AGMA 3D Printing Committee Wraps Up Fifth Guided Tour at RAPID + TCT 2025
The AGMA 3D Printing Committee completed its fifth annual guided tour of the RAPID + TCT show floor April 8–10 in Detroit, offering members a curated look at some of the most exciting innovations in additive manufacturing. With over 400 exhibitors on display, narrowing the field to just fifteen standout companies was no small task. Nonetheless, the 2025 tour successfully highlighted a diverse mix of material suppliers, machine manufacturers, industry vendors, and breakthrough technologies shaping the future of manufacturing.
This year’s tour featured a strong AGMA connection, showcasing companies and individuals with past and present ties to our organization. Several AGMA member companies were included, such as Nidec, Seco/Vacuum, and ANCA—each providing insights into how additive technologies are being integrated into gear manufacturing processes.
We also reconnected with Igor Ortiz and Piera Alvarez from Etxetar, who were exhibiting at the show. Igor previously presented at AGMA’s Emerging Technology webinar in February, where he discussed how their team used directed energy deposition (DED) to repair gear teeth on a ring gear—an innovative application of additive technology in gear repair. At RAPID, attendees had the opportunity to view actual DED samples from that project and gain a deeper understanding of the process.
A notable stop on the tour was the University of Waterloo’s booth. AGMA previously visited their Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing (MSAM) Lab on campus in 2024, and it was exciting to catch up on the latest research and developments emerging from their program. This is one of the largest additive labs in North America. Their work continues to push the boundaries of metal additive manufacturing, with promising implications for gear and power transmission applications.
We also included a few major industry players. Nikon updated us on the latest offerings from their additive work. They have a lab in California for companies to conduct secure research. Colibrium Additive (formerly GE Additive) displayed a hob printed from tool steel that reached 70 Rockwell hardness. This represented only the second instance we’ve seen of a 3D-printed hob, marking another step forward in tool manufacturing via additive methods.
We met some promising new entrants as well. Freemelt develops advanced 3D printers using electron beam powder bed fusion (E-PBF) and is working on complex tungsten geometries for defense applications. Fictiv is reimagining supply chain logistics by pre-qualifying manufacturers and building comprehensive sourcing solutions for their customers. ToffeeX stood out for its physics-driven generative design software, particularly its unique approach to managing thermal properties. We hope to learn more about their capabilities and potentially invite them for a future webinar.
