3D Printing Companies To Watch At Top Manufacturing Show

Twice as many 3D printer makers are exhibiting at the largest manufacturing trade show in the U.S. (the International Manufacturing Technology Show, Sept. 12-17 in Chicago) compared to the last event pre-pandemic. The square footage of expo space these 83 companies from all over the world will occupy has also nearly doubled, representing how far the technology has come since being a curiosity in the IMTS’ Emerging Technology Center in 2014.

“The AM technology on display at IMTS 2022 solves mainstream industrial challenges in ways unimaginable just a few years ago,” says Peter R. Eelman, chief experience officer for the Association for Manufacturing Technology, which produces the show.

This September, AM Pavilion at IMTS 2022 will be packed with exhibitors eager to show and tell how additive manufacturing has matured to rival and complement traditional solutions.

Pandemic-Shifted Focus in Manufacturing

The manufacturing world is a different place today. Companies facing new challenges: managing disrupted supply chains, reshoring manufacturing, driving toward sustainability, and attempting to meet consumer preferences for customization.

“Personalization and sustainability are driving factors in many consumer buying decisions today,” says Wayne Davey, the global head of sales for HP’sHPQ
3D printing solutions, “so, more manufacturers are interested in leveraging 3D printing because of its ability to customize at scale and reduce waste.”

HP’s 3D printing solutions for General MotorsGM
, Nissan, and other major automakers and OEMs speak to these market changes toward scaling additive manufacturing to commercial production.

Also returning to IMTS this year with a focus on showcasing additive manufacturing for end-use part production is American 3D printing giant StratasysSSYS
. “What customers discovered during the many disruptions caused directly or indirectly by the pandemic is that 3D printing could do a lot more than low-volume product prototyping,” notes Aaron Pearson, Stratasys’ VP of global public relations. “Our focus at the show will be on manufacturing applications for the entire product value chain, from prototyping to tooling, jigs and fixtures, to end-use production parts.”

If you’re shopping for additive manufacturing solutions for production applications at IMTS, virtually all of the top companies will be there this year.

3D Systems, for example, says it’s specifically promoting the “industrialization of additive manufacturing” at the show while another global giant, EOSEOS
is expecting to expand its reach beyond the OEMs to tier one and tier two suppliers from the machining side, says Greg Hayes, EOS’ SVP of applied technology.

3D printing, however, is not aiming to replace traditional manufacturing, says Hayes. “Additive manufacturing is a technology that’s going to be added into the manufacturing industry as yet another tool in the toolbox.” So being at IMTS together with other technologies is a perfect opportunity to showcase this fact, he says.

Although there are large additive manufacturing trade shows, such as Formnext in Frankfurt, Germany, and Rapid+TCT slated for Chicago in May, IMTS provides an opportunity for attendees to see additive manufacturing alongside traditional manufacturing. 3D printer makers hope to highlight the scenarios where additive manufacturing is faster, cheaper, more sustainable, and more efficient than traditional manufacturing options, such as injection molding or CNC machining.

Top Tech for Prototypes and Tools

If additive manufacturing for serial production and mass customization is the future, then tools, fixtures, spare parts, and functional prototypes are where the technology shines today. This is undoubtedly why most IMTS attendees will be crowding the aisles of the AM Pavilion.

The show will host virtually all of the top names in the benchtop and desktop 3D printer market, such as Desktop Metal, Formlabs, Raise3D, Roboze, BigRep, and Markforged. But more than explaining 3D printing technology, exhibitors hope to attract attendees with 3D printing experiences and display pieces that show off what the technology is capable of.

Formlabs, for example, will have a pop-up digital factory and another section of its booth dedicated to its Selfie Series in collaboration with toy maker HasbroHAS
. Meanwhile, large-format 3D printer maker, BigRep will display a custom dashboard from JK Automotive Design and a 15-foot 3D-printed snake.

Fresh off the launch of its latest technology for stainless steel 3D printing, Raise3D will showcase its desktop 3D printer for metal prototypes and spare parts using Ultrafuse metal filaments from BASF Forward AM.

Although IMTS exhibitors all expect to attract new customers to their solutions, Italian 3D printer maker Roboze says it believes IMTS provides an opportunity to connect with people who are already aware of how 3D printing provides answers to their design, manufacturing, and lead-time problems.

3D-printing start-ups are noticeably absent from IMTS, with a few exceptions. This show is for the established, factory-floor-proven additive manufacturing technologies ready to go head-to-head with their traditional manufacturing counterparts.