The exhibition and award ceremony is dedicated to the 43 finalists. On display are projects that drive forward pioneering methods, materials and processes and create ground-breaking applications for additive manufacturing in order to create opportunities for business, industry and sustainability.
The exhibition and award ceremony will take place for the ninth time as part of Rapid.Tech 3D at the Messe Erfurt.
Save the date: Award ceremony: 15 May 3:30pm, booth 2.509!
This year's competition focuses on the "Collaborative Mindset", which aims to open up the vision for projects that drive forward pioneering methods, materials and processes and create groundbreaking applications for additive manufacturing in order to create opportunities for economy, industry and sustainability.
The numerous entries in the 11 categories came from students, universities, start-ups and industrial companies. The jury had the challenging task of selecting the 43 finalists from submissions from 25 countries and 5 continents.
"Responsible production through the use and development of sustainable materials and circular processes is a clear focus for the finalists of this year's 3D Pioneers Challenge." The organisers Simone and Christoph Völcker comment on the exhibition of the finalist projects. WILLOWPRINT, for example - a young start-up from Germany is developing printable material from wood waste and realising seating as the first applications that can be returned to the cycle or completely composted. Innovation pioneer BOSCH presents a new process that combines injection moulding technology and 3D printing. Injection moulding materials as well as industrial waste can be used as recycled granulate - a major advantage for market acceptance: certifications are no longer a barrier and the path for circular processes in the manufacturing industry is also paved for additive technologies. Co-operations between established industry and AM enthusiasts make all of this possible. The necessary joint approach driving innovation is also the basis for the international collaboration between designers from the USA and a hospital in Israel. In a pioneering move for the medical sector, the digital specialists are working on the "Patient specific Femoral Implant with Osseointegration" project using AI to generate a customised implant to replace the bone destroyed by cancer. The team at the hospital uses 3D printing technologies and further 3d-printed surgical tools to realise this directly on site. A Mindset like this also enables the democratisation of new digital technologies.
The PicoGk platform is designed to enable engineers easily to design their developments with unprecedented performance. Therefore the platform offers digital tools with libraries ranging from artificial intelligence-supported structures to quasi-crystals freely available to everyone. Other highlights for example at FashionTech include the "Chromatic Dress", whose integrated LEDs react to movement. The first 3Dprinted house to be built in Europe will also be presented to the jury in the final round.
