#rapidtech3D2026 is behind us. Three days of additive manufacturing in Erfurt, with a strong program, good conversations, and a lot of exchange across the community.
The first ever Exzellenzpreis went to Bausch+Ströbel, recognizing a project that shows exactly what AM looks like when it moves from idea to industrial reality. Second place went to Siemens Energy, third to Siemens Mobility. Three strong projects, and a competition that the community clearly engaged with.
Beyond the main program, new formats made their mark. The Short Courses, developed in partnership with Hochschule Schmalkalden, offered certified training directly alongside the event and were well received. The Fireside Chat brought together two industry voices for a focused conversation on AI and additive transformation, and sparked plenty of discussion in the room. And the Expert Tables, Technical Deep Dives, and AM Science sessions once again delivered the kind of focused, practical exchange that the rapid.tech3D community comes for.
It's a wrap!
Three days of additive manufacturing are coming to an end. Great conversations, strong sessions, and a lot to take home. Thank you to everyone who joined us!
What does additive manufacturing look like when supply chain failure is not an option? Prof. Dr. Fernando Lasagni of novaindef addressed that question in the closing keynote of #rapidtech3D2026, presenting a strategy for transforming defense operational capabilities through the structured implementation of AM.
The keynote covered dedicated manufacturing centers that bring together design, qualification, and production, as well as deployable AM solutions that allow on-demand production in the field.
The use cases he presented were grounded and specific, including the particular demands of naval operations, where corrosion, salt exposure, and moisture set a very different standard for what a component needs to handle. The challenges are real, and so are the results.
Thank you, Prof. Dr. Fernando Lasagni, for closing #rapidtech3D2026 with a keynote that puts AM in a context where operational reliability is not optional.
The final day of #rapidtech3D2026 starts now. Three days go by faster than you think, and Day 3 still has plenty in store. Here is what is on the agenda today.
🛡️ Additive manufacturing and defence. A topic that clearly resonates with the rapid.tech3D community right now. Today's Defence Panel drew one of the biggest crowds of the event, with demand high enough that we opened up additional seating in the gallery.
Moderated by Prof. Dr. Christian Seidel,
Prof. Dr. Fernando Lasagni (novaindef),
Lukas Lohn (Bundeswehr), and
Sascha Hartig (Additive Manufacturing Defense Network)
discussed best practices in the collaboration between the AM industry and the defence sector, from success stories out of Spain to examples of where cooperation between armed forces has driven real results.
The urgency of the topic was perhaps best captured by Sascha Hartig: "The most important resource we have in Europe at the moment is time because time is running out."
A conversation that made clear that additive manufacturing in defence is no longer a future scenario.
Day 2 of #rapidtech3D2026 is in the books. A full day of parallel forum sessions, packed rooms, and the kind of exchange that keeps going long after the last talk of the day. The Forum Automotive & Mobility, Forum Chemistry, Process & Plant Engineering, the AM Science Forum, and the Forum Aerospace & Defence each brought their own energy to what was a strong second day in Erfurt.
Here is a small selection of the many speakers who took the stage today:
🔹 Tobias Geiger (Bausch + Ströbel)
🔹 Jan Wegner (Uni Duisburg-Essen)
🔹 Björn Kunz (Technische Universität Chemnitz)
🔹 Lukas Hohn (Bundeswehr) und Philip Martens (Bundeswehr)
Tomorrow is the final day of #rapidtech3D2026, and there is still plenty to look forward to. The Forum Aerospace & Defence continues, Solutions for AM Industry powered by VDMA takes the stage, and the AM Science Forum goes into its final round. One more keynote to close things out, and in the afternoon the Short Courses return for their second and final session of the event.
💬 The Expert Tables were back at #rapidtech3D2026 today, and delivered once again. What started as a new format last year has quickly established itself as one of the highlights of the event.
Small groups, experienced table captains, and focused exchange on current AM topics, directly on the expo floor where the technology is on display right next door. No stage, no slides, just practitioners and researchers talking through the questions that actually matter to them.
Today's tables covered topics including:
🔹 Towards automated mass production of metal components using ColdMetalFusion
🔹 Open for Industry - Software architectures in additive manufacturing
🔹 Spatially resolved material properties: high-value applications through smart 3D shaping
🔹 Multi-material processing using PBF – hype or a genuine revolution?
🔹 Additively manufactured tools
A big thank you to all table captains and participants.
🔬 The AM Science Poster Session brought researchers and industry professionals together in Hall 2 today. Posters on current AM research were set up directly on the expo floor, with the researchers themselves on hand to walk attendees through their work and answer questions face to face.
The session is an important part of the broader AM Science Track at #rapidtech3D2026, which combines the AM Science Forum with direct exchange between research and industry. For anyone interested in where AM research is heading, there are few better places to find out than standing next to the people doing the work.
🔥 From Code to Component. Karsten Heuser sat down with Vlad Larichev, Principal Engineering & Architecture Data & AI at Accenture, for the first ever Fireside Chat at #rapidtech3D2026.
The conversation centered around AI agents and their potential role in additive manufacturing. It is safe to say the topic hit a nerve, judging by the number of questions that came from the audience. AI in additive manufacturing is clearly a subject the community has a lot of thoughts on.
Thank you to Karsten Heuser and Vlad Larichev for a conversation that got people talking.
Where does additive manufacturing actually stand right now, and what comes next? Stefanus Bosch from BMW Group addressed exactly that in his keynote today.
After years of hype and phases of slower progress, new systems and applications are emerging that could shift the economics of AM in a meaningful way. Bosch gave an inside look at how BMW Group is currently qualifying several of these systems and materials, including new polymers in powder bed that offer real reductions in cost and emissions.
Thank you, Stefanus Bosch, for a keynote that brought an important industrial perspective to #rapidtech3D2026
