N. America’s largest additive manufacturing show to run Sept. 13-15

Editor's note: SME provided information for this article.

After two delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, North America’s largest additive manufacturing event is scheduled to resume its annual schedule Sept. 13-15 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. RAPID + TCT 2021 will mark the 30th installment of the conference and exhibition, sponsored by SME and Rapid News Group.

The sponsors expect more than 250 exhibitors, 5,000 attendees, and the introduction of 125 new products.

SME Executive Director/CEO Robert Willig said, “While AM has been evolving for more than 30 years, the dynamic growth it has experienced continues to prove the value and unlimited potential for manufacturers. Looking back over the past year and a half, the world saw firsthand how this nimble technology created solutions that immediately impacted human lives.”

The event’s organizers also plan to launch the RAPID + TCT LIVE! digital experience and event app, which will let attendees participate remotely and access exclusive networking and digital content from speakers and exhibitors before, during, and after the event.

Learning Opportunities

More than 150 additive manufacturing/3D printing experts and thought leaders are scheduled to give presentations at the show. In addition to 70-plus conferences, sponsors have scheduled 14 medical-related AM presentations, 10-plus thought leadership panels, and three keynote addresses.

Conference topics target everyone from additive manufacturing newcomers to long-time users of the technology. The conference portion will be thematically subdivided into three areas: evaluation of AM, adoption and optimization of AM, and 3D scanning and related technologies.

Here’s a sampling of the conference titles:

• The next design frontier: generative design powered by AI and AM

• Experiences in additive manufacturing technologies for aerospace applications

• Direct part printing is the future; advanced automotive tooling is the now

• Producing customer-ready parts: navigating the leap from prototyping to production

• The five cost drivers of metal AM: Stop flying blind and build a lasting business case

• How a 90-year-old company turned to metal 3D printing to accelerate its business solutions, resulting in radical new designs, reduction of emissions, and dramatic cost savings

Titles of the thought leadership panels include:

• Breakthrough to manufacturing with AM—what you need to know

• Production readiness of additive manufacturing

• Materials: from selection to market

• Design workflow for additive manufacturing: lessons learned from the trenches

Among the participants in the thought leadership panels are representatives from General Motors, GE Additive, Mayo Clinic, The Boeing Co., U.S. Army, Ford Motor Co., Northrop Grumman, Honeywell Aerospace, Joe Gibbs Racing, Stellantis N.V., Jabil, and the Department of Defense.

The scheduled keynote speakers are Melissa Orme, vice president of Boeing; Terry Wohlers, founder and president of Wohlers Associates Inc. and publisher of an annual report on the additive industry; and Mark Wehde, chair of the Mayo Clinic’s engineering division.

Co-Located with FABTECH

The RAPID + TCT exhibition and conference will be co-located at McCormick Place with FABTECH 2021. FABTECH, scheduled to run Sept. 13-16, is North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding, and finishing event. The event’s partners are SME; Fabricators & Manufacturers Association Int’l, publisher of The Additive Report; Precision Metalforming Association; American Welding Society; and Chemical Coaters Association Intl.

RAPID + TCT visitors can attend the FABTECH exposition free of charge.

RAPID + TCT SHOW DETAILS

Location

McCormick Place Lakeside Center (Hall E)2301 S. Lakeshore DriveChicago, IL 60616

Show Hours

Monday, Sept. 13, 2021

10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021

10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021

10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

Thursday, Sept. 16, 2021*

9 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

*FABTECH show only

Parking

There are three main parking lots on the McCormick Place campus. All are in close proximity, within walking distance of the convention complex, and ADA-accessible. Lot C is the primary parking location for events in Lakeside Center. Lot C address: Fort Dearborn Drive, Chicago, IL 60616. View driving directions.