Advances in Additive Manufacturing 04.09.2026 Simulation, Hardware & Systems, Digital & AI Integration

The ZHAW School of Engineering hosted a one-day conference bringing together researchers and industry practitioners to explore current developments and future trends in Additive Manufacturing.

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Conference program 2026

Exhibitors

Pictures

As additive manufacturing technologies have matured beyond prototyping into production environments, the integration of simulation tools, advanced hardware systems, and digital/AI technologies becomes critical for ensuring quality, efficiency, and scalability.

The "Advances in AM" conference addresses these transformative developments through dedicated sessions on a range of topics, including but not limited to:

Simulation:
Advanced modelling approaches for design and process optimization, an improved understanding of the process, and a robust and efficient process

Hardware & Systems:
Novel AM equipment, innovative mechanical designs, multi-material systems, and next-generation printing mechanisms

Digital & AI Integration:
Digital twins, machine learning for parameter optimization, closed-loop control, data-driven quality assurance

This event provided a unique platform for knowledge exchange between academic researchers and industrial practitioners, featuring presentations on latest progress, real-world applications, and emerging trends. The conference offerd opportunities to connect with peers, discover novel solutions, and shape the future direction of additive manufacturing technology. It was accompanied by an informative industry exhibition, which offerd an opportunity to speak with solution providers relevant to the field of additive manufacturing.

The conference was followed by a evening reception with apero riche providing an opportunity for stimulating discussions and informal exchanges

ZHAW Platform
Additive Manufacturing

This interdisciplinary platform serves as a central hub for research, development and industrial applications in the field of additive manufacturing. Through modern manufacturing processes, innovative material developments, digital methods, and practical process optimisations, the platform supports companies in the further development and implementation of new additive manufacturing technologies. Every year, members of the platform organise a conference on various key topics.

IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems

Highly loaded mechanical structures are at the core of the applied R&D activities at IMES. In additive manufacturing, our focus is on simulation‑driven lightweight design and process optimization to minimize distortions and residual stresses.

IMS Institute of Mechatronic Systems

At IMS, we develop a wide range of mechatronic systems and robotic solutions. In additive manufacturing, our research focuses on novel printer hardware and advanced slicing strategies to expand process capabilities and overcome existing limitations.

CAI Centre for Artificial Intelligence

The ZHAW Centre for Artificial Intelligence (CAI) is a hub for excellence in applied AI research and application. We focus on human-centric and trustworthy AI research, and on physical AI with applications is advanced manufacturing and various other domains.

Organisation AM Conference 2026

This conference was organized by the IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems, the IMS Institute of Mechatronic Systems, and the CAI Center for Artificial Intelligence of the School of Engineering, and was supported by the Swissmem industry sector SAMG.

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Speaker AM Conference 2026

The following speakers have presented at the ‘Advances in Additive Manufacturing 2026’ conference:

Livio Vorburger, Design Engineer, Beyond Gravity, Zurich
Jayaraman Matthew, Senior Development Engineer, Sauber Technologies, Hinwil
Prof. Dr. Thomas Mayer, IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur
Dr. Ehsan Hosseini, Group Leader Integrity of Mechanical Components, Empa, Dübendorf
Marcel Ehlers, Brand Ambassador & Country Development Manager Germany, Prusa Research, Prague CZ
Stephan Steiner, CEO and Founder, A-Metal, Zurich
Dr. Michael Tucker, Technical Director, ETH, Zurich
Dr. Margarita Bambach, Lab Expert, Oerlikon Metco, Wohlen
Prof. Dr. Alisa Rupenyan, CAI Centre for Artificial Intelligence,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur

Conference Program 2026

08:00
Reception, Coffee

09:00
Welcome
Michael Wüthrich, IMS Institute of Mechatronic Systems,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur

ZHAW Platform Additive Manufacturing
Prof. Dr. Dirk Penner, IMPE Institute of Materials Processing and Engineering,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur

Swissmem SAMG
Fabian Tunzini, Swiss Additive Manufacturing Group / cross-ING

09:30
Design for Additive Manufacturing in the Space Industry
Livio Vorburger, Design Engineer, Beyond Gravity, Zurich

10:00
Coffee Break and Industry Exhibition

10:45
Simulation-Driven AM Development: Integrated Workflows at Sauber Technologies
Matthew Jayaraman, Senior Development Engineer, Sauber Technologies, Hinwil

11:15
Understanding and Optimizing Distortion and Residual Stress in AM Parts using Process Simulation
Prof. Dr. Thomas Mayer, IMES Institute of Mechanical Systems,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur

11:45
Machine Learning for Accelerating High-Fidelity Simulations of PBF-LB/M
Dr. Ehsan Hosseini, Group Leader Integrity of Mechanical Components,
Empa, Dübendorf

12:15
Lunch Break and Industry Exhibition

13:45
Barriers and Breakthroughs in FDM Printing
Marcel Ehlers, Brand Ambassador & Country Development Manager Germany, Prusa Research, Prague CZ

14:15
Overcoming the Challenges of In-House Metal 3D Printing
Stephan Steiner, CEO and Founder, A-Metal, Zurich

14:45
Continuous Rotary Laser Powder Bed Fusion with RAPTURE
Dr. Michael Tucker, Technical Director, ETH, Zurich

15:15
Coffee Break and Industry Exhibition

16:00
End-to‑End Digitalization of Thermal Spray Coating Development:
From Digital Twin to Fully Automated Image Analysis
Dr. Margarita Bambach, Lab Expert, Oerlikon Metco, Wohlen

16:30
Toward Data-Driven Autonomy in Robotic Additive Manufacturing
Prof. Dr. Alisa Rupenyan, CAI Centre for Artificial Intelligence,
ZHAW School of Engineering, Winterthur

17:00
Industry Exhibition

17:30
Evening Reception with Apéro Riche

List of exhibitors

The following industry exhibitors were present at the conference:

alphacam swiss GmbH
Sales and service of industrial plastic and metal 3D printers from Genera, One Click Metal, Tritone, Impossible-Objects, Evolve, and global market leader Stratasys. Parts manufacturer of all above-mentioned 3D printing processes at the Teilefabrik.
a-metal AG
a-metal democratizes metal 3D printing with an affordable, compact, and safe solution. Our closed-loop powder handling enables reliable production of high-quality metal parts directly in a standard workshop, without specialist facilities.
Eurofins Qualitech AG
Eurofins Qualitech AG offers materials testing, industrial computed tomography and damage analysis for research and industry. Using accredited methods, we support the development, qualification and quality assurance of additively manufactured components.
Prusa Research
"Prusa Research is the largest maker of 3D printers in Europe and the United States. Founded as a one-man startup in 2012 by Josef Prusa, a Czech hobbyist, maker, and inventor. In just 15 years, we've grown into a company of more than 1,200 people. Every month, we design, build, and ship over 10,000 innovative and secure 3D printers from our headquarters in Prague, Czech Republic, and Delaware, USA, to users in more than 160 countries."
Rapid Manufacturing AG
Rapid Manufacturing AG is a Swiss specialist in industrial 3D printing. We produce SLS prototypes, functional parts and series in engineering plastics, including consulting, post-processing and express manufacturing.