3D printing steals show at Euromold

Trade shows change over the years, as trends, economic crises and technological developments come and go, but few undergo the kind of metamorphosis that Euromold has gone through. Not only has the show changed cities—after over 20 years in Frankfurt, the show has moved to Düsseldorf, and was held, not as tradition dictates in December, but in September. Yet what’s really striking about this year’s Euromold is its size. Back in, say 2009, the show boasted more than 1500 exhibitors. There were a mere 453 in Düsseldorf, spread across two halls of the vast fairgrounds that make up the Messe Düsseldorf. And of these exhibitors, fully one-third—33.4%—are active in additive manufacturinghttps://www.plasticstoday.com/3D printing, compared with only 26.8% for the mold- and toolmaking industry, from which the show takes its name.In other words, it’s now official: Helped along by the new, strategic partnership with consulting firm Wohlers Associates and the Society for Manufacturing Engineers (both of which are based in the United States), Euromold is reinventing itself as the leading fair and conference in Europe for additive manufacturing, industrial design, moldmaking and tooling and product development. Hall 16 was where most of the 3D printing displays were, and it was also the busier of the two halls. And despite the fact that a number of the names that had been there last year, such as EOS and Stratasys, were not there this year, the turnout was fairly good.This year, too, there was more of a sense of where additive manufacturing and 3D printing are headed. More and more, industrial applications are coming within reach. “As the materials that are suitable for 3D printing become more sophisticated, the applications will, too,” said Wildrik van der Weiden, Business Development Manager EMEA of filament manufacturer Polymaker (Utrecht, Netherlands). “Our company recently launched a polycarbonate filament called Polymaker PC-Plus, which we developed in collaboration with Covestro. Before, people would say, there are so few technical components that are 3D printed, because the material just wasn’t available. This material opens doors for applications that simply were not possible before with desktop printers. Since the launch of Polymaker PC-Plus, we have been getting a lot of interest from, for example, the automotive industry.”Simon Kühling, of Kühling&Kühling (Kiel, Germany), a company that was showing its newest RepRap Industrial 3D printer, agreed. 3D printing, he said, is starting to carve out a position in the production chain. “It’ll never replace mass production,” he said. “But why should it? We’ve got excellent mass production technologies already. But what about a combination of the two—mass-producing the core of the product, a hearing aid, for example, and 3D printing a customized earpiece? These are the applications that our customers are looking at.” He also saw the options widening, as the choice of materials grows. “Last week, we 3D printed a product made of PEEK for the first time. There’s still only one manufacturer who can produce it, and right now it is prohibitively expensive, but it’s possible. There are still a lot of challenges—and certification issues—to be overcome with the engineering plastics, one of which is getting them to adhere to the print surface, but we are making progress.”Euromold 2015 was also the backdrop for Ricoh’s European launch of its Rapid Fab business. Ricoh, a relative newcomer to 3D printing, opened its first Rapid Fab facilities last year in Japan. Now, the company has opened a Rapid Fab site in Telford, UK. Customers can take advantage of the 3D printer output service using their own data at Ricoh Rapid Fab; consultancy, training, design, manufacturing, post-process finishing and measurement and inspection services are also offered. According to Greg Plowman, Director, European AM Business Group, Ricoh Europe, manufacturing companies are expected to respond to their customer’s evolving business challenges quicker than ever before by constantly reengineering and creating innovative new products. “It’s no surprise that the industry has seen a significant increase in the interest and consumption of 3D printers,” he said. “They provide cost-saving prototyping and functional parts capabilities, as well as offering fast turnaround. The new Ricoh Rapid Fab facility will ensure that our customers remain at the forefront of innovation.” Ricoh is also the official reseller of the Leapfrog 3D printing portfolio in Europe. Leapfrog printers, built in the Netherlands, are popular choices in educational and engineering settings.This slide show features a brief round-up of some of the Euromold highlights. Our odyssey begins with Little Alice, after the hero of Alice in Wonderland, which is the name of this newly introduced, igloo-type, portable full-body 3D scanning studio.After falling down a rabbit hole, Alice drinks a potion and shrinks to a height of only 10 inches. “Something similar happens when you step into Little Alice,” said Christof Kirschner, one of the founders of the Austrian company, 3D Copysystems (Graz). "You step inside the full-body 3D scanner, equipped with 112 cameras, and before you know it, you have a miniature of yourself.” The company also makes a “Big Alice” that can accommodate a group.To view the next slide, click on the arrow under the image.