3D Printers

Rapid.Tech and FabCon Ready for the Off — With Something New for Industry and Makers

The second edition of the FabCon 3.D exhibition is all set to take place this week, starting on May 15th, in Erfurt, the closest city to the geographical centre of Germany. The modern Erfurt Messe complex will be filed with 3D printing industry announcements and product previews during the three-day event.

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The maker and consumer targeted show will overlap with Rapid.Tech, the trade fair and user conference for rapid prototyping technologies (this will be the 11th edition), which will take place on May 14th and 15th, also at Messe Erfurt.

Alongside an “Aviation” specialist forum, Rapid.Tech will host forums for medical and dental technologies, a user conference and a session for design engineers to reflect how, as explained by Wieland Kniffka, Head of Messe Erfurt: “Additive manufacturing processes are becoming ever more relevant across multiple industries and are playing an increasingly important part in production processes. This is generating an enormous demand for information, as well as for an interchange of experiences and discussion. Rapid.Tech is setting standards here with its mix of think-tank, knowledge transfer and an exhibition geared toward practical applications.”

FabCon 3.D serves to translate the momentum of industrial additive manufacturing technologies into the consumer and maker spheres, with announcements from smaller companies and startups, beginning with the FabCon Startup Meetup, where new players will be introducing their newest filaments (even biofilaments) and web apps.

Berlin-based Botspot will show its new full size 3D scanner, while 3D printer manufacturer Fabbster is going to present its new “Fabbster for Makers” Programme. The new Delta Tower RTA V3 will also be seen for the first time as will igus’ newest Tribo filament, a the revolutionary tribologic material for FDM which we told you about not so long ago.

Consumer industry leader MakerBot will be in the spotlight, showing its next generation of 3D printers for the first time in Germany, with the MakerBot Mini and Z18 alongside the MakerBot Fifth Generation, while Jason Mosbrucker of BotBQ will give a live demonstration of the fascinating open source hamburger 3D printer. Open source evangelist and 3D printing expert Josef Prusa will also be in attendance and giving a keynote presentation on day one, entitled “The RepRap way of 3D printing.” And, ColorFab will showcase one of its new filaments — MetalFill_Bronze, an 80% bronze PLA compound that is four times heavier than normal PLA and can be polished to a shiny finish. 

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These are just some of the highlights, the detailed conference program includes a main theme for each day of Fabcon 3.D, starting with Industrial Day on the 15th of May, where  speakers will discuss subjects such as biofilaments and 3D revolutions of recycling, as well as the business aspects of 3D printed toys and jewellery.

On Prosumer Day, Friday May 16th, hosts will include DUS Arhcitects (the studio behind the 3D Print Canal House project), Ultimakers’ David Braam, speaking about open source 3D printing software, and Filemon Schoffer from 3D Hubs — all of which will conclude with a party. Saturday will be Family Day, with the above mentioned BotBQ live demo and the fabbster for Makers program presentation.

With such a diverse programme and many local and international 3D printing personalities on site, this event is sure to raise a few headlines during the week — stay tuned.