It’s time to plan your trip to RAPID 2017.

Additive manufacturing has, since its beginning, forced new ways of thinking, designing and producing using new tools and ideas. That industry-wide disruption and its resulting advances in knowledge, technology and materials take the stage at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh for SME’s RAPID + TCT event, May 8-11. RAPID + TCT. Now in its 27th year, this conference is a leading forum for ideas and a showcase of technology in the still growing and ever-evolving world of 3D printing. Additive and advanced manufacturing industry leaders will headline keynote sessions of interest and use to all event attendees.

Digital manufacturing escalates

Now that digital manufacturing is poised to take over the industry, which jobs and industries will survive and which ones will be left behind? Mickey McManus, chairman and principal at MAYA Design and research fellow at Autodesk, kicks off the week with a keynote on digital manufacturing and how it’s changing and transforming the way we design, make and use things. McManus will explore how this trend will herald entirely new categories of work and business, and grow the need for skillsets in areas such as information technology, digital design, digital production management, supply chain management, big data, analytics and integration.

Brilliant factories produce

GE continues its leadership in the Digital Industrial movement. Engineers at the company are reimagining how products are designed, made and serviced in the new Brilliant Factories. Philippe Cochet, GE’s Chief Productivity Officer, will lead a keynote discussing on how the company is paving the way for next generation manufacturing, resulting in significant productivity gains. In his current role, Cochet works with the company’s industrial businesses to establish and deliver the best practices in operations, manufacturing, services, cost competitiveness and customer focus that make the sum of GE businesses greater than the individual parts.

Medical/biomedical applications expand

Medical/biomedical is one of the fastest growing application areas of additive manufacturing. Ramille Shah, PhD, assistant professor, Materials Science and Engineering, and assistant professor, Surgery (Transplant Division), Northwestern University, has developed an extensive range of tunable 3D printable biomedical material platforms. In her keynote, Shah will describe these developments and recent efforts to establish an in-hospital biomaterial 3D printing center. She will be joined by plastic and reconstructive surgeon, Sue Jordan, MD PhD, chief resident, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, to share some of their ongoing work and discuss its potential to improve and save lives.

Additive manufacturing moves forward

Industry expert Terry Wohlers, principal consultant and president, Wohlers Associates, Inc. discusses the continuing growth, expansion and advancement of the additive manufacturing and 3D printing industry. As patents continue to expire and new machine and material producers enter the business, choices are expanding significantly. Wohlers will explore the industry’s focus on applying additive manufacturing to production volumes—an area ripe for additional investment, innovation and large business opportunities.

SME

www.rapid3devent.com