The Photopolymer Additive Manufacturing Alliance (PAMA) has one main goal: Provide the information and the education necessary to ensure that everyone involved with photopolymer additive manufacturing is operating as safely and successfully as possible.
While that may seem obvious, the reality is that there are significant knowledge gaps in the current additive manufacturing ecosystem. There are several reasons for this disconnect, but many stem from the relative immaturity of a fragmented industry and the rapid growth of inexperienced users.
As it has been almost 40 years since this industry began, some might question why now is the right time to address this opportunity. I believe that can be explained by looking at the market history. This industry has grown up with a prototyping mindset, which no longer is adequate to address the next generation of applications that require better, faster, cheaper and greener solutions.
Additionally, the industry finally has reached a level of critical mass and consolidation where the major players have begun to focus less on internal competition and more on external competition. In short, they are growing the pie instead of fighting over a small slice.
This is where PAMA can add value. We are focused on being a collaborator and knowledge conduit between resin formulators, hardware manufacturers and end users. We are an agnostic voice that meets stakeholders where they are and provides them with the perspective and knowledge to work together in an effort to reduce barriers to adoption and help end users consistently and safely deliver better results.
To execute our mission, we need to amplify and grow our voice as PAMA. We plan to achieve this by collaborating with other additive manufacturing associations, user groups and conferences in an effort to raise awareness and membership. We’ve started by hosting PAMA collaboration panels at the AMUG and RadTech conferences this spring, and we will be hosting a PAMA workshop September 15-16, 2025, in conjunction with the UV Fundamentals Conference in Boulder, Colorado. Find out more about the 2025 PAMA workshop at https://radtech.org/pama-workshop-2025-agenda/.
Help us get the word out and be part of the team by joining PAMA today at www.PAMA3d.org.
Vince Anewenter
Director, Rapid Prototyping Consortium,
Milwaukee School of Engineering
