Germany's oldest congress trade fair for additive manufacturing (AM) is to be held as a hybrid event with live and digital formats for the first time next year from May 4 to 6. "We are preparing Rapid.Tech 3D 2021 in the knowledge that it will be different from the 16 previous events. Our top priority for all activities is the health and safety of all participants. We have developed a comprehensive hygiene concept. Our familiar triad of congress, exhibition and networking will be flanked by the new triad of health, safety and trust," explains Michael Kynast, Managing Director of Messe Erfurt.

The centerpiece of the event, the Rapid.Tech 3D specialist congress, can be experienced both on site and digitally online. According to Messe Erfurt, it will be able to flexibly adapt its premises to the number of participants and enable safe on-site meetings. In addition, for the first time it will be possible to follow all sessions of the three-day congress online and interact with the speakers.

The structure of the conference is also new. The opening day will be all about AM and sustainability with keynotes, panel discussions and the new Design Forum. All visitors who attend the trade exhibition on 4 May can take part in the conference program free of charge on the first day of the trade fair. On the following days, scientists and experts from the field will present the latest industry-specific findings on industrial 3D printing.

The Rapid.Tech 3D exhibition focuses on on-site presence. The first companies from central and southern Germany have already registered. "After months of video conferences and webinars, we sense that the AM community is increasingly looking for a direct exchange with existing and potential partners and wants to present and discuss new developments and services. This only works with face-to-face events. That's why we will also create safe conditions for exhibitors, visitors and congress participants to exhibit and network, to understand, see and experience AM against the backdrop of coronavirus," emphasized Michael Eichmann from Stratasys and Prof. Dr. Gerd Witt from the University of Duisburg-Essen, the two chairmen of the Rapid.Tech 3D advisory board, on the fringes of the advisory board meeting.

Additive manufacturing is experiencing another significant boost, especially in these pandemic times. Hardly any other industry has reacted as quickly and innovatively to the coronavirus crisis as the AM sector. It was the first to present solutions shortly after bottlenecks were reported in the medical sector. 3D printing also proved to be a way of bridging interrupted supply chains and minimizing the risks of global sourcing. Bringing production closer to the customer also reduces transportation routes and pollutant emissions, thus contributing to a sustainable economy. These topics are increasingly the focus of Rapid.Tech 3D. Solutions for efficient and sustainable AM applications will be presented in 2021.