Details Announced for RAPID 2012

As 3D printing gathers steam, more people, those familiar with the additive manufacturing (AM) industry and newcomers alike, will want to see the latest developments firsthand and talk with AM experts. To fill that desire for knowledge, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME) has announced details for RAPID 2012, one of North America’s largest AM conventions.

RAPID has become the most important meeting place in North America for those involved with additive manufacturing. –Terry Wohlers

The show will be held in Atlanta from May 22-25. Speakers for the event will include Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates, Michael Mock of INUS Technology, Andreas Berkau of citim GmbH and many others. Wohlers will speak about the state of additive manufacturing, Mock will discuss 3D scanning and Berkau will cover using AM as an alternative to aluminum casting.

SME will offer concurrent workshops at the show covering the areas of the fundamentals of AM, reverse engineering and 3D data capture, and the use of AM to create metal parts.

Alongside more standard industry events, RAPID 2012 will host an art gallery, featuring contemporary pieces created through AM. The convention will also present an AM fashion show with pieces in the categories of jewelry, clothing, purses and accessories selected from submitted CAD designs.

Attendees will also be offered the opportunity to take tours of the Atlanta-based Newell/Rubbermaid rapid prototyping lab, the Slingshot Product Development Group, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the Inferno Art Foundry.

The RAPID 2012 event schedule is designed to connect attendees and exhibitors with technologies and resources needed for businesses looking to remain competitive in a global marketplace and challenging economy. –Gary Mikola, SME business development manager

Below you’ll find a short video featuring Terry Wohlers at RAPID 2011.

More videos from RAPID 2011 can be found on RAPID’s YouTube channel here.

Sources: PRWeb, RAPID 2012