BSN NEWS reported on November 5: The "Additive Manufacturing Joint Exhibition and Seminar," co-hosted by the Next-Generation Digital Manufacturing Research Group of the Niigata Industrial Creation Organization (NICO) and the Japan AM Association, was held on November 4 at Toki Messe (Niigata City). Fifteen companies from across the country exhibited, showcasing the latest metal 3D printing and additive manufacturing technologies to manufacturers in Niigata Prefecture, with a focus on complex-shaped metal parts that are difficult to achieve with conventional processes and on one-off, single-unit customization capabilities. The exhibitor lineup included Morimura & Co., Ltd. (metal AM powder materials), DMG Mori Seiki, Sodick, Mitsubishi Electric (wire-laser metal 3D printing), JBM Engineering (blue laser), Muratani Machine Works (metal precision DED), J·3D, and Nidec Machine Tool. The Niigata Prefectural Industrial Technology Research Institute presented its latest research cases on metal AM (DED method). NICO is a public interest incorporated foundation serving as Niigata Prefecture's industrial support organization, and the Japan AM Association is a general incorporated association and additive manufacturing industry organization. Niigata is a major manufacturing prefecture in Japan, and this regional proposal event, themed "Next-Generation Digital Manufacturing," signals that metal 3D printing in Japan is moving from adoption by large enterprises toward diffusion among regional small and medium-sized enterprises. Local SMEs in Japan are focusing their interest in metal AM on complex shapes and single-unit customization. Domestic powder and equipment companies seeking to expand in the Japanese market can tap into SME demand through regional exhibitions and trading company channels.