The fountain show at the Bellagio provides a nice Vegas background for the week
As CES continued, the energy never abated in Las Vegas. With most of the major announcements having been made on Thursday and Friday, that left Saturday and Sunday more available for time to walk the exhibit floors — and there was certainly a lot to see, as the Consumer Technology Association explained:
“With more than 3,800 exhibiting companies and exhibit space of more than 2.6 million net square feet, CES 2017 was a record-breaker, welcoming the world’s biggest companies in addition to hosting more than 600 startups at the Eureka Park Marketplace. More than 175,000 industry professionals, including 55,000 from outside the U.S., convened in Las Vegas to drive the ever-evolving global technology industry forward.”
This show, the 50th annual CES event, offered exciting new technology at every turn. And of course, the opportunity to catch up with companies in tech that remain exciting without having timed their latest releases for January.
One of my first stops Saturday was at CRP USA, where I chatted with Stewart Davis, Director of Operations, and Andrew Baker, Regional Sales Manager – South Eastern Territory. CRP Group’s WINDFORM materials offer great strength for 3D printing projects that range from smart golf clubs to drones to satellite components, and I was able to check out both at the booth. Davis told me that many of the applications they’ve seen for WINDFORM have been trickle-up design, rather than the more common trickle-down we’ve seen; WINDFORM was originally developed specifically for racing applications, but these trickled up to aerospace following strong performance.
At the MakerBot booth, I was very sorry to have not stopped by earlier in the show — and not just because Shaq and Dan Gilbert had stopped by the day before. Lauren Goglick, General Manager, North America, noted that while the company had no announcements here, they were showcasing their solutions that had been rolled out in September, and were getting a great reception from educators and other customers right on the floor as they showcased what is possible. Goglick mentioned that 2017 will be a big year for firmware, and we can also expect to see a continued focus on Thingiverse Education and MakerBot in the Classroom, which has already grown to more than 150 lesson plans available. The company is focusing as well on the business side, expanding their presence in LA and building out their US network — and of course continuing to recover from the rollercoaster the company had been on for a few years.
Among the other companies I stopped by to chat with were M3D and Airwolf 3D. Airwolf’s new HydroFill soluble support material was front and centre at their booth, with a big bowl of water set up as a demonstration.
At the XYZprinting booth, a massive structure showcasing 3D printers, 3D printing pens, robotics, STEAM curricula and more, crowds gathered throughout the show to check out all of the options available from the largest player in the desktop segment of this industry. We’ll be touching base with them very soon to catch up on all their most recent announcements.
Below are more photos from CES 2017.
