[rp-ml] EuroMold Conference Concentrates on the Factory of the Future

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EuroMold Conference Concentrates on the Factory of the Future

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, USA, September 29, 2008-DEMAT GmbH (Frankfurt, Germany) and Wohlers Associates, Inc. have announced their 10th annual international conference to coincide with the EuroMold 2008 trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany. This year's conference, titled Factory of the Future: Manufacturing by Additive Fabrication, will occur on Friday, December 5 at EuroMold 2008. The trade fair is December 3-6 at the Exhibition Center Frankfurt.

In the past, this conference has covered the latest developments and trends in rapid product development and additive fabrication (AF). This year's conference will review entirely new types of manufacturing organizations, their structures, types of products they offer, and how they manufacture and distribute them. A growing number of large and medium size organizations are using AF to manufacture products, but it is some of the small, start-up companies that are the most interesting. AF and the Internet are leveling the playing field, allowing almost anyone from anywhere to manufacture products.

Mr. Ed Fries, CEO of FigurePrints (USA), will kick off the event as keynote speaker. He will discuss the production of custom products from World of Warcraft, the most popular video game. In less than a year, FigurePrints has grown to become the largest and most successful business of its kind, with thousands of custom products sold. What's more, tens of thousands of customers are joining a lottery each month, hoping to get a chance to place an order. As a former vice president at Microsoft, Mr. Fries grew Microsoft Game Studios from 50 people to over 1,200 and published more than 100 games, including many top sellers.

"The subject of this conference is significant," said Dr. Eberhard Döring, chief executive at DEMAT, the organizer of EuroMold. "We have evidence to suggest that additive fabrication will dramatically impact manufacturing in new and exciting ways in the future," Döring stated. Volume manufacturing of standard products will not disappear, nor will most conventional methods of manufacturing. However, many new kinds of products and companies are emerging as people uncover the vast capabilities of AF.

Last year, 1,654 exhibitors from 43 countries and 61,720 engineers, managers, and executives from 85 countries met at EuroMold. Those in attendance represented a wide range of industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, medical, packaging, furniture, sports, and toys.

DEMAT organizes some of the most successful trade fairs in Europe. For more information on EuroMold and the December 5 conference, visit http://www.euromold.com. Wohlers Associates is an independent consulting firm that provides technical, marketing, and strategic advice on the new developments and trends in rapid product development and additive fabrication. For more information, visit http://wohlersassociates.com.

  
The December 5 international conference at EuroMold will feature the following topics and speakers:

Keynote: The Rapid Reality of FigurePrints
Mr. Ed Fries
CEO
FigurePrints (USA)

Factories at Home: Promoting Innovation and the Future of Personal Fabrication
Dr. Evan Malone
Post-Doctoral Research Assistant and Co-creator of Fab@Home
Cornell University (USA)

Rapid Manufacturing at Work at FutureFactories
Mr. Lionel Dean
Creative Director
FutureFactories (England)

Consumer Goods from Additive Fabrication
Mr. Bart Van der Schueren
Director of Industrial Services
Materialise (Belgium)

Enabling Consumer Production Through Rapid Manufacturing
Mr. Peter Weijmarshhausen
CEO
Shapeways (The Netherlands)

Rapid Manufacturing of Surgical Devices: Challenges and Rewards
Mr. Andy Christensen
President
Medical Modeling Inc.

Laser Sintering/Melting in the Dental Industry
Mr. Horst Dreger
Founder and CEO
DFW Dental Fräswerk AG (Germany)

The 2020 Factory: Rapid, Green, and Lean
Mr. Jim Williams
President & CEO
Paramount Industries (USA)

The Future of Manufacturing
Mr. Terry Wohlers
Principal Consultant and President
Wohlers Associates, Inc. (USA)
Received on Tue Sep 30 02:54:44 2008