Inkjet & Digital Printing

THE CHANGING FACE OF 3D PRINTING

Wednesday 05. June 2013 - There are relatively few industries experiencing as much rapid change and growth as the 3D printing industry. We in the industry are of course keenly aware of this growth. Yet, immersed in our day-to-day job responsibilities, the nature of that change can sometimes take us by surprise.

That happened to me recently, as a result of (of all things) enquiries from tradeshow organisers to exhibit at new 3D printing shows, such as the Inside 3D Printing series of conferences and expos and the 3D Print Show. The emergence of these new events and, more importantly, their absolutely staggering success, reflects the changing industry.
Traditional industrial and manufacturing-focused 3D printing and rapid prototyping events remain relevant, yet even some of those shows have been expanding their content in an effort to attract a broader audience. Time will tell whether the traditional events will be successful. I noticed that their expansion seems focused demographically on drawing in consumers and hobbyists with targeted manufacturer exhibits and presentations, while the new breed of 3D printing events, like the ones mentioned above, approach the industry in an entirely different way.
The new approach is to actually show business, corporate and entrepreneurial audiences all of the innovative and tangible ways they can use 3D printing technologies to create new applications, new products and even create new businesses. They do this through application-focused content and highly interactive displays (organised by the event, rather than only showcasing exhibitor stands) where attendees can actually experience – in context – real examples how 3D printing can be used in order to spark attendees’ creative juices.
Typically, people (including me until very recently) tend to divide 3D printing audiences into consumers, hobbyists and professionals, and it’s along those lines that some of the traditional industry events can be categorized. But the new breed of 3D printing events don’t seem focused demographically; rather, the people who attend these new events cross those three demographic profiles and, more notably, their attendees tend to share a psychographic profile that differs from traditional shows. They are innovators in every sense of the word, dreaming up new ways to use the technology – whether it be the wedding cake baker I met in New York who is keen to develop a business around custom 3D printed wedding cake toppers that look just like the bride and groom or the photographer who wants to expand his business by creating unique 3D printed keepsakes from the photos he takes, or the product designer at a well known, global consumer goods manufacturer who is looking to introduce new 3D printing technologies into his existing toolkit for completely new applications within his company. It’s a mindset of those who want to find new ways to use 3D printing technology – and new technologies to deliver on those new ideas – and build a business around them.