SiOCAST at Global AM Hubs Summit.
Turning AM prototypes into short-run production with silicone molds
A milestone for European AM: SiOCAST at the Global AM Hubs Summit (Post-Event Recap).
Summary: On September 16–18, 2025, SiOCAST participated in the inaugural Global AM Hubs Summit at DFactory Barcelona as Sponsor & Speakers. Our involvement underscored the reputation we had earned in European Additive Manufacturing and our commitment to a collaborative, innovation-driven ecosystem.
Why this Summit mattered
The first Global AM Hubs Summit brought together AM hubs, technology organizations, and industry leaders to accelerate adoption and align roadmaps—from research to factory floor. Hosted in the DFactory / IAM3DHUB environment, the Summit served as a practical forum to exchange methodologies, compare pilot outcomes, and connect stakeholders across Europe’s AM value chain. For SiOCAST, it was a timely platform to demonstrate how our approach helps manufacturers move from prototype to production with speed, quality, and predictable costs.
Our role: Sponsor & Speakers
As Sponsor & Speakers, we supported the Summit and contributed content focused on agile industrialization—showing how teams could bridge AM with silicone-mold injection to validate products faster, launch short-run series, and supply on-demand spares close to their end customers.
We presented how printed masters become repeatable series through our process with standard industrial materials.
We illustrated stability through documented process windows, targeting repeatability, surface finish, and time-to-first-part that de-risk early tooling decisions.
We discussed integration paths that complemented existing lines rather than replacing them, enabling hybrid production models that preserved CAPEX flexibility.
What we shared on stage
During our talk and panel interventions, we:
Showcased pathways to compress design-to-pilot timelines—turning AM prototypes into short-run production with silicone molds.
Explained cost levers versus conventional tooling, highlighting when to switch (or not) to metal tools.
Outlined service models for on-demand spares that cut lead times and improve SLA adherence.
Detailed quality controls (material selection, mold design practices, injection parameters) that ensured industrial outcomes, not just one-off parts.
Outcomes for the ecosystem
Our post-Summit conversations with hubs, OEMs, and solution partners reinforced three conclusions:
Convergence beats silos. AM succeeds faster when it is paired with downstream processes that deliver repeatability at scale.
Local + agile is becoming standard. European teams increasingly value near-customer production, shorter supply chains, and flexible batch sizes.
Methodology is the differentiator. Speed matters, but documented, repeatable processes turn pilots into reliable production.
Strengthening Europe’s AM capability
Our participation acknowledged the progress we had made over the last years: becoming a reference in the AM community by helping customers industrialize faster with silicone-mold injection. The Summit amplified that trajectory within a truly European setting—linking research, materials, equipment, and manufacturing teams intent on scaling real applications.
What happens next
Following the Summit, we continued engaging with partners on short-run manufacturing, spares on demand, and validation programs that connect AM to production. We also began planning additional case studies to document results in industrial contexts, with the goal of sharing practical benchmarks that others can adopt.
