Without doubt, the impact of COVID-19 is being felt at a pivotal point in the evolution of 3D printing.

Although additive manufacturing (AM) has existed for over forty years, the technology is still progressing as new materials and printing processes continue to be developed.

Imagine a situation where, given a request, a lab automatically chooses what experiments to do, robotically carries this out, tracks the reaction with integrated sensors, acquires and analyzes the results, and then decides what experiment to do next. This seems like science-fiction, but certain truths may be closer than you think.

Tuesday 29 September - The pandemic is wreaking havoc with industries worldwide for many different reasons. This webinar explains how we have assessed the current and likely impact of the pandemic on the 3D printing industry, both the technologies employed and the materials consumed.

Metal powders are the most common feedstock used in metal additive manufacturing.

3D printed electronics, here explored in detail, is an emerging technology that enables a new manufacturing paradigm.

Materials informatics is quickly becoming one of the most significant areas of interest for chemical and material companies.

Metal additive manufacturing has seen many trends over recent years including pushing the (build) envelope & deposition rate to higher levels, broadening the materials portfolio, and expanding into new markets. One trend that cannot be overlooked is the number of product launches for low-cost "desktop" variants; the question is will they be successful?

Mention an electronic circuit and you are likely to picture a printed circuit board (PCB): a rigid rectangle in a characteristic green color with copper lines and a bewildering array of components soldered onto it. But does adding electronic functionality means using a PCB and thus requires shoehorning a rigid rectangle into the product?

Thursday 20 August 2020 - Metal Additive Manufacturing: Short-Term Pain, Long-Term Gain - This webinar includes: Overview of latest market forecast and key trends; Technology benchmarking and new entrant analysis; Latest in material considerations and supply chain progressions; and Deep-dive into relevant sectors and the impact of COVID-19.

The new IDTechEx report, "Sensors 2021-2041" uniquely analyses the whole subject in the light of such seismic changes as the COVID-19 virus. The sensor business is in turmoil. The industries that spend most on sensors are changing as are the sensors.

The metal additive manufacturing market will be negatively impacted by the 2020 pandemic. Despite this short-to-mid-term setback, the industry is forecast to rise and exceed $10Bn within the next 10-years. The emerging and established printer players grab nearly all of the headlines, but most of this forecast annual revenue will be in material sales in which there is great untapped potential.

Nearly every sector is proposing the use of artificial intelligence. Materials science R&D is relatively late to this trend, and there are many industry-specific hurdles, but the opportunities are beginning to be realized and the potential impact is significant.

In the future, all materials scientists and chemists will have access to machine learning tools to enhance their R&D. Seamlessly integrating these underlying operations will not happen quickly, but overlooking the developments in materials informatics will lead to a loss of any competitive advantage.

There is little doubt that additive manufacturing will become a key enabling technology across a wide range of sectors. Over the past few years revenues have grown, notable new entrants have emerged, investments have been significant, and material portfolios broadened.

This webinar from IDTechEx will provide - A technical introduction to the field, A discussion as to why now?, An overview of key players and developments, Key commercial outlooks, Critical appraisal of strategic direction available to industrial users, and Success stories.

Learn about electronics as smart materials bypassing the traditional industry.

In-Mold Electronics (IME) is a process that combines printed electronics with 3D forming and molding to create 3D objects with embedded electronics. The electronics can include interconnects, sensors, rigid IC or LEDs, optical waveguides, and so on.

Which Is Better for the Environment? In recent years, plastic production has accelerated, with global plastic set production to reach 600 million tonnes by 2030 if production continues at its current rate of growth. Most of this plastic is not biodegradable, with 30-50% of it being produced for single-use applications.

Fuel cells able to convert hydrogen into electricity are called to play an important role in the energy transition towards a future with zero-emissions.