School of Engineering

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.

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.

Flyer

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Speaker AM Conference 2026

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

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:

Location

The conference took place at the ZHAW School of Engineering, Building TN on the Technikumstrasse campus

Adress: ZHAW School of Engineering, Technikumstrasse 71, 8401 Winterthur
Exhibition: Buidling TN, Room E0.46-54
Lectures: Building TN, Room E0.58