RAPID 2016: In Photos

Writer Clare and I had a very busy week at RAPID 2016 in Orlando, and we’ve been trying to keep you all abreast of some of the fantastic sights we saw and news we heard. While Clare provided excellent rundowns of daily highlights, Bridget and Scott kept a keen eye out for major press releases of the week’s announcements and offerings, and I kept up with some of the individual events and press conferences, what better way to experience some of RAPID than to take a look through our eyes (well, lenses) at what we saw?

Below are some highlights from RAPID, told through photos and videos. Take a look at some of the booths and exhibits, as well as some of the art and fashion!

Let’s start with the welcome! Below are photos from the video of the DJ-led introduction and welcome to RAPID 2016 — a sight I’ve certainly never beheld at a conference before, and an energy-pumping way to start the conference as the doors opened to the exhibit floor.

HP:

Our experience at RAPID started off with a VIP press conference, building upon some of what I learned from HP in Barcelona two weeks previously. The company was out in full force showing off their Multi Jet Fusion 3D printing technology in its official unveiling at RAPID — and all members of their team were also wearing Nike shoes, showing off that partnership. Collaboration has been critical to the development of the MJF technology, and HP is keen to show off their support and supporters.

Below is a video of a tour of their booth and technology (mostly visual, as sound was channeled through microphones/headsets):

Carbon:

Rather than a booth on the crowded show floor, Carbon had its own room — and they certainly drew a crowd. Filled wall-to-wall with tech, including their M1 3D printer, as well as visitors and company representatives, Carbon’s room was a key place to be. I spent some time in there, speaking with Jason Rolland, Carbon’s Vice President of Materials, as he gave me a tour around their room and showed off their materials and filled me in on the capabilities, as well as field testing results. Stay tuned for details from that great discussion.

EnvisionTEC:

EnvisionTEC introduced their SLCOM 1, the first industrial-scale 3D printer for the production of woven fiber composite parts, at RAPID this year. This huge machine is powerful and seriously impressive-looking. The booth was constantly hopping, filled with visitors. Several of EnvisionTEC’s machines were on display at the booth.

3D Systems:

We knew ahead of time that 3DS would have a huge presence at RAPID, and boy, did they! At the end of our first day there, Clare and I had the great opportunity to tour through their booth and then sit down with Tim Miller, 3DS’ Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations (stay tuned for more from this tour/chat!) to see more of their technology in person and hear more first-hand from those in the know. Their recently introduced ProJet MJP 2500 shows some great promise, as we got to see the machine in person and check out the materials available, as well as some test prints.  While the ProJet MJP 2500 was actually more compact than I had anticipated, even having read the dimensions, on the other side of the booth I was amused to see how neatly Clare would fit into the ProX DMP 320.

Stratasys:

Stratasys was on hand with their newly announced GrabCAD Print app, which Vice President of Product and Marketing Paul Giaconia introduced me to more in-depth, and GrabCAD’s Roger Maranan demoed for me. Stay tuned for more details on how Stratasys decided that “we can do better than that” when customers told them that most industry software providers told them “you figure it out” and how GrabCAD Print offers connectivity and accessibility to users. The demo from Maranan was surprisingly brief for an overview of software I’ve frankly never personally used; it’s that intuitive now, with a user-friendly interface and great cloud connectivity. Of course, my old friend the J750 3D printer was also at their booth. It was our first visit since Colorado, and it was nice to see the machine looked just as at home at RAPID as it had at OtterBox.

Art:

The 3D Art Gallery at RAPID this year offered a great glimpse into the creations of talented artists. Clare has also taken a look at just what makes art “art” (or not?), inspired through looking at some of the pieces on display in the gallery. The pieces, arrayed around what would Wednesday night be the fashion show’s runway, drew quite a lot of attention and made for a great gathering place to examine the pieces and share ideas. Below are just a couple of the pieces that were on display, as well as their artists’ attributions.

Fashion:

I’ve covered the fashion show separately in its own full piece, but the impact the show had on RAPID is not to be ignored. While models stomp down a lot of runways, it isn’t every day that the collections feature 3D printing (well, admittedly the fashion shows we cover here do focus that way). It’s always worth another look to see wearable 3D printed pieces, both functional and fantastic!

Exhibit Floor:

And, of course, with more than 200 exhibitors displaying, the exhibit floor itself provided an incredible look at some fabulous technology. Below is a very quick glimpse at some of what there was to see!

Did you attend this event? Discuss further in the RAPID 2016 3D Printing Tradeshow forum over at 3DPB.com.

[All photos/videos taken on-site at RAPID by Sarah Goehrke for 3DPrint.com]