An interesting observation
The Atomic Layers: S4E21 (00107)
Atomic Layer of the Day:
On the first and second days of Formnext, I was running from hall to hall, meeting and connecting with people. By the end of it, I realized I didn’t have a single photo—not of a 3D printer, material, printed part, or anything else. So, on the third day, I decided to get up early and head straight to the halls to photograph all the booths before the visitors arrived and obscured everything.
As I started doing this, I unexpectedly discovered that… relatively few 3D printers were actually on display at the trade show!
To be clear—there are booths where there are plenty of machines or just a few but taking up significant space (e.g., SPEE3D or QUALUP). However, there are also many booths where there are none at all.
The best examples? Colibrium Additive (one of the two largest booths at the show), Nikon SLM Solutions, and HP—all had zero machines. Seriously—seeing Colibrium’s massive booth, you’d expect at least a few machines on display. Yet, there’s nothing.
The list goes on. Another case: the large EOS booth features only the debuting EOS P3 NEXT—and nothing else.
Why is that? In my opinion, for two reasons (though there are likely many more, these are my personal observations):
To save on logistics costs, as times are tough.
Because there’s nothing new to showcase.
Maybe it’s harsh, but I think it’s true...
Atomic Layer from the Past:
11-21-2011: 3D Systems announced the acquisition of Z Corporation and Vidar Systems for $137 million in cash.
News & Gossips:
Huge story of the day is that Materialise signed a long-term agreement with BLT. Collaboration combines Materialise’s software solutions with BLT’s 3D printing systems. Thus, Materialise is officially attempting to establish BLT’s credibility in the eyes of European and American customers. This is a step that will have significant consequences in the coming years.
The Czech company ONE3D is becoming one of the most important players in Europe in the field of 3D printing services. This has been highlighted by their recent purchase of the NXG 600E from Nikon SLM Solutions.
But for me, my personal highlight of the trade show is MOSAIC and the unassuming applications hanging in the corner of their booth. If you’ve seen them, you know what I’m talking about. If not, check them out on Friday. If you’re not there, you’ll have to wait for the full announcement. THIS IS AMAZING. It goes beyond 3D printing. Hardware + software + material = a high-performance production tool ready for implementation.