RAPID Conference, Expo Highlights Technologies and Manufacturing

The Society of Manufacturing Engineers' (SME) RAPID Conference and Exposition comes to Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center in Lake Buena Vista, FL, May 20-22, 2008. This rapid technologies and additive manufacturing event highlights the latest advances and provides an opportunity for industry experts to reach manufacturing professionals involved in product design and development.

"The future of design and manufacturing for the medical industry will be strongly related to customized part production, both for internal and external devices," says Advisory Chairman Michael Siemer. "Additive fabrication is the enabling technology that will allow for this trend of medical product mass customization and RAPID is the premier event to become educated in the field." Advisor Terry Wohlers adds, "The RAPID event is the most important conference and exposition on rapid product development in North America. Most of the key companies and their products and services will be in attendance. It could mean lost opportunities for those who miss the event."

The event's move to Florida was made to take advantage of the more than 16,000 manufacturing establishments located throughout the state. Florida has a diverse economy that involves several major industries – such as medical, aerospace and defense – that can benefit from rapid manufacturing technologies.

The RAPID Conference, developed in collaboration with an advisory committee made up of industry experts, is the largest and longest running conference in North America focused on rapid technologies and additive manufacturing.

Highlights include:

• Dynamic keynotes each day highlighting business and rapid technology issues featuring Brigadier General Nick Halley, Todd Grimm and Terry Wohlers.
• Revised conference tracks, including rapid, 3D scanning, What's Cool! and medical applications, reflecting the diverse ways rapid technologies are being used.
• Enhanced conference sessions focusing on how rapid technologies and additive manufacturing are revolutionizing the way we design and manufacture everything, from a human shoe to a complete building.
• A dedicated 3D Scanning: Reverse Engineering, Analysis & Inspection track focused on non-contact scanning technology used to capture and process high resolution 3D spatial geometries.

Workshops

Throughout the show, workshops will be conducted to offer additional benefits in rapid technologies. Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing will introduce participants to the world of rapid technologies with discussions on description of the most widely used additive technologies and how they are applied.

Reverse Engineering and 3D Data Capture will provide a comprehensive introduction to 3D scanning technologies, software and processes. Combining presentations and hands-on demonstrations, attendees will gain a clear understanding of the fundamentals of 3D scanning. The workshop will begin with short presentations highlighting the differences between data capture devices. This will be followed by presentations on the most popular post-processing software programs and the workflows from importing data to exporting final models. Technology experts will then discuss the typical project workflow using case studies for illustration. The workshop will conclude with a hands-on demonstration of some of the most popular scanning devices.

Metal Parts Using Additive Technologies will talk about how additive processes are increasingly being used for creating metal parts. Methods for metal part fabrication range from casting metal parts from rapid prototyped patterns to direct metal fabrication using lasers, electron beams or ultrasonic energy. These processes enable numerous applications including tooling from traditional tool steel alloys, novel metal alloys for biomedical applications, and multiple material configurations that are not possible using traditional methods. The benefits and limitations of these technologies will be explored.

Competition

In addition to the workshops, the RAPID 2008 Challenge and Design Competition was designed to challenge students, engineers and product designers to create and design a part or product that will be used as the "model" for the 2008 RAPID Challenge. Dedicated to fostering business relationships between users and technology providers, the Challenge and Design Competition allows users, RP and CAD/CAM companies, and material providers to work with each other to manufacture the components of a given prototyping challenge model.

The Challenge is an interactive activity that encourages event attendees to visit exhibitors and explore the many technologies and materials available. Attendees are "challenged" to collect and assemble nine pieces that make up the puzzle model that was created by the winner of the RAPID 2008 Challenge Design Competition. Exhibitors are challenged to demonstrate their accuracy, material qualities and finishes by producing a piece of the winning puzzle model so that it fits properly in the final assembly.

sme.org/rapid