3D Printing Takes the Stage at Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis

Whether it comes in the form of personalized medical solutions, tooling, or miniaturization, 3D printing has become a big part of the future of medical technology. So it’s no surprise the technology is well covered at Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis on Oct. 16 and 17. While the show covers a wide range of emerging technology, it has long focused on the newest developments in medical technology.

The event gathers professionals in the medical design and manufacturing industry. Speakers and exhibitors include engineers, designers, and decision-makers who are on hand explore the latest innovations in MedTech, packaging, and automation. Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis features the co-located shows Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) Minneapolis, MinnPack, Automation Technology Expo (ATX) Minneapolis, Design & Manufacturing (D&M), and Plastec Minneapolis. 

The location says everything. Minnesota is known for its robust healthcare and manufacturing sectors. The state is home to leading institutions like the Mayo Clinic and companies such as 3M and Medtronic. Advanced Manufacturing Minneapolis features over 530 exhibitors and offers more than 30 hours of free education sessions. Keynote presentations and a seven-track conference program address a range of MedTech advances in additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, product development, and more.

Related:Get Ready for a Deep Dive Into Medical Plastics at Plastec Minneapolis

This year, the show reveals how 3D printing is taking a major role in emerging technologies.

One of the keynote presentations at IME Minneapolis will look at 3D printing:

The keynote Printing a Healthier Tomorrow: How 3D Technology is Shaping the Future of Medicine will be presented on Thursday, October 17  from 10:15 AM - 11:00 AM Central.

Amy Alexander, unit head of the Mechanical Development & Applied Computational Engineering, Division of Engineering at Mayo Clinic, will explain how the future of healthcare delivery will become more precise, personalized, and accessible. Her view of the future will explore the transformative potential of 3D printing/additive manufacturing, 3D scanning, extended reality, and artificial intelligence in revolutionizing how we deliver medical care.

A number of individual presentations in Minneapolis will also focus on 3D printing:

The session Same Day PCBA Prototyping Using 3D Printing: The Puma Process will be presented on Wednesday, October 16 from 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Central.

Presenter Dave Jones, president of DE Design Works, will explain how innovation in the speed of Iterative engineering design, build, and test can drastically reduce risks and time to market by catching engineering mistakes and requirement misses earlier. AI component sourcing, schematic generation, and cloud-based 3D PCB layout tools can also speed the development process.

The presentation Case Study — Utilizing Hybrid Metal AM for Rapid Production of Tooling will be presented on Thursday, October 17 from 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM Central.

Thomas Houle, director of LUMEX N.A. at Matsuura USA, will look at real world examples of tooling - plastic injection and metal injection - produced via a metal hybrid additive manufacturing  process. Presenter, will outline the many benefits that can be achieved through the use of this technology. 

The session Microscale 3D Printing: Implications & Applications for Healthcare will be presented on Thursday, October 17 from 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM Central.

Seth Hara, principal engineer in the Division of Engineering’s Mechanical Development Unit and manager of the Microfabrication Laboratory at Mayo Clinic, will explain how microscale 3D printing is rapidly transforming the landscape of medical device design, offering unprecedented precision and versatility in creating intricate structures from various materials. This session will explore some of the benefits and applications of microscale 3D printing, particularly its ability to produce components at a scale and complexity that conventional additive manufacturing and microfabrication techniques cannot achieve.

The session Additive Manufacturing for Production: Product Management, Economic & Technical Considerations will be presented on Thursday, October 17 from 11:15 AM - 12:00 PM Central.

Carl Douglass, CEO at DI Labs, will look at how products can be developed, launched, and managed more effectively and quickly with additive manufacturing. Douglass notes that we’re effectively leveraging 3D printing as a manufacturing resource (additive manufacturing) to produce hundreds to tens of thousands of components for end-use applications ranging from Class I and II medical devices to aerospace, defense, industrial, and consumer goods. He will look at examples of additive manufacturing adoption for scaled production and the lessons on what it takes to achieve success.

The session Laser AM in Aerospace & Space: Mitigating Supply Chain Insecurities will be presented on Thursday, October 17 from 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM Central.

Eliana Fu, industry manager for aerospace and medical at TRUMPF, will look at advanced manufacturing processes that include laser additive manufacturing processes such as LMF (Laser Metal Fusion) and LMD (Laser Metal Deposition). These technologies are no longer a gimmick. They have become accepted methods of manufacturing in aerospace, particularly in space exploration applications.

The panel presentation New Material Options for Additive Manufacturing will be presented on Thursday, October 17 from 2:15 PM - 3:00 PM Central.

Steve Morin, instrument maker at Minneapolis VA Medical Center will join other experts in additive manufacturing materials to discuss new materials.