Earlier this year Sodick opened its new flagship showroom in the heart of the Tokyo’s Ginza district, directly across the road from the Yaesu exit of the city’s central railway station.

Currently on display are two of Sodick’s metal 3D printers with integral linear motor drive milling capability, as well as examples of its latest wire EDM technology, giving customers the opportunity to see Sodick’s most advanced equipment working together.

In addition to offering an ideal space in which to display Sodick products, the Tokyo showroom has also been designed to provide a city centre location in which the company can hold customer seminars and other events at which to demonstrate its latest technology.

Sodick launched a new metal 3D printer, the OPM250L, which is a hybrid laser sintering/high-speed milling machine, at Jimtof last year. The machine attracted huge attention, which made it difficult to get close to view it.

Could this be the beginning of a trend? Machine builders are generally located in industrial areas with not much exposure to the general public except for their direct target group. This is especially true with Japanese machine builders. The idea of reaching out to a much larger audience is a move in a positive direction in my opinion.