCT 2021 exhibit floor and missed their educational sessions will be pleased to know that several of them were recorded and able to be viewed through the RAPID + TCT LIVE! Digital Experience & Event App. Download it now and enjoy live and exclusive digital content at your convenience.