Additive event to make Canadian debut

Canada’s fastest-growing manufacturing sector will get a boost this fall when Rapid Canada, the country’s first comprehensive additive manufacturing/3D printing tradeshow and conference, makes its debut in Toronto.

SME announced that the Rapid conference and exhibition will come to Canada as a dynamic additive manufacturing pavilion that will be featured from September 23-24 at The International Centre as part of Advanced Manufacturing Expo (AMExpo), which launched in 2000. The Rapid conference and exhibition has been serving the global marketplace from its base in the U.S. for more than two decades, experiencing exponential growth over the last several years.

“The introduction of Rapid Canada is a direct response to market demand,” said Nick Samain, SME group manager, adding that the market for additive manufacturing and 3D printing is expected to double by 2015. “Some people are calling 3D printing technologies the Third Industrial Revolution, the biggest thing since the Internet.”

Samain points to a report by industry consulting firm Wohlers Associates that forecasts double-digit growth for the 3D printing market over the next several years. It took the 3D printing industry 20 years to reach $1 billion in size and only five years later, the industry generated its second $1 billion. The firm expects it to double again, to $4 billion, in 2015. By 2017, Wohlers Associates believes that the sale of 3D-printing products and services will approach $6 billion worldwide. By 2021, it expects the industry to reach $10.8 billion.

“Forecasts show that 3D printers will increasingly be used to directly manufacture production parts and finished goods,” Samain said. “Rapid Canada will serve to expand SME’s authority on additive manufacturing/3D printing into the Canadian market,” Samain explained.

SME launched the original Rapid trade show and conference in the U.S. in 1994.  

Additive manufacturing technology is used for both prototyping and distributed manufacturing, with applications in architecture, construction (AEC), industrial design, automotive, aerospace, military, engineering, civil engineering, dental and medical industries, biotech (human tissue replacement), fashion, footwear, jewelry, eyewear, education, geographic information systems, food, and many other fields.

“Most manufacturing companies today use 3D printing to create prototypes,” Samain said, offering insight into the double-digit industry growth. “The new technologies are essential for manufacturers to cut costs and speed up production processes compared to traditional prototype manufacturing practices. Further, they simplify legacy parts production and, coupled with advanced materials, they enable novel designs of unparalleled performance.”

According to SME, Rapid Canada will provide a leading platform for decision-makers, design, production and quality engineers to interact with the latest world-class technologies and gain a competitive edge. Geared towards delivering high-productivity solutions to enhance manufacturing performance, efficiency and quality, the show will also provide insight from experts on current industry challenges, best practices and trends.

Targeted at both industry veterans as well as those looking to enter the 3D printing market, Rapid Canada will feature such technologies as model making, compression and injection moulding, mould, tool and die design, CAD/CAE/CAM, castings, and pattern making, among many others, while extending/widening the scope (or expanding the toolbox) to include various additive manufacturing methods and processes.

AMExpo is a showcase of world-class advanced manufacturing technologies. In addition to Rapid Canada, the fall 2014 event will also feature the Medical Manufacturing Innovations (MMI) Series – a platform for manufacturers to explore and share solutions in medical device manufacturing processes and technologies.

For more information about AMExpo, Rapid Canada and the MMI Series, and to register for the event, visit www.amexpo.ca.