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The Cool Parts Showcase is accepting submissions of cool, innovative and functional 3D printed parts now through May 30. Manufacturers, inventors, students, and anyone with an interest in 3D printing is invited to enter for the chance to win a spot on The Cool Parts Show. 

Past Showcase entries and episode subjects include: a heat exchanger for a helicopter; custom 3D printed insoles; a wheelchair for a dog with cerebellar hypoplasia; and a scoliosis brace. 

The video series is produced by Additive Manufacturing Media, sister brand to Plastics Technology, and highlights the ways that 3D printing is changing how parts get made. Each episode focuses on a functional 3D printed part and explores how and why it was produced this way. 

What qualifies as “cool”? A cool part can be any material, made with any process, and used in any industry. The part must be the end-use component (in other words, no prototypes or molds) and should either be in use today or be a viable future solution. For The Cool Parts Showcase, parts should fall into one of three categories:

• Best Production Part: A product or component that is currently for sale and is 3D printed in full-scale production. (Think: consumer goods, electronics enclosures, implants, industrial accessories, brackets…)
• Best Proof-of-Concept: An item not yet in production, but one that illustrates 3D printing’s promise for a particular niche. (Think: parts for a hydropower test bed, items made from unusual materials, new styles of heat exchangers) 
• Best Bespoke Solution: A part that solves a unique, one-off problem. (Think: One-time replacement parts, custom vacuum grippers, a mobility device for a special patient — our 2021 winner in this category)

Finalists in each category will be invited to display their parts at Formnext Forum: Austin, a conference and exhibition happening for the first time August 28-30, 2023. Finalists will receive an all-access pass to the event and other perks. 

Fans will have the chance to vote for their favorite Cool Parts, and winners will be announced during Formnext Forum. Winning parts will be featured in full episodes of The Cool Parts Show. Enter your parts now through May 30, and we hope to see you in Austin! 

Landscape Photo Credit: Extol and Fited