“And the moon balloons over Formnext Forum Austin” (paraphrasing Derek Walcott). One key word and three takeaways from the show:
Key word: Listen…Listen…LISTEN.
(if you know you know but you can read the post below regardless)
1.Listen to the developments in qualification efforts for those 4-5 novel materials that have recently been developed. You know who the players are. Consider more mature industries, where no new alloys could find a way to the market and enjoy AM’s Age of Differentiation.
(See in the picture George Panourgias and Behrang Poorganji who display with justified pride the impressive parts Morf3D Inc printed with Constellium‘s CP-1 powder. Commoditization can wait: this is what matters now).
2.Listen to voices of optimism in the AM community: Alex Kingsbury is among those who help connecting dots and ideas; James Hockey is one of those who mentors, challenges, unmasks or celebrates peers and newbies. We need this spirit in an industry that is also experiencing consolidations, restructurings.
(So far: reasons to be cheerful. Now, let’s bring-in the elephant in the room)
3.Listen to the loud talking in the packed aisles on day 1 at Formnext Forum Austin. Listen also to the way quieter day 2.
The event was a success, hands down. The EOS facility tour and the event on Railey street surely contributed. Yet some mark points remain.
I found some consensus with regards to companies keeping up to AM shows’ proliferation. It might not be an ‘if’ but a ‘how’: lighter participations, with internal rotation at more shows. Could that be the scenario?
There’s more, I believe:
one show a year brings novelty; one show a month offers continuity.
What does the AM Industry truly need?
It’s probably not binary and we’ll find it out together, right, folks?
Luigi Alzati
VP Sales and Marketing
