Eric Klemp is the Commercial Director at the Direct Manufacturing Research Center at Paderborn University in Germany. Dr Klemp has a long and esteemed career with 3D printing technology and was singularly instrumental in developing the extensive programme of presentations at Inside 3D Printing Berlin, where 3DPI was able to interview him.
Question 1: You have set up a comprehensive conference programme for the Inside 3D printing Berlin event, can you tell us what your main goals were?
Eric: our main goals are easy and difficult to describe. So I wanted to have a program where the audience gets an impression of what 3d printing is about. I want to have mechanical engineers, I want to have machine makers, I want to have scientists here from different areas. And I want to show that people can deliver parts for end users. So end user parts means not prototyping,using additive manufacturing as direct manufacturing. And I want to bring together all the community as well as research so here we have a big research track showing what you have to do or what is being done at the moment in research areas in order to get direct manufacturing parts. And you have to know about properties and design rules and that has to be brought into the hearts of the people. So I want to tell them it’s a nice technology, but you have to know a lot. And you have to think first and then produce. And if you’re not thinking enough, you’ll be getting wrong parts. Which will not fulfill your demands. And that is what I want to include, so the program is very large and everybody gets his tiny piece of the cake. And to see these are the contexts, this is what I need in order to get the right parts. And you have to considers what is the right technology for my demand. So many end users see ok we have a new technology, we can use metal parts plastics parts, but what do I have to take, which technology I have to choose and what do I have to consider. And that is my program.
Question 2: Working with Inside 3D Printing, how do you feel now that it has all come together?
Eric: It’s brilliant, that’s a nice organization, and I’m fascinated by additive manufacturing and I want to bring this into the heart of people. Inside 3D Printing is travelling around the world and bringing people into the loop of thinking about 3D Printing and if we get a big big community, then we can be successful. And Inside 3D Printing is taking that piece and bringing that technology in the heart and awareness of people.
Question 3: What sort of Feedback are you getting?
Eric: I have a lot of feedback, positive feedback, so we have the right process here and we have those persons being technical and opening their minds, and to show ok here we have some solutions. it’s in metal, it’s in plastic, so you can see here I will get a part which could not be produced by standard production systems of production technology.
