TCT 2019 NEC Birmingham

[curious aardvark]

Well it's september 2020 - the year the world came face to face with the reality that the human race is not the top of the food chain.
Viruses are and always have been.

No surprise to anyone - but there will not be a tct show at the nec this year. It will be the first one I've missed in 8 years.
And possibly the last one ever.
It has been scheduled for june next year - but we'll see.

This is pure speculation on my part, but the writing has been on the wall for the last couple of years.
As I stated above the show has gradually changed from a total overview of the entire 3d printing industry - from reprap on up to million pound metal printers.
To a purely industrial set of exhibitors and a very narrow view of the industry in general.

The problem with this is that it's a very niche market.
Most companies - as we see round here - will start small and cheap by buying a basic desktop machine and proofing the whole 3d printing process before investing a ,lot of money in a full industrial machine.

So a trade show that only has the full size industrial grade machine hasb already lost a lot of it's target audience.

Last year the show was dead and the nec halls just echoed and felt empty.

Youtube seems to have taken the place of the trade show for low to middle end machines.

I feel privileged that over the years I've met and talked with many of the engineers and company owners who kick started the desktop 3d printing industry.
It's amazing what you can learn just by chatting with the people who know :-)
Who knew yellow filament was such a swine to make ? The kind of thing you only find out by talking to the uk's only filament manufacturers.
And yeah I still owe them a comprehensive review of their soluble support filament.
Just haven't found a decent use for it yet ;-)

As long as they hold the shows - I'll go.

But I'm not holding my breath that tct will happen in june next year.
I suspect that virtual may well take the place of ordinary reality and zoom conferences take the place of actually talking to someone person to person.
we'll see.

But for this year - there will be no tct report.
:-(