New event for additive manufacturing/3D printing event to debut this fall

Forecasts show that 3D printers will increasingly be used to directly manufacture production parts and finished goods.
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2014-03-28

Toronto Canada's fastest-growing manufacturing sector will get a boost this fall when Rapid Canada, the country's first comprehensive additive manufacturing/3D printing tradeshow and conference makes its debut in Toronto. SME announced today that the Rapid conference and exhibition will come to Canada as an additive manufacturing/3D printing pavilion that will be featured from September 23-24 at The International Centre as part of Advanced Manufacturing Expo (AMExpo), which launched in 2000. The Rapid conference and exhibition has been serving the global marketplace from its base in the US for more than two decades, experiencing exponential growth over the last several years. The introduction of Rapid Canada is a direct response to market demand, said Nick Samain, SME group manager, adding that the market for additive manufacturing and 3D printing is expected to double by 2015. Some people are calling 3D printing technologies the Third Industrial Revolution, the biggest thing since the Internet. Samain points to a report by industry consulting firm Wohlers Associates that forecasts double-digit growth for the 3D printing market over the next several years. By 2017, Wohlers Associates believes that the sale of 3D-printing products and services will approach $6 billion worldwide. By 2021, it expects the industry to reach $10.8 billion. According to Wohlers Associates, it took the 3D printing industry 20 years to reach $1 billion in size and only five years later, the industry generated its second $1 billion. The firm expects it to double again, to $4 billion, in 2015. Forecasts show that 3D printers will increasingly be used to directly manufacture production parts and finished goods, Samain said. Rapid Canada will serve to expand SME's authority on additive manufacturing/3D printing into the Canadian market, Samain explained, emphasizing that it was SME that has been the additive manufacturing industry leader and authority figure for nearly 25 years, and launched the Rapid trade show and conference in 1994. Today, the Rapid brand is the additive manufacturing industry's longest-running event, filling an important gap in the sector, he said. Additive manufacturing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing with applications in architecture, construction (AEC), industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewellery, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields. Most manufacturing companies today use 3D printing to create prototypes, Samain said, offering insight into the double-digit industry growth. The new technologies are essential for manufacturers to cut costs and speed up production processes compared to traditional prototype manufacturing practices. Further, they simplify legacy parts production and, coupled with advanced materials, they enable novel designs of unparalleled performance.

According to SME, Rapid Canada will provide a leading platform for decision makers, design, production and quality engineers, to interact with the latest world-class technologies and gain a competitive edge. Geared towards delivering high-productivity solutions to enhance manufacturing performance, efficiency and quality, the show will also provide insight from experts on current industry challenges, best practices and trends. Targeted at both industry veterans as well as those looking to enter the 3D printing market, Rapid Canada will feature such technologies as model making, compression and injection moulding, mould, tool and die design, CAD/CAE/CAM, castings, and pattern making, among many others, while extending/widening the scope (or expanding the toolbox) to include various additive manufacturing methods and processes. AMExpo is a showcase of world -lass advanced manufacturing technologies. In addition to Rapid Canada, the fall 2014 event will also feature the Medical Manufacturing Innovations (MMI) Series the go-to platform for manufacturers to explore and share solutions in medical device manufacturing processes and technologies.