“It attracts the right visitors”

The 21st rapid.tech 3D scored high marks with its consistently high quality and a new level of networking. Around 170 exhibitors and speakers from Germany and abroad presented the latest developments and applications in additive manufacturing (AM) to an engaged audience from 13 to 15 May 2025. 

For exhibitors, speakers and visitors, it is the mix of congress, exhibition and networking formats that sets this Erfurt event apart and ensures a high level of expertise across both the research and application sectors. The networking between the conference rooms and the exhibition hall, which was made even closer this year, received particularly high praise. The consensus was that everyone involved benefited from this exchange.

Strong interest in qualified standardisation solutions, cost-efficient large-format printing and tiny photons

Qualified AM GmbH offers solutions to one of the main problems of additive manufacturing. Gregor Reischle founded the company a year ago with the aim of offering standards for additive manufacturing for all regulated industries. He himself has eight years of expertise in the field. He deliberately chose rapid.tech 3D to showcase the services of Qualified AM. “With its scientific approach and its level of quality, the event is a perfect fit for us. This is where we can find expert visitors who understand the process chains.”

The Italian company Ginger Additive presented a cost-efficient solution for large-format additive manufacturing in Erfurt. With its pellet printer, the team has so far mainly produced items for fields such as architecture, design and interior design. Now Ginger Additive wants to move more into industrial applications and demonstrated its range of services with a printer at rapid.tech 3D. Rouven Jost is responsible for sales and marketing in the German market. He was pleasantly surprised by the event in Erfurt. “It attracts the right visitors – people who are interested and knowledgeable about the topic.”

The Ernst Abbe University of Applied Sciences in Jena also attracted a great deal of interest. In particular, the production of foamed plastic parts, the technical kidney as a filter system modelled on nature and the tiny photons for various micro-applications caught the attention of visitors. Research assistant Dr Kerstin Michalke draws a positive conclusion about the university’s attendance at the event. “We come to rapid.tech 3D every year. It’s a good platform for us. And it’s also good for Thuringia.” She particularly liked the even closer connection between the exhibition and the congress, an opinion shared by many other exhibitors and visitors.

Technical Deep Dives tours and expert tables as successful networking formats

Formats such as the Technical Deep Dives tours and the expert tables particularly contributed to this networking. At the Technical Deep Dives, participants were given brief and in-depth insights into new technologies and applications directly at the exhibitor stands. Small-group discussions at the expert tables included the role of 3D printing in dental technology, additive manufacturing in implantology and in tool and mould making, the challenges of large-format PBF/LB-M printing, and issues of standardisation.

Innovative and profitable AM solutions at the centre of the specialist conference

Innovation and profitability were the topics that dominated the four keynote speeches and 60 presentations at the specialist conference. In the opening keynote speech, Dr Karl-Heinz Dusel, Head of Technology Development for Additive Manufacturing at MTU Aero Engines, spoke about the necessity and opportunities for establishing AM as a competitive technology in the aviation industry. He outlined MTU’s approach and cited cost-cutting measures as a key factor. 

The second day was opened by Pat Warner, Advanced Digital Manufacturing Manager for the BWT Alpine Formula One Team. He gave exclusive insights into the world of Formula 1, where AM has become an integral part of the sport. Max Schaukellis, Senior Project Manager at Roland Berger, turned the spotlight on everyday production with his keynote speech on the automated AM factory. He predicted that this automated production process, linked together by AI and robotics, would be rolled out on a large scale in around five to ten years.

The closing keynote speech brought the event full circle, returning to the theme of the opening keynote. Dr Remzi Ecmel Ece, Manager of the Additive Manufacturing Department at Turkish Aerospace, presented the path and vision of Turkish Aerospace in AM, specifically for the field of aircraft structures. To this end, the company has drawn up a strategic road map to establish the production of certified AM components for the aviation industry between 2022 and 2027.

Partnerships ensure high programme quality

The topics from the keynote speeches were explored in greater depth in the trade forums on Aerospace, AM4industry, Science, Electronics & Components, Chemistry & Process Engineering, Mobility, Software, AI & Design, and Energy Technology & Hydrogen. The Innovation in AM forum offered special sessions on AM in defence technology and medical technology.

The high quality of the programme was ensured not least by the renewed cooperation with strategic sponsor VDMA Additive Manufacturing and cooperation partners DECHEMA and 3-D MID e. V.

Panel discussions on internationalisation, innovation and profitability of the AM market

The panel discussions once again addressed key topics of rapid.tech 3D from different perspectives. The internationalisation of the AM market was on the agenda on the first day of the event. Current factors include the influence of US policy and the advance of Chinese suppliers. The importance of a political will in Germany and Europe to push ahead with AM technologies was stressed. The promotion of additive manufacturing set out in the coalition agreement of the new German government is a positive signal in this respect. The panellists also saw the move towards less dependence on the USA, particularly in defence technology, as an opportunity that could lead to a further surge in development.

At the end of the event, members of the rapid.tech 3D advisory board discussed the question that ultimately determines the use of AM: Is it really profitable? Innovation and profitability are two sides of the same coin. After all, being innovative means earning money with new products and services. In this respect, additive manufacturing will prevail against conventional methods and processes if it offers added value for the customer. The panellists referred to examples that were also presented at rapid.tech 3D, such as customised cranial implants that cannot be produced using other methods. There are also parts in the aerospace sector that are innovative and therefore profitable.

Prestigious awards presented

This year, several prestigious awards were presented at rapid.tech 3D. The international design competition 3D Pioneers Challenge, which is now in its tenth year, named the “Pioneer of the Decade” for the anniversary of the show in Erfurt. The award went to the team from the Dvir Lab at Tel Aviv University for a 3D-printed, beating heart using stem cells.

Dr Dieter Schwarze and Dr Matthias Fockele also received awards. The physicists are pioneers of metal 3D printing, now known as LPBD and one of the most widely used metallic AM processes. They received the Big Five Award 2024 for outstanding achievements in additive manufacturing.

The “Best Paper Award” was presented for the first time. The rapid.tech 3D Scientific Review Committee awarded this inaugural prize to Stefan Brenner from the University of the Bundeswehr Munich. His presentation focussed on using multi-material PBF-LB/M for fabricating vacuum-tight radiofrequency cavities, which are used as fundamental components of linear particle accelerators.

Change at the top of the advisory board

Michael Eichmann, long-standing chairman of the advisory board, has stepped down from his post. As a passionate designer and advocate for the development of 3D printing, the Stratasys manager was instrumental in building and shaping the Erfurt event from the very beginning. He will remain associated with rapid.tech 3D as honorary chairman of the advisory board. Messe Erfurt extends its sincere thanks to him for his tremendous commitment.

Dr Karsten Heuser has been appointed as Michael Eichmann’s successor. The additive manufacturing expert is responsible for AM activities at Siemens Digital Industries. He is also a member of the board of the Additive Manufacturing Working Group at VDMA and other committees dedicated to the industrialisation of additive manufacturing. Dr Heuser will head the advisory board together with Prof. Dr Seidel from Munich University of Applied Sciences, who has been chairing the advisory board since 2023.

Next rapid.tech 3D in 2026

The next rapid.tech 3D will be held in Erfurt from 5 to 7 May 2026.