Skip to main content

AMUG Newsletter January 2017

By January 19, 2017August 11th, 2017
 

January 2017

President’s Report

It’s mid-January 2017, how did that happen?  Where did 2016 go?  There are only two months before the start of the 29th annual AMUG Conference.  The agenda is taking shape and conference details are falling into place nicely.  With over 200 presentations and four compelling keynote speakers, you will need to plan your week in advance.  As in past conferences, learning and networking opportunities run from 8:00 a.m. daily and go well into the evening.  Check out the agenda and the online planner on our new website, where you’ll find all the details.

The 2017 conference has already set records for the number of Diamond, Platinum and Gold Sponsors.  These sponsors offer AMUG members opportunities to interact with their technical experts in an informal environment. The AMUGexpo includes many exhibitors new to AMUG and has already sold out!  We’ve expanded expo hours on Monday to allow you extra time, but you’ll have to work hard to see it all.

There are several actions you want to take immediately.  First, make your hotel reservations through the AMUG website, where you will get the best room rate.  Don’t delay or the hotel will sell out!  Members will tell you that the AMUG experience is significantly enhanced when you stay at the conference hotel and include yourself in the evening events.

Second, you’ll want to make your conference registration while the early rate is in effect.  Remember, your conference registration includes all food, drink and evening events during the conference!

Finally, get some rest.  You’ll need extra energy to last through the high-energy environment of the 2017 AMUG Conference!

Steve Deak

Steve Deak
AMUG President

Action-Packed AMUG Agenda

AMUG has more than a little something for everyone.  At any one time during the AMUG Conference, there could be as many as 25 concurrent sessions.  It looks like you may have to bring your whole team to the 2017 AMUG Conference to absorb all of this information.  With well over 200 options in four days, you will want to plan in advance for your AMUG adventure.

Our members guide the agenda committee on desirable tracks and the number of presentations in each.  The biggest change, resulting from the input, is a full Materials Track.  We believe that we will cover all the pertinent materials for your systems, operating parameters and new material options on the market.  Other conference tracks include Aerospace, Space, Defense & Transportation; Business; Casting; Education & Training (including software and hands-on training); Scanning; Stereolithography; Laser Sintering; Medical & Dental; and Metals (very popular in 2016).

The above tracks are only a portion of what is being offered in 2017.  We also have 11 Diamond Suites and 15 Platinum Suites.  The Diamond Sponsors will deliver many presentations over the four conference days (structured as “mini users groups” under the AMUG umbrella). Each Platinum sponsor will have three dedicated sessions within their track.

We will continue to update the preliminary Conference Agenda and Online Planner over the next month.  Be sure to check back and plan your time at AMUG.

Keynote Added

AMUG has added a keynote speaker to its conference agenda. On Thursday, March 23, Dr. Peter Liacouras, director of services for the 3D Medical Applications Center at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, will take the stage. As previously announced, he will join Todd Grimm, Jason Lopes and Stacey Delvecchio as a conference keynote speaker.

Since 2006, Dr. Liacouras has applied additive manufacturing techniques, such as vat photopolymerization, material jetting, binder jetting, and powder bed fusion, to medical applications and implant designs.  He routinely designs and creates custom implants, surgical guides, and prosthetic attachments for the Department of Defense.

Dr. Peter Liacouras, director at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, to keynote March 23rd.

Attention Sponsors and Exhibitors

The exhibitor manual has now been sent to all the sponsors and exhibitors. If you have not received your manual, or your event manager contact has changed, you can also find it in the Exhibitor Service Center. The manual contains important dates, shipping addresses, expo times, and AMUGexpo contacts. A one-page checklist is also included to help you organize all the essential details.

AMUG has set up an advance warehouse (noted in the exhibitor manual) to receive shipments ahead of the conference to help us organize move-in. The advance warehouse and transfer to the Chicago Hilton are offered at no additional cost to sponsors and exhibitors. Shipments made directly to the Chicago Hilton via FedEx, UPS and motor carrier will incur additional charges from the hotel.

Questions regarding move-in should be directed to Mark Wynn, deputy VP, at DeputyVP@am-ug.com.

Nominating Committee Hard at Work

The AMUG Nominating Committee has been working hard to contact past AMUG attendees to pre-qualify candidates for possible 2017-18 AMUG Board positions. This committee is working from a long list of past attendees that have either shown an interest in volunteering or have checked off the volunteer box in registration.

Please note that unlike previous years, nominations for board positions will not be accepted from the floor during the annual meeting. The slate of candidates will be prepared prior to the meeting.

If you have not heard from a committee member before the end of January and are interested in a board position (or any type of volunteer work), please contact Gary Rabinovitz at chairman@am-ug.com. AMUG continues to grow as an organization, and we need your help to do so. We look forward to hearing from you soon and thank you in advance for your consideration.

Photo source: http://nyphotographic.com/

Scholarships – Application Period Extended

The AMUG Scholarship Committee has extended the submission deadlines for both scholarships to January 20, 2017. That gives you two working days to prompt a student or educator to apply.

