Invited lectures 2016

Countless organizations of all types and sizes are considering additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing—terms that are used interchangeably. They are hard at work trying to understand where it is going and where they fit in. Many are awestruck by the technology and investing large amounts of money. Diegel will underscore some of the developments that have led to this phenomenon and will emphasize some of the most important trends from the recent past. He will also share his thoughts about the importance of Design for Additive Manufacturing as a key to the adoption of AM by industry.

Olaf Diegel is an associate consultant with Wohlers Associates, as well as professor of product development at Lund University in Sweden. He is heavily involved in all aspects of product development, in which additive manufacturing is become an increasingly important tool, and is widely published in the areas of additive manufacturing and rapid product development. In his consulting practice he develops a wide range of products for companies around the world. Over the past 10 years he has developed over 80 commercialized new products and, for this work, has received numerous product development awards. He also manufactures and sells a range of 3D printed guitars that have gained notoriety as examples of real-world applications of additive manufacturing.