3D printing pioneers: sector's old guard showcase manufacturing solutions

But fortunately, the excitable and often ill-informed speculation that characterised much of the early coverage of the topic has given way to a more measured view of the technology’s potential. And today, the broad suite of processes and systems that sit under the 3D printing/additive manufacturing (AM) banner are increasingly seen as complimentary tools in the manufacturer’s toolbox, rather than some existential threat to the established order.

There was a visible illustration of this at last month’s Mach 2018 show, the UK’s biggest and longest-running showcase of manufacturing technology, where organisations ranging from home-grown firms like Renishaw to the likes of Mazak and DMG-Mori – companies long-associated with traditional subtractive techniques – were all keen to demonstrate how 3D printing fits into their vision of manufacturing’s future.

Wandering the halls of Birmingham’s NEC, The Engineer heard from two of the sector’s undisputed heavyweights, Stratasys and 3D Systems, about how a technology once viewed with suspicion by some is now moving firmly into the manufacturing mainstream.