DEMAT GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) and Wohlers Associates, Inc. have announced the 12th annual international Wohlers conference to be held at EuroMold 2010 in Frankfurt, Germany. This year’s conference, titled The Business Impact of Additive Manufacturing, is on Friday, December 3. The EuroMold trade fair is December 1-4 at the Exhibition Center Frankfurt.

Past conferences have concentrated on the latest developments and trends in rapid product development and additive manufacturing (AM). This year’s event will examine the business issues surrounding AM technology adoption and how they are influencing strategic decisions in aerospace, defense, medical, dental, automotive, motor sports, consumer, and other industries. Advances in the technology for part production applications are creating:

–new prospects for economic development
–new ideas for products, businesses, and business models
–new methods of processing complex and high-value parts and assemblies
–new approaches to making light-weight structures
–new ways of combining additive manufacturing with conventional processes
–new educational and research platforms

The conference will feature nine speakers from Australia, Germany, Israel, and the USA. Together, these individuals represent vast knowledge and experience. They have been asked to share what they see as the most important business challenges, issues, and opportunities in applying AM technology to production applications.

Last year, 1,354 exhibitors from 37 countries and 56,372 engineers, managers, and executives from 86 countries participated in EuroMold. Those in attendance represented a range of industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, medical, aerospace, packaging, household appliances, furniture, sporting goods, and toys.

DEMAT organizes some of the most successful trade fairs in Europe and around the world. Wohlers Associates is an independent consulting firm that provides technical, marketing, and strategic advice on the new developments and trends in rapid product development and additive manufacturing.

Conference Program

The December 3, 2010 international conference at EuroMold will feature the following topics and speakers. The complete conference program and other details are at http://euromold.com/index.php?id=115&l=1.

Welcome Address

Dr. Eberhard Döring, Chief Executive Officer

DEMAT GmbH (Germany)

Keynote: Cracking the Code of Mass Customization

Dr. Frank Piller, Co-director of the MIT Smart Customization Group, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (USA)

Professor of Technology and Innovation Management, RWTH Aachen (Germany)

It’s Game-Changing Technology, So Don’t Drop the Ball

Mr. Simon Marriott, Managing Director

Formero Pty Ltd (Australia)

 

Intellectual Property in Additive Manufacturing

Mr. Willam J. Cass, Partner

Cantor Colburn LLP (USA)

 

Delivering Dental Implants Across the Internet

Mr. Joseph Kowen, CEO

iDent Imaging (Israel)

 

Additive Manufacturing: The Bridge to Production

Mr. Michael Siemer, President

Mydea Technologies Corp. (USA)

 

The Economy of AM Industry Standards

Mr. Ken Patton, Executive Director

National Center for Rapid Technologies (USA)

 

Influencing Strategic Decisions in Aerospace

Mr. Orval M. “Jack” Nobles, Principal Investigator and Design Engineer

The Boeing Company (USA)

 

Designed for Success

Mr. Chris Glock, Program Manager

On Demand Manufacturing (USA)

 

The Emergence of New Businesses from AM

Mr. Terry Wohlers, Principal Consultant and President

Wohlers Associates, Inc. (USA)