Technology and IIoT

Best of RAPID 2014 [SLIDESHOW]

June 16, 2014

3-D printing finally breaks into real, hardcore manufacturing at SME's 21st annual RAPID conference and expo.

Last week, 3,500 3-D printing engineers, enthusiasts, innovators and users gathered in Detroit's Cobo Center to help celebrate SME's 21st annual additive manufacturing blowout: the RAPID Conference and Expo.

This year's show boasted a 40% increase in attendance from last year with an approximate 30% increase in exhibitor space.

But this year's show was something much more than just bigger: This year, 3-D printing at RAPID finally broke out of its prototyping namesake to fully embrace hardcore manufacturing.

Along with the plastic printers we've come to expect at the show, the rows were rife with metal printers and powder suppliers, hybrid machine and software solutions -- big, Industrial equipment for a suddenly big, industrial show.

At times, RAPID felt more like IMTS than a 3-D print show, with aisles filled not with geeky futurists, but industrial-minded engineers looking for industrial grade equipment.

Finally, after 31 years of development, 3-D printing was treated as an industrial tool that can cut costs, improve efficiency and boost quality, not just a fancy toy.

That means good things to come.

About the Author

Travis M. Hessman | Editor-in-Chief

Travis Hessman is the editor-in-chief and senior content director for IndustryWeek and New Equipment Digest. He began his career as an intern at IndustryWeek in 2001 and later served as IW's technology and innovation editor. Today, he combines his experience as an educator, a writer, and a journalist to help address some of the most significant challenges in the manufacturing industry, with a particular focus on leadership, training, and the technologies of smart manufacturing.