About the Course:

Revenues for 3D printing companies have been growing at roughly 26% per year for the past 25 years and are expected to surge from approximately $2.5 billion in 2013 to $6.5 billion in 2017.

Attracted by the ability to achieve rapid prototyping and the elimination of substantial inventory and shipping costs, large manufacturers in an array of industries are embracing 3D printing. Home hobbyists are warming up to 3D printing as the prices of these printers continue to plunge. The retail market is intrigued by the ability to produce a variety of goods, everything ranging from chess pieces to shoes.

Despite the excitement surrounding 3D printing, there are obstacles to continued rapid growth. For instance, there are limited feedstocks available from which to produce 3D products and infringement of intellectual property could thwart the proliferation of 3D printing. Additionally, some aspects of industrial 3D printing and related equipment maintenance can literally be deadly.

The following are among the issues discussed during this session:

• Which industries have the greatest uptake of 3D printing?
• Where do the materials necessary for 3D printing come from?
• How much interoperability exists in the 3D printing industry?
• What are the key metrics to consider when evaluating the purchase of a 3D printer?
• What should a potential buyer do before purchasing a 3D printer?
• What are some of the risks associated with maintaining 3D printing equipment?
• To what extent can 3D printers produce electronic circuitry necessary for electronics products?
• Does offshoring help or hinder 3D printing?
• What is the skill level necessary to perform 3D printing?
• How extensively are high schools and universities teaching students about operating 3D printers?
• How might 3D printing lead to patent infringement?
• Where is the intersection of 3D printing and cloud computing? What is the significance?

Course Leader: Terry Wohlers, MSc., Dr. h.c., FSME, Principal Consultant & President, Wohlers Associates, Inc.

Industry consultant, analyst, author, and speaker Terry Wohlers is president of Wohlers Associates, Inc., an independent consulting firm he founded 27 years ago. The company provides technical and strategic consulting on the new developments and trends in rapid product development, additive manufacturing, and 3D printing. Through this company, Wohlers has provided consulting assistance to more than 190 organizations in 23 countries. Also, he has provided advice to 80 companies in the investment community, most being institutional investors that represent mutual funds, hedge funds, and private equity valued at billions of dollars.

For 30 years, Wohlers has focused his education, research, and practice on design and manufacturing. Over this time, he has authored nearly 400 books, magazine articles, and technical papers on engineering and manufacturing automation. In 2007, more than 1,000 industry professionals from around the world selected Wohlers as the #1 most influential person in rapid product development and additive manufacturing. The results were published in TCT Magazine (UK) as part of its TCT Top 25 Influential People survey.

Wohlers has been cited or quoted in Bloomberg Businessweek, CBS Radio News, CNBC Business, CNNMoney, Computerworld, Discovery News from the Discovery Channel, The Economist, Financial Times, Fortune, Inc. magazine, and Investor's Business Daily. He has also been a part of publications and broadcasts by NPR, Reuters, Scientific American, ScienceNews, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, and countless domestic and foreign magazines, journals, and newspapers. Forbes published an interview with Wohlers in November 2011 and an article about him in March 2012.

Course Length: Approx. 1.0 hours

$175.00 PER USER

Purchase Now:

Need help purchasing this course? Please contact Neomi Barazani at 609-919-1895 ext. 100 or at info@bdacademy.com.