DEARBORN, MI – The Society of Manufacturing Engineers RAPID 2012 Conference and Exposition in May provided real-world examples of how additive manufacturing is revolutionizing the way new products are designed, prototyped and produced.

The event revealed that 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies are gaining in popularity and acceptance among the world’s manufacturers and engineering professionals.

The program offered 3D imaging and additive manufacturing conference sessions and workshops with presentations from more than 60 technical papers about 3D imaging, medical and dental industry, transportation industry, final part production, additive manufacturing applications, rapid technologies, metal casting, and direct write printed materials for electronics.

An “Exhibitor Innovation” award was presented to 3D printer OEM Mcor Technologies. A “Best in Show” award was presented to Ex One Company. ExOne has more than $50 million dollars invested in research and product development to pioneer the evolution of nontraditional manufacturing.

The RTAM/SME Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award was presented to Emanuele Magalini (Eurocoating Spa) for “Biological Evidences of Benefits for Additive Manufactured Porous Titanium Foams.”

The Industry Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Brent Stucker (University of Louisville) and Pat Picariello (ASTM International) for their contributions to the ASTM F42 Committee on Additive Manufacturing Technologies.

ST. LOUIS – Viasystems Group says it has completed its $283 million acquisition of DDi Corp.

Viasystems originally announced the acquisition April 4.

The combined company provides a North American manufacturing presence serving high-mix, low-to-medium-volume manufacturing.

The company now has more than 15,600 employees and manufacturing floor space exceeding 4.3 million sq. ft. in China and 1 million sq. ft. in North America.

OYSTER BAY, NY – ABI Research forecasts 208 million phablets will be shipped globally in 2015.

Global shipments for phablets (with a touch screen size between 4.6" and 5.5") will increase by a factor of 10 in 2012 from 2011.

Despite the slow start for phablet smartphones in 2011, the research firm believes the market is at the dawn of the phablet era. HTC, LG and Sony will each introduce phablet smartphones in 2012, joining the ranks of Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Nexus. Samsung will also release the Galaxy S3 by the end of May, ABI says.

With the predicted boom of phablet devices over the next two to three years, media tablet manufacturers may be worried, says ABI. In 2011, 65 million media tablets were shipped globally. More than 100 million media tablets are projected to be shipped globally in 2012. ABI Research believes hybrid smartphone/tablet will compete only with the smaller media tablet (below 7"). These smaller media tablets are forecasted to remain the smallest segment of the total media tablet market.