Additive manufacturing (AM) asks us to think differently. So why do we expect different results when we stick to the same playbook we've always had for in-person events and information exchange?
Trade shows used to be the thing. And in many places around the world, they still are. TCT Show 2014 was my first trade ever show experience and as someone who was incredibly green to AM at the time, it was a lot to take in! TCT Show (Or TCT UK, TCT Live or TCT 3Sixty - choose your era.) was the world's largest 3D printing event and it was also a snapshot of what the industry had come to be with industrial metal powder bed fusion systems in one corner, excited crowds around a farm of desktop printers in another ... and a 3D printed Starlord mask loaned from Marvel Studios displayed somewhere down the middle. That dominance continued for several years. This summer, we ran our final TCT 3Sixty show in the UK.
Today, additive manufacturing is an established part of the manufacturing toolkit. Conversations have evolved from 'What is additive manufacturing?' and awarding a pat on the back to something for simply being 3D printed, to 'How can I optimise my process to ensure uniform reliability across my LPBF fleet?' and applications that have been developed specifically for the technology's unique capabilities.
Mirroring that shift, the industry has also been telling us it wants something new. We've spent the last year in conversation with our visitors, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and advisors. We have listened. AdditiveIQ is our response.
AdditiveIQ is an experience by TCT and we promise it won't look like anything the AM industry has seen before.
We're applying thirty years of experience, our global network, and the trust of the AM community to build an exclusive, all-in, invitation-only networking retreat for users in industries that are moving additive into qualified, at-scale production.
TCT has always platformed AM users. The likes of Boeing, Reebok, Pepsi, Mayo Clinic and BMW have all shared their adoption stories across our conference stages around the world. Over the last five years, we've also introduced a different modality for sharing those user perspectives through our annual TCT UK User Group meetings. These small, invite-only sessions have brought dozens of users together for an open dialogue that aims to impart knowledge and solve problems. These gatherings have proved that the most valuable learning tends to come from conversation rather than an hour in front of a slide deck. This, amongst what we hope you'll agree is an exciting mix of sessions and hands-on workshops, will be at the heart of what we're building for 2027 and beyond.
AdditiveIQ isn't a trade show or your standard conference. We've selected a beautiful estate in Windsor, UK to bring together a curated cohort of 250 senior AM professionals to share hard-won experience, challenge assumptions, and have the honest, practice-led conversations that help organisations move their AM programmes forward. And we're being just as intentional about the partners we're bringing along with us.
TCT’s purpose hasn't changed since its first in-person event in 1996. We want to help more businesses not only adopt AM, but adopt it well. We believe AdditiveIQ will do that.
If you're already hands-on with AM or involved in making business decisions around these complex technologies, Windsor is where you need to be come June 21-23, 2027.
I am genuinely excited about this new chapter for TCT, and I can't wait to have you along with us!
Laura Griffiths, Editor-in-Chief at ManufacturingIQ
