Editorial

Citation

Stucker, B. (2006), "Editorial", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 12 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/rpj.2006.15612eaa.001

Editorial

This edition of the Rapid Prototyping Journal is made up primarily of a collection of papers chosen from the 2005 Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (SFFS). They represent a broad cross-section of the types of excellent papers that were presented. I would like to acknowledge the significant help of Prof. David Bourell at the University of Texas at Austin for his partnership in selecting and editing these papers.

The selection of, editing, and publishing of these articles has caused me to reflect on the state of the rapid prototyping industry and particularly upon the state of conferences related to RP. I recently saw an individual at an orthopedic conference who has been involved in additive fabrication research for many years, but who I had not seen at any of the major RP conferences recently. His attitude, which I think is reflected by many, is that since there have been very few “new” layer-based technologies developed recently, there is nothing new to learn from attending an RP-related conference.

My experience over the past couple of years, however, has convinced me that it is still well worth the time and money to attend RP conferences today. As additive layer-based technologies have matured, there are increasing numbers of unique applications for these technologies, new materials being developed, and new opportunities for collaboration and funding. The benefits I have directly received from attending RP conferences over the past few years have included:

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  learning about new technologies which I have subsequently purchased and use;

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  meeting individuals who have subsequently funded research that I am performing; and

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  meeting collaborators with whom I have successfully submitted proposals and am now performing collaborative research.

In my case, when I want to learn new things about RP, I prefer attending a conference which will expose me to a broad cross-section of technologies, applications and disciplines. Most RP-related conferences target either academic researchers or industrial users of RP technologies. There are a few, however, that still seek to serve both audiences.

For the most up-to-date research going on around the world, I like the annual “Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium” held in Austin, Texas, and the relatively new “International Conference on Advanced Research in Virtual and Rapid Prototyping (VRAP)” held biennially in Leiria, Portugal. Based on my experience, these have a track record of the largest attendance at the sessions and the most breadth of topics covered. For industry-based conferences which include a significant trade show component, I would recommend the annual “EuroMold” conference in Europe and the “Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing Conference” in the USA Several other conferences you might consider, are the “International Conference on Manufacturing Automation” which will be held in May 2007 in Singapore, the annual conference held by the Rapid Product Development Association of South Africa (RAPDASA), or the new “Rapid Manufacturing” conference in Loughborough, England.

Although it is very difficult to attend all of these conferences, from both a financial and time perspective, I would highly encourage you to attend one of these over the coming year. If I somehow missed your favorite conference, I apologize and invite you to send me an email with your favorite. I hope to see you at an RP conference soon.

Brent Stucker