PLAST3D
It is hard to walk through any of the halls at PLAST 2015 in Milan and not stumble upon an example of the intricacies made possible with specialist laser sintering material, or the design freedom borne out of innovative additive manufacturing machinery, or pellets in all colours of the rainbow chemically mastered to make accurate product design prototypes. Yes, 3D printing has found its place amid the noise and colour of the plastics processing machinery and material development giants.
It is only right, therefore, that PLAST 2015 host a specialist 3D printing conference.
3D Printing: Today & Tomorrow, investigated the industrial and social impacts of generative manufacturing yesterday (May 6th, 2015) to a packed audience.
Giampaolo Azzoni and Ferdinando Auricchio, Professors at the University of Pavia, introduced the impact on society of a sector verging on the "third industrial revolution", combining the immediacy of IT-mediated production with classical industrial methodology.
The ability to manufacture objects directly from virtual models opens up a new dimension for manufacturing and a new focus for industrial research. A market is taking form where specialised
industry will be flanked by technically-equipped service providers to respond directly to consumer needs.
This marks the rebirth of a do-it-yourself ethic, which promotes plastic as a material to be used by consumers in their work processes, even on a daily basis. This is the key to understanding the words of Promaplast Managing Director, Mario Maggiani, when he talks about acquainting "young people with plastic", distancing its image from the idea of overproduction and pollution and replacing it with one of human-scale products.
In this rapidly developing context, industry is orienting its efforts to the development of machinery and materials that can have an influence on production methodologies.
The conference closed with a speech regarding healthcare applications of 3D printing, where it will be possible to record and reproduce anatomical elements to create products specific to each individual, spurring new developments for markets associated with medical research.
