(SME: West Springfield, MA) -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME) RAPID Conference and Exposition is North America’s definitive additive manufacturing event, held in conjunction with the 3D IMAGING Conference and Exposition. This year’s event will be held May 23–26, 2011, in Minneapolis.

Additive manufacturing technologies are rapidly gaining acceptance in industries such as aerospace and defense, architecture, medical, motor vehicles, consumer products, and arts and entertainment. Attend and experience first-hand how additive manufacturing and 3-D printing are being used in the early stages of product design all the way through to final, multiple-part production. Learn how the technologies can reduce design and development time, cut production time frames, and lower costs. Discover how additive manufacturing can expand the boundaries of your imagination and help you produce products that were impossible just a few short years ago.

RAPID 2011 features the latest equipment, materials, technologies, and services in additive/rapid manufacturing, 3-D imaging (scanning), mold and mold making, and quality.

 …