rapid.tech 3D in Erfurt is introducing a new Excellence Award, with which the trade fair will, for the first time, recognize industrial applications of additive manufacturing. Applications are possible until 31 December 2025 and, according to the organizer, are free of charge. The focus is not on concept studies, but on projects and products that have transferred additive processes into practice in a technologically sound, repeatable, and economically viable way.
Only submissions that can demonstrate measurable results are eligible and must show that additive manufacturing achieved goals that could not have been realized in the same way using conventional production routes. In this way, the award targets typical hurdles of industrialization, such as robust process windows, documented parameter chains, material and part qualification, and traceable quality assurance across production runs.
“The Excellence Award makes visible what truly matters in industrial additive manufacturing,” says Dr. Özlem Weiss, CEO of expertants and a member of the rapid.tech 3D advisory board. “For us, excellence does not mean the ‘cool print,’ but the combination of design, material, process stability, quality assurance, documentation, and successful market application.”
The award is aimed at companies, collaborations, and start-ups from the DACH region. It will be presented in three categories that cover typical value propositions of industrial AM: Improve.Performance., Reduce.Costs., and Rethink.Design.. Evaluation is based on defined criteria by an expert jury drawn from the rapid.tech 3D advisory boards. Up to nine projects will be nominated before a community vote determines the finalists.
In addition to the award itself, the trade fair promises visibility as well as access to partners and jury feedback—something that can also serve internally as an argument for investments and budgets.
“Many innovation awards reward the beginning of an idea. We care about the proof,” Weiss continues. “Anyone who has implemented innovation in a stable, repeatable, and economically viable way deserves visibility. The Excellence Award builds trust in the technology and sets new benchmarks in the market.”
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