Another year, another fantastic Annual Meeting! On October 8-9, 2024, we had the pleasure of welcoming our members and partners to our Berlin office for two days filled with innovation, collaboration, and celebration. It was a true reflection of everything we’ve accomplished together over the past year, with everyone leaving inspired, full of fresh insights, lasting memories, and perhaps a few new connections to carry into the coming year.
If you couldn’t join us or want to relive the highlights, here’s a recap of what unfolded:
- Women in AM Summit: We kicked things off with an empowering session led by female role models and experts in the field. They shared their stories, wisdom, and, most importantly, loads of inspiration. Attendees also enjoyed coaching sessions that encouraged open dialogue and mentorship, fostering a community that champions female representation in Additive Manufacturing.
- Mobility and Medical Division Get-Togethers: Our Working Groups joined forces to tackle ongoing projects and brainstorm future initiatives. These sessions helped participants explore overlapping interests and collaborate on shared goals, demonstrating the power of working together!
- General Assembly: As part of our two-day event marathon, we hosted the General Assembly of our network, welcoming members to join us as we do every year. Typically, it’s a time to update the community on the past fiscal year, but every two years, members also shape the future of our network by electing the Executive Board. We are grateful to Nicole Friedrich, who has been re-elected as chairwoman, and Florian M. Thieringer, re-elected as a board member, and to Carmen Schmieder re-elected as treasurer. Thank you for your commitment and dedication! This year, we also said farewell to two long-time supporters and founding board members, who chose to retire and enjoy a well-deserved rest. We extend our heartfelt thanks to:
- Prof. Dr. Ing. Claus Emmelmann, Professor and Director at Institut fĂĽr Laser- und Anlagensystemtechnik / iLAS
- Johannes Emmelheinz, Former CEO at Siemens Mobility Customer ServicesThank you both for more than eight years of passion and dedication to MGA and the AM industry. Your contributions have been invaluable, and you will be missed.
We’re also excited to welcome our newly elected Executive Board members:
- Torsten Wehrkamp, Vice President Spare Part Services at Siemens Mobility, now serving as Vice Chairman of the Board after his time on the Advisory Board.
- Welf-Guntram Drossel, Director at Fraunhofer IWU, elected as a Board Member.
- 3D Evening Event: Guests enjoyed a relaxed evening with great food, drinks, and music. The highlight? An interactive “destruction session” featuring 3D-printed boats made from different materials. Yes, attendees had the chance to smash these boats with hammers—safety glasses included!
- Day Two Learning & Exchange: The second day was all about diving into the latest trends and developments in AM. We had presentations, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops covering everything from global advancements to standardized testing procedures for 3D-printed materials.
As we wrap up this year’s meeting, we’re excited about what’s next. Don’t miss our upcoming events: the Dental and RaiLiability Meet Ups at Formnext in Frankfurt (both on November 20—reach out if you’d like to attend!) and the Defense meeting on December 5 at Stratasys Headquarters.
Mark your calendars for next year’s Annual Meeting from September 23-25, 2025!
A huge thank you to our speakers, participants, Working Group leaders, and partners for making this event truly memorable. Your enthusiasm and engagement created the atmosphere that made this year’s meeting another great success. Let’s keep up the momentum as we continue to innovate and collaborate to shape the future of Additive Manufacturing. We look forward to seeing you all soon!
