Keynote Speaker Lineup Announced for RAPID + TCT 2023

RAPID + TCT 2023, a large North America-based additive manufacturing event, returns to Chicago’s McCormick Place, May 2-4 this year. Each day will kick off with a keynote speaker presentation featuring leading experts and iconic innovators in AM covering topics like AM applications in space, scaling digital manufacturing spaces, and a panel discussion taking a closer look at AM’s challenges and what the future holds. 

The 3-day event will convene thousands of AM experts and students world, feature hundreds of exhibitors, as well as two thought-leadership panels across industries that include healthcare, automotive, aerospace and defense.

“AM’s growth has been exponential, and we know we’ve only begun to scratch the surface to unlocking the potential of how AM and its advancements will change the world,” says Robert Willig, executive director and CEO of SME. “Additive has been ingrained in me over many years, and I’m astonished at the content that our powerhouse lineup of speakers and experts will be bringing to RAPID + TCT this year.”

Visionary keynote speakers and topics include:

•  Building and Scaling an Industrial Digital Manufacturing System, Tuesday, May 2: Kevin Czinger founder, lead inventor and CEO of Divergent Technologies, will discuss the architecture, elements and benefits of the Divergent Adaptive System, and the business model for localizing sustainable manufacturing on a global scale. 
• Additive Manufacture for Space: Past, Present, Future, Wednesday, May 3: Omar Mireles, Ph.D., additive manufacturing research and development engineer at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, will discuss how AM enables tech, decreases costs of rocket engine manufacturing, increases design flexibility, provides access to new materials and more.
• AM Industry Outlook: Opportunities and Challenges, Thursday, May 4: Terry Wohlers, head of Advisory Services and Market Intelligence, ASTM International; Robert ‘Bob’ Willig, executive director and CEO of SME; and Chris Ciuca, vice president of Programs at SAE International will join the winner of the AM Industry Achievement Award, to be announced during the event, for a panel discussion discussing challenges and opportunities in AM.

“The impact of AM worldwide is truly astounding,” Wohlers says. “Advancements in products and services, coupled with how organizations are putting AM to work, are disrupting the way people think about design and manufacturing. It is a privilege to share my thoughts and experiences at RAPID + TCT 2023 and to weigh in on where the AM industry is headed.”

In addition to keynote presentations, RAPID + TCT 2023 will feature almost 170 technical presentations, evaluated and selected by a team of experts, covering AM trends across industries including healthcare, aerospace, defense, automotive, design for additive manufacturing, economics, R&D, supply chains, metrology and more. Topics range from tips on getting started with large-format 3D printing in consumer-goods industries to the impact of micro 3D printing on prototyping and designs in healthcare.

To learn more about RAPID + TCT 2023 and or to register, visit https://www.rapid3devent.com.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.