CES 2023 keeps eyes on 3D printing as “technology of the future”

As the largest consumer electronics, show in the world, CES has always looked to 3D printing with curiosity and high expectations. In recent years, 3D printing has partially delivered on its promise as a consumer technology, with low-cost desktop 3D printers now sold by the millions (as shown by 3dpbm’s Polymer AM report) and many new consumer products often using 3D printing for development and low batch manufacturing.

Many consumer electronic products on display are created using 3D printing technology, although this is not always highlighted by the manufacturer. The show’s organizers do see the technology as an enabling and key technology for the future.

The annual CES event, ‘the global stage for innovation’, is set to take place, once again, in Las Vegas from 5 January –  8 January 2023. CES, owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), is one of the most influential tech events in the world, where some of the biggest brands in the sector, from German automotive to low-cost Chinese manufacturing, meet new partners and test the market for new products.

The event features topics and technologies such as 5G, cryptocurrency and blockchain, artificial intelligence, food technology, robotics and drones, space technology, Web3 and the metaverse, and, of course, 3D printing – to name only a few. At the event, there are expected to be more than 3,100 exhibitors, and more than 4,700 registered media, representing 173 regions from around the world.

Two 3D printing companies that have previously exhibited at CES are formlabs, and 3D Music. Last year, formlabs used its platform at CES to launch its Form 3+ and Form 3B+ 3D printers, and 3D Music demonstrated its 3D printed, colorful hard plastic violins that were printed on-site.

“What makes our instruments special is that they are resistant to temperature and humidity and can withstand falls that would destroy a traditional wooden violin. We plan on using CES to do market testing. We know there is a market for student players, but we plan to introduce our new full-size violins at CES this year,” said Matthew Canel, Founder of 3D Music.

Among this year’s 3D printing-realted participants at CES, KOKONI, a Chinese technology-based enterprise focusing on the research, development, production and sale of 3D digital printer products, will launch its AI-powered KOKONI SOTA printer – which the company claims has the fastest printing speed in the consumer-level 3D printer industry, with maximum accuracy and stability.

Other exhibitors include two French companies – HANDDDLE, known for developing SMART FARM – an intelligent and secure 3D printing microfactory that collects and analyses data from production environments, and Lynxter, a multi-material and multi-process 3D printing company that will present its new S300X silicone printer.

Some featured speakers at this year’s CES event include Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, Adena Friedman, President and CEO of Nasdaq, Inc., Jeremi Gorman, President of Global Advertising at Netflix, Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellantis, and Oliver Zipse, Chairman of the Board of Management at BMW AG.

“Don’t be left in the past as we shape the future,” reads CES’ designated 3D printing page.