Huntington Place hosts North America’s largest 3D printing event

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Huntington Place was packed on Wednesday with groundbreaking innovations that bring a cool look into the future of manufacturing.

Local perspective:

Thousands of experts from around the world attended North America’s largest and most influential industrial 3D printing or "Additive Manufacturing" event.

So what is Additive Manufacturing? It’s basically synonymous with 3D printing, layer-by-layer fabrication of objects from digital models. Almost anything you can imagine is printed into reality.

"The cool thing about additive manufacturing, you can print anything you like, if you can design it in art, you can usually print it in art," Director of Events David Morton from SME said. 

Big picture view:

Rapid Plus TCT is North America's largest additive manufacturing or 3d printing event. It sounds techy but really it’s all about getting things made innovatively, fast and well.

That includes parts for vehicles that were made in Livonia, to hopefully get more cows out the door faster in Michigan.

"A lot of innovations are happening here at rapid were very excited about new equipment, new materials, and new software across our entire spectrum," said Fadi Abro from Stratasys.

What's next:

3d printing revolutionized nearly every industry, including sporting goods, medical devices, aerospace, automotive, and even defense.

"It’s just a fantastic opportunity to lift up all of the manufacturing potential in this area," said Morton.

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology,  the global market for 3d printing products and services is valued at approximately $13 billion in 2020. 

Projections show the industry could reach $16 billion by the end of 2025.