We may not be able to gather in person, but the conversations are continuing for the 3D printing industry.
With the precautionary cancellations of at least the spring calendar’s traditionally busy 3D printing events calendar, it might be easy to make the leap that it’s a difficult time for the industry to connect. Not so, say digital manufacturing enterprises: let’s connect digitally.
And so many events have been relocating to the digital space, with virtual conferences, webinars, and more picking up at an ever-quickening pace. We’ve been doing our part to be involved as well, hosting our own Rapid-Fire Interview Day (many more interviews coming soon!), launching a new dedicated newsletter for everyone to have easy access to details about upcoming webinars — and taking part in more 3D printing industry efforts to stay connected.
Video Series
One interesting rising effort we’re seeing come up are new video series launches.
Somewhere between webinar and interview, these new series feature Zoom-based conversations that take only a few minutes to watch. The conversations are either based on a single topic with several expert contributors or feature one expert perspective.
I’ve had the great pleasure to participate in two of these series, speaking with Authentise and Xometry to catch up and share my own perspective on the additive manufacturing industry as it stands today.
Authentise AM Experts Interviews
Authentise is going topic-by-topic with its new Authentise AM Experts Interviews series.
The first video, released last week, covers remote working — a new way of work life for many. They describe the offering:
“The first video of a new series by Authentise on how AM experts are dealing with the COVID-19 crisis, and planning for the future of production in a post-pandemic world.
This video is centered on REMOTE WORKING: How has remote work impacted your job, company interactions, work-life?”
Check out this topic as tackled by Laura Gilmour, Global Medical Business Development Manager at EOS North America; Greg Waters, Founder and Director of Additae; and me (Sarah Goehrke, Managing Editor at Fabbaloo and Founder at Additive Integrity). We spoke with Jordan Sousa, Business Development, North America at Authentise.
Authentise will be releasing more videos soon.
Ok Xoomer
Xometry is featuring creative engineers and more in their new series, the delightfully titled Ok Xoomer.
Individual interviews with Aaron Lichtig, Vice President, Growth Marketing at Xometry, allow for more in-depth conversations with a wide variety of industry participants.
I had the pleasure of being the first interview, sharing my perspective on the Ok Xoomer list of questions and veering off into my thoughts on the realities of 3D printing; they describe the video:
“Where is 3D Printing Going? Sarah Knows. In this first episode of Ok Xoomer — Zoom chats with creative engineers and more — Aaron Lichtig, the Xometry guy and former Jeopardy champion, interviews Sarah Goehrke, owner of Additive Integrity and Editor and Fabbaloo, on 3D printing and the future of additive manufacturing.”
Xometry has now released further interviews, with Ok Xoomer featuring episodes with:
- Evan Weinstein, recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and owner/founder of Cocoa Press, on the future of chocolate 3D printing and why it’s a great time to be a mechanical engineer
- Jon Bostock, CEO and founder of Truman’s, to uncover the secrets of new product development and why your supply chain is in need of a good cleaning
- Matteo del Ninno, CTO & Founder of JumpLights… to shed some light on why horticulture is the next big industry ripe for disruption
The Value Of Videos
As much as I love written word and am obviously a proponent of written content, videos are a popular offering at any time — and right now have a unique value: face time.
The lack of industry events is a unique pain point, as it takes away some of the highlights of in-person interactions, such as networking and building relationships. Let’s face it, it’s also just nice to see another human and put a face to a name, to know who you’re talking to and get a feel for the person behind the email address or support line.
Video series like these from Authentise and Xometry are a great resource that fit neatly into the physical isolation of 2020. While it’s so important that we all continue to socially distance and do our best to help see infection rates continue to trend downward, that doesn’t mean that with this wealth of technology we need to be completely isolated.
This industry is growing and thriving, and it’s great to see it continue to come together, to gain each other’s insights and perspectives through bite-sized videos. I’m glad to participate in these conversations, of course, but more than that: I’m so happy to see them happening at all.
Keep talking, keep sharing, let’s keep this industry moving forward.