Scholarship winners get to join us at the AMUG Conference to absorb information and expand their networks. Check out the Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship if you know of a student that deserves the award. For educators, see the details on the Randy Stevens Scholarship.

Details and application forms can be found at www.additivemanufacturingusersgroup.com/scholarships/.

Dr. Nathan Patterson, 2016 Randy Stevens Scholarship winner.

Conference Hotel

The AMUG room block at the Chicago Hilton is filling up fast, even though we have nearly two months before the conference begins. Don’t miss out on the attractive rate ($149.00/night) and the convenience of being just an elevator ride from all of the conference activities. Register today.

For those that need a room at the Federal per diem rate, please contact Tom Sorovetz, event manager. You should also contact Tom if you have any issues with hotel reservations.

Spouses and Guests – Excursion

One of the unique things about the AMUG Conference is that it is family friendly. We encourage attendees to have spouses, significant others, friends and family join us throughout the week for meals and entertainment.

AMUG also organizes excursions for friends and family to give them something to do while you attend the conference. An excursion is likely for Monday, March 20, and possible for Tuesday, March 21. But this is contingent on the level of interest. So, if you are planning on bringing a spouse or guest to the conference that is interested in joining the excursion, please send Tom Sorovetz an email so that he can gauge the interest level. Your email will indicate interest but not be treated as a firm commitment.

Recipes Wanted

Send us a favorite family recipe, and all AMUG Conference attendees may get a taste of that to-die-for entrée, side or dessert.

Since the AMUG Conference is an international event, we would like to make the Thursday-night meal an international dining experience. To make this happen, Tom Sorovetz asks that attendees consider sending him a family recipe. When you do, please submit it in English with imperial measurements; include a description of the tasty dish; and note the origins of the recipe (e.g., parent or grandparent).

Tom and the Hilton Chicago’s executive chef will review the submitted recipes and select several to be showcased at our Thursday-night meal. Meal planning takes time so please get your recipes to Tom soon.

Thanks to Frank Marangell from Rize3D
for being the first to send in a recipe.

SPONSOR NEWS

HP Inc.

HP Open Platform for Materials: designed to drive 3D printing growth

A collaborative approach is essential to grow the 3D printing industry. Via the HP Multi Jet Fusion Open Platform and partnering with innovative industry leaders, HP is focused on bringing the best minds and resources to developing new materials, uncovering new applications and lowering costs.

Learn more here: youtu.be/lgMbVDarcf4

Future potential: Color parts produced with HP Multi Jet Fusion.

3D Systems

Thales Alenia Space Delivers Lighter Weight Bracket with 3D Systems Direct Metal Printing

One of the world’s leading aerospace suppliers, Thales Alenia Space, recently leveraged Direct Metal Printing to produce lighter weight antenna brackets (190 x 230 x 290 mm) for a geostationary telecommunications satellite. Working together with 3D Systems On Demand Manufacturing experts, Thales Alenia Space applied topological optimization to each of the four brackets to devise four distinct designs to meet the full engineering requirements of each mounting location without extra material or weight.

Produced on 3D Systems ProX® DMP 320 in titanium, the brackets were not only 25% lighter with a better strength-to-weight ratio than their traditionally manufactured counterparts, but they were delivered in nearly half the time.

Extremely low O2 levels in the ProX DMP 320 deliver several key benefits, including better conservation of powder quality, no micro oxidation of parts during printing, fewer oxide interstitials during printing, and improved mechanical properties for O2-sensitive alloys such as titanium.  A controlled vacuum build chamber ensures that every part is printed with proven material properties, density and chemical purity.

Read the full case study here.

Thales Alenia Space’s lightweight satellite bracket produced on ProX DMP 320.

Carbon

Carbon Continuing to Diversify Its Selection of Resins and Materials to Differentiate in the 3D Printing Industry

Materials have always been one of Carbon’s greatest strengths, and this month the company is introducing multiple new resins, including UMA 90, a brand new urethane methacrylate resin with robust mechanical qualities that makes it ideal for multi-use prototyping.

This single-cure resin only needs a quick part wash and UV flood cure for finishing, making post-processing a breeze. In addition to improvements in mechanical strength, the new UV-curable UMA 90 resin enables the quick design iteration Carbon’s customers have come to expect from CLIP technology. It’s also formulated to stand up to finishing treatments, such as painting or sanding, and is available in nearly any color combination with CMYK and grey.

Carbon has two other materials being released soon, including one which is a true game-changer and a first for a 3D printing company. Stay in touch with Carbon on TwitterInstagram and LinkedIn to be one of the first to know about additional materials.

UMA 90 is simple to use and quick to handle, delivering excellent surface quality and resolution.

Somos

Welcome to Chicago! Let Us Show You Around…

We’re proud to call Chicago our hometown. To get you acclimated to all of the world-class architecture our city brings, we