Come to the world of high precision

international visitors meet every year representing all the major watch and jewellery brands, as well as MedTech and microtechnology companies.

The organisers say there are no other opportunities for meeting all these players in the space of just a few days and that EPHJ’s success over the last 20 years is the finest demonstration of this.

As an EPHJ partner for the last five years in connection with the Watch MedTech Innovation Challenge, Fondation Inartis supports watch industry professionals in their efforts to develop MedTech projects.

The Watch MedTech Challenge – co- organised by EPHJ and Fondation Inartis since 2018 – is about supporting companies as they expand their range and activities. Five finalists will show how watchmaking skills are being applied to medical projects. The 2023 finalists are Tritec, 3D Precision, Abatec, Eposint and Polycrystal. Applications range from 3D printing for breast reconstruction after cancer surgery and transparent nonporous ceramics for orthodontal bands, to the use of fluorescent pigments for diagnostic purposes.

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Protolabs has launched Design for Manufacturability analysis for 3D printed parts, offering peace of mind to manufacturers across Europe.

It is a significant advancement to the 3D printing offering as it provides added assurance that a part is suitable for manufacturing before committing to production, all entirely online in a matter of seconds.

Protolabs has been supporting customers using the process for CNC and Injection Moulding offerings, and the development brings those benefits of speed and reassurance to the 3D Printing service.

Andrea Landoni, Protolabs EMEA's 3D Printing Product Manager, commented: "Additive manufacturing is a brilliant technology, allowing engineers to produce complex parts that were previously too difficult to achieve.

“Whilst the technology offers great flexibility, there are a few limitations that engineers must be aware of and the Design for Manufacturability (DFM) analysis provides that guidance in seconds. The system will instantly highlight all the issues to the user, whether they are critical, such as parts that are too large to be produced, or non-critical, like dimensions that are close to certain thresholds like wall thickness and may not form completely.

"We understand the importance of speed, but ensuring that parts are correct, high quality, and delivered rapidly is critical. Instant analysis means