At 3DPRINTUK our days are always busy on-site at our factory. This week, however, for some of our team, the last two days have been busy in a different way — at TCT 3Sixty.
As the UK’s largest dedicated 3D printing and additive manufacturing trade show, TCT 3Sixty has been an annual pilgrimage for us, and even though it has moved from its traditional Autumn spot on the calendar to early Summer, we returned to the NEC in Birmingham, to Hall 9 this time around, and set up shop.
Hall 9 at the NEC welcomed visitors to TCT 3Sixty
Visitors to our stand were generally buzzing with anticipation and excitement. And not just because of our recently announced price drop for our MJF service — mostly it was because they were out and amongst like-minded people, with no restrictions placed on them. There were even a few hugs going on around the place too — and we were all in.
With this being our 10th year in attendance (let’s ignore the Covid years) we are able to compare our previous experiences over the years. In the beginning, our role at a show like this was always about education, often at a basic level, explaining the concept of 3D printing, its applications and where and why polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) fits within the industry landscape.
Across the last 11 years, this has changed dramatically. This week the conversations we have been having with visitors — both new and familiar faces — have been based on very direct questions about how we could potentially help them with clearly defined objectives and a broad knowledge and understanding of 3D printing was obviously already embedded.
The majority of visitors to TCT 3Sixty invariably attend in an industrial capacity — looking for 3D printing solutions to industrial problems, whether for product development or for manufacturing, or somewhere in between. This is our area of expertise, and sharing this with our clients is our raison d’être.
The 3DPRINTUK team saw a noticeable increase in questions about 3D printing for manufacturing applications.
Low volume production has featured heavily in our conversations this week, when we have been able to demonstrate — with sample parts and material packs — exactly how the SLS and MJF 3D printing processes can bridge the gap between prototyping and injection moulding. This is achieved by delivering quality parts, in a timely fashion, that meet design function requirements in a cost-effective way. Our pricing structure and competitive cost-per-part are really what sets us apart as a service partner and we will continue to research and implement our findings to bring keep bringing costs down.
For this week though, thank you to everyone that visited the stand, if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to reach out. If you couldn’t make it to TCT 3Sixty but want to know more — please let us know and we can set up a visit.
The 3DPRINTUK team on site for TCT 3Sixty. From left to right, Chris, Nick and Jason.