On Sept 26, AEC Magazine’s sister publication, DEVELOP3D, hosted its first ever conference and exhibition on US soil for a wonderfully intimate celebration of design, engineering and technology
DEVELOP3D LIVE UK has become renowned for its eclectic conference program, with over 40 speakers sharing insights on all aspects of design, engineering and manufacturing – even the occasional superhero and dragon.
Delivering this same format for an intimate 14 speaker event in Boston, USA was a daunting task, but we felt it was important to do so. DEVELOP3D LIVE is not only about education — through presentations and live demonstrations of the very latest in product development technology — but also about creating an environment that encourages the sharing of ideas to foster creativity. Networking should not only be between direct peers, but across disciplines.
Architect Jorge Barrero, HKS, whose 3D printed building presentation captivated an audience of industrial designers, product designers, engineers, manufacturers and venture capitalists found this melting pot particularly stimulating. Many of the leading CAD software developers and 3D print manufacturers were seen discussing the future of our industry over a friendly drink.
Collaboration on a larger scale was explored by William Annal, Scotrenewables, whose distributed team relies on cloud-based CAD to design its tidal energy machines.
We also had some amazing designers share their stories. Gustavo Fontana, Bose, detailed the audio equipment manufacturer’s advanced industrial design process, which gives designers freedom to choose from a smorgasbord of product development technology. Jon Friedman, Freight Farms, wowed the audience with his story of how a standard shipping container can be turned into an automated vertical hydroponic farm. John DePiano, explored the future of product development – from robotics to products – highlighting the BIOSwimmer, an underwater vehicle that replicates the dynamics of a fish.
Industrial grade 3D printing for end-use parts — of all sizes — also took centre stage with Rize, Stratasys, Markforged and Formlabs all presenting the very latest tech.
DEVELOP3D LIVE Boston concluded with a networking drinks reception on the exhibition show floor. Then it was all on to the new Autodesk BUILD space for more fun, drinks, food, robots and inappropriate headwear!
We all had a truly wonderful time. So, from the DEVELOP3D Editorial team we’d like to say a huge thanks to everyone — delegates, speakers, and sponsors — for helping make it such a memorable event. Bring on 2017.
Plans are already underway for DEVELOP3D LIVE USA 2017. To be kept informed register your interest at d3dliveUSA.com
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