From: Terry Wohlers (tw@wohlersassociates.com)
Date: Tue Oct 28 2003 - 19:46:33 EET
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
EuroMold 2003 to Feature Conference on Worldwide
Advances and Setbacks in Rapid Prototyping
FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, October 28, 2003 -- DEMAT GmbH and Wohlers Associates, Inc. announced today an industry conference titled Worldwide Advances and Setbacks in Rapid Prototyping, Tooling & Manufacturing. This special one-day event will focus on new applications and technologies for rapid prototyping that promises to satisfy the interests of both veterans and newcomers. The event features world-class speakers that will share their opinions and advice on the latest and most interesting methods of prototyping, tooling, and rapid manufacturing. The conference will be held on Friday, December 5, 2003, in Frankfurt, Germany.
"Companies are discovering amazingly creative ways of applying additive manufacturing technologies," said Terry Wohlers, chairman of the conference and president of Wohlers Associates. "Applications range from rigorous prototyping and functional testing to advanced methods of tooling," he explained. "What's more, it's now feasible to use RP technology to manufacture series production parts in quantities of one to several thousand. A number of pioneering companies are currently doing it," Wohlers said.
A vast amount of R&D is underway that is sure to lead to new advances. However, the industry is plagued with a number a problems and obstacles that are challenging vendors, service providers, customers, and educators. Among them are a lack of awareness, cost of entry, unfulfilled expectations, poor performance by key players, and legal troubles. The conference will address both the advances and setbacks.
The international conference is a part of EuroMold 2003, a trade fair that is expected to draw more than 50,000 engineers, toolmakers, managers, and executives from around the world. The trade fair is December 3-6, 2003, at the Frankfurt Exhibition Center in Frankfurt, Germany. "This year, an estimated 1,600 exhibitors from nearly 50 countries are expected to exhibit," explained Diana Schnabel and Dr. Eberhard Döring, chief executives at DEMAT, the organizer of EuroMold. "In the past, rapid prototyping has ranked as a topic of high interest among those who attend."
Ten speakers from around the world will participate in the conference, including individuals from adidas, Bosch Power Tools, Jaguar Racing, and Siemens Hearing Instruments. The Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations (GARPA), a non-profit organization, has endorsed it and is participating in the event. In 1998, GARPA was co-founded by Wohlers.
DEMAT GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) organizes some of the most successful trade fairs in Europe. For more information on EuroMold and the special conference, phone 49 69 27 40 03 15, fax 49 69 27 40 03 40, or visit http://www.euromold.com.
Wohlers Associates, Inc. (Fort Collins, Colorado, USA) provides technical, marketing, and strategic consulting on the new developments and trends in product development, prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing. For more information, visit http://wohlersassociates.com.
More information on GARPA is available at http://www.garpa.org.
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