Erfurt, Germany – home of the “Kinderkanal” (Germany’s public-service kids’ TV channel), site of the majestic Erfurt Cathedral, and at the end of June, host to a heatwave that is currently enveloping the whole of central Europe. This is where the Rapid.Tech + FabCon 3.D trade show and conference, now in its 16th edition, takes place. This year, I was there to see what it’s all about.
Colourful figurines on display at Mimaki's booth
On my first tour of the hall, there is already plenty to see: a sizeable 3D printed metal TV tower at the Gefertec booth, FabPub’s Polibot stacking rows of wooden building blocks, and the colourful sight that is Mimaki’s booth. The exhibition displaying the submissions of the 3D Pioneers Challenge finalists is another popular spot. It shows a wide variety of objects, from a coat with 3D printed details, to bio-printed miniature hearts, to ‘upprinted’ food, to the additively manufactured E-motorbike NERA.
Thankfully, it’s slightly cooler in the hall than outside (where, according to my phone’s weather app, the sun is beating down with up to 36 degrees), albeit still warm enough to break a sweat just by walking around. A representative of the Technical University of Aachen tells me that some of the visitors to the upper deck of the FabBus (serving as the university’s booth) had only come for the functioning air con and told him they did not need “entertaining”. The next day, when one of my interviewees says goodbye, he adds: “have fun sweating!”
Botspot's full-body 3D scanner
I aim for the booths of some of the more established companies that have recently announced new machines or applications, but there are also smaller companies offering interesting stories – like the winners of the start-up award, Glassomer, or service bureau DREIGEIST, who show me a med tech application manufactured with EnvisionTEC machines, which is currently still in its authorization phase. I’m also impressed with Botspot’s full body 3D scanner, which reminds me of a set from 2001: A Space Odyssey– this system, which takes up a whole room, can apparently be assembled in less than an hour.
Karim Abbas of the Technical University of Aachen's GoetheLab explains the basics of 3D printing
Apart from the attached conference with its 14 different tracks each focussing on a different topic, the trade show hall itself also has a 3D printing conference stage. On the first day, there is a crash course about the basics of 3D printing, while the second day delves deeper into topics such as topology optimization or temperature conditions during printing. This stage also provides the setting for the presentation of the Startup Award, where a total of 14,000 Euros in prize money is awarded to the three winners.
Visiting the EOS stand, I am invited to take a quiz which is part of an AM training concept currently in development at the company. In the selected category (0-6 months’ experience with design for AM as a non-engineer), I even manage to get some correct answers. After talking to Makerbot, I leaf through one of their school textbooks and notice a lesson plan using Minecraft to teach 3D technologies. I can’t help but think that this is the kind of thing I would have loved at school, had it been on offer.
On a general note, it is useful to watch the various machines at work – better in any case than just reading about them – and to be able to ask straight away how it all works exactly. “It’s not an extraordinary show for sales,” one person confides in me, “but it is a great show for conversation.”
