I was fortunate to visit 3D Print Congress & Exhibition both in Lyon and Paris. Having heard that this event is the leading 3D printing show in France, I was curious to find out what it had to offer.
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3D Print Paris 2022 Highlights
Held in the second half of October, 3D Print Paris was competing for the exhibitors and visitors with such a big event as Formnext. Nevertheless, 3D Print Paris was well attended and was really busy, especially on the first day. This year, 3D Print Paris took place in Palais des Congrès, in the city center, a walking distance from the Arch de Triumph.
Lyon vs Paris
3D Print Congress & Exhibition Paris and Lyon, from now on will be held in rotation, one year in Paris, the other in Lyon. You can already see the schedule of future shows.
By visiting both tradeshows, first in Lyon and then in Paris, it is possible to compare them to each other. The tradeshow in Lyon was bigger, all booths/stands were located in one big hall, when in Paris where booths were scattered in two separate halls and hallways. Also, having at the same time another industrial event such as FIP France Innovation Plasturgie in Lyon, made the experience richer for the visitors hunting for innovations in the related industries. Paris is the capital and the financial center of France when holding the event in Lyon makes sense from the perspective that a lot of industries are concentrated there.
Props & Showcases
The visitors could see the implementation of 3D printing in fashion by exploring the 3D Fashion Gallery section. The garments were printed in TPU Ninjaflex on the Hepestos 2 machine.
©3DWithUs – Photo: Max Funkner
Another prop-rich display showcased creations by jv3d. There were a number of human-sized props including Naruto (Manga), C-3PO (Star Wars), Marty McFly (Back to the Future), and a couple of overgrown Pokemons.
©3DWithUs – Photo: Max Funkner
ColorFabb introduced PHA Material
What a surprise it was to find my scanned tree trunk lampshade idea featured by ColorFabb. Their CEO Bert Habets picked the model to feature PHA because, according to his words, it was the “Inspiration from nature, printed with a new material (PHA) that is made by nature and readily biodegradable”. Check ColorFabbs PHA features here.
Start-ups
Similar to other tradeshows 3D Print Paris had a start-up area, where several start-ups were about sustainable 3D printing or materials. There was even a Start-up competition held on the first day of the event, and the winner announced was POOLP, also focusing on sustainability. It was hard to miss their stand because they displayed one big failed print.
As they explained to us, they have been stress-testing their material. It is easy to make a successful print safely, but they needed to learn about the boundaries and the properties of the material that they created. “POOLP is an urban micro-factory based in Seine-Saint-Denis (France), specializing in robotic large-scale 3D printing using local plastic waste as raw material.”
©3DWithUs – Photo: Max Funkner
Notre Dame
A few years ago, one of the questions on the subject of the restoration of the partially destroyed Notre Dame was if 3D printing could help. According to the sources, government wanted to make sure all resources were as authentic as possible. And as there are no problems with the funding, so will be it. As far as we know, no major 3D printing companies takes part in the restoration project. We can still involve 3D printing by creating models of the historic building.
©3DWithUs – Photo: Max Funkner
In conclusion, I want to add that even though 3D Print Paris wasn’t as large as in Lyon, the overall experience was hard to beat. Firstly, it was one of the most desired physical, in-person events that we all missed during the travel restrictions, and the great bonus was that it was held in the heart of beautiful Paris.
3D Print Lyon
This was the second event I visited in a row when a 3D printing event was organized in the same Expo center and at the same time as the plastics event. 3D Print Congress & Exhibition took place alongside FIP France Innovation Plasturgie, literally in the opposite halls, and the pass worked for both of them. In Birmingham, UK, it was TCT 3Sixty and InterplasUK who were even closer neighbors at the NEC Expo in September 2021, divided by a mere retractable belt.
Image: 3DWithUs
Such a combination of trade shows helps to understand and compare the nature and the scale of the industries involved. When visiting one, it is very tempting to see what’s on in the other. In the end, at the same venue, you learn about all aspects of 3D printing together with plastic production and processing and even see injection molding in action. Each hall is packed with innovations!
3D Print Congress and Exhibition
This event is held every year in Lyon, and lately also in Paris. The Lyon trade show is bigger than in Paris, and as I understand, the latter was initially held as a backup for the original. Lyon is the 3rd largest city in France and is known to be a gastronomical center.
Consumer and Industrial Companies Represented
– Consumer. Both industrial and consumer 3D printers were presented at the tradeshow. For example, I noticed multiple booths showcasing Prusa i3 MK3 and at least 3 booths were showcasing Creality’s 3DPrintMill, a belt 3D printer.
– Filament Makers. Due to my personal passion for refill systems, I could not miss the TAGin3D booth that neatly displayed filament refills. They also showcased their master spool. The booth was hard to miss as it had a statue of a giant low poly ape holding a filament spool. That installation consisted of 24 3D printed parts.
– Industrial. Generally, resellers dominated the floor at the event, and alongside consumer brands, we saw multiple known industrial brands, such as Stratasys.
One manufacturer worth mentioning is Pollen AM. Their delta PAM 3D printers work with pallets, and the producer claims that their materials can be 5 to 10 times cheaper than those from the competitors.
Prints & Displays
Athletics 3D – a manufacturer of equipment for international sports competitions. Personalised 3D printed rifle helped France’s Émilien Jacquelin to become the World Champion in biathlon.
DECATHLON – a manufacturer of the own brand of racing bicycles, VanRysel. ADDLAB was approached with the task to develop a more effective material, together with stepping away from carbon material usage. The prototype proved its worth.
Picture: Max Funkner
Read more about 3D printed equipment and installments in Olympic games.
Dassault Systemes – Droid Gany’s bar. This added fun to the event. Genny was circling around the crowds offering juice in return for the answers to several questions.
Conclusion
If you are a manufacturer and want to expand your business to other geographies, such tradeshows are a must to attend. Professionals from various verticals, from medical to aerospace and construction, keep busy brushing through the innovative and diverse 3D printing applications and solutions. Representatives of such industries as automotive or home appliance, or jewelry manufacturers find value in this event, building bridges, expanding or restructuring their businesses.
I am a multiple-language speaking individual, but French, unfortunately, is not in my collection. Was there a language barrier? I didn’t feel it. I received answers to my questions, got some interesting freebies, had successfully posed for pictures, and of course, left my 3DWithUs business cards for future contacts.
Read More: 3D Printing Events – List of Shows & Fairs
We’ve put together a table with important 3D printing events, exhibitions, and fairs that happened or will happen in near future. Here you can also find a brief coverage of the events made by 3D printing community members.
