Talk to the average person in the street about 3D printing and they’re likely to recall some sensational applications involving trailblazing footwear, pioneering prosthetics or parts for commercial airlines.

In the past decade, 3D printing, or Additive Manufacturing, has become prevalent across virtually every manufacturing industry, for prototyping, customising and even mass-producing parts or whole products. Additive manufacturing (AM) can be used for scientific and medical research in laboratories but is also commonly used in multiple sectors to build items that could not be easily produced by any other means.

Incus clients span the range of 3D printing technologies and additive manufacturing methods. This week our team will be supporting clients at three shows representing very different applications for additive manufacturing showcasing how the technology is being used across almost every sector imaginable.

MACH is the UK’s biggest manufacturing show, expecting over 25,000 attendees to visit this huge showcase of the latest products, services and technological developments in the advanced engineering and manufacturing sectors. Stratasys, a global leader in applied additive technologies, will be demonstrating how additive manufacturing adds value and can even replace traditional manufacturing methods for optimising tooling processes or producing customised parts. The flexibility of its FDM and PolyJet technologies have made Stratasys the first choice for well-known customers such as McLaren Racing, Opel, Siemens and Swift Engineering to revolutionise their manufacturing processes.

Munich’s Ceramitec will this year have a special focus on additive manufacturing, recognising the vast potential of additive manufacturing for technical ceramics, which are used in medicine and medical technology, electronics, energy technology, automotive, aviation and aerospace. XJet will reveal its new NanoParticle Jetting™ technology, which allows manufacturers to create customised parts with incredibly complex geometries, superfine detail and high density, without using moulds.

As the “world’s leading event for airlines and the supply chain to source the latest innovations, technologies and products for the cabin interiors, inflight entertainment and passenger comfort”, the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg will provide Stratasys with another opportunity to showcase how its customers, such as French Aerospace giant Zodiac Aerospace, have successfully integrated AM into their design and testing processes, allowing the rapid creation of accurate models and prototypes.

Finally, indicating the incredible versatility of 3D printing technology, Ripples will be appearing at the London Coffee Festival! Designed for the hospitality industry, Ripples is an innovative marketing tool that combines 3D and inkjet printing technologies in a wi-fi connected countertop device which can print incredible high-resolution images and messages on to any foam-topped beverage, using coffee extract to produce the layered designs. And if you missed our recent announcement, Ripples can now also print on beer…

Of course, this event overview offers only the smallest glimpse of the mainstream applications for 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing. In the coming months, there will be many more opportunities to explore the myriad ways that this technology has already become integral to design, prototyping and manufacturing for products and services we encounter every day.

If you’d like to meet with the Incus team at any of these shows, please contact us here.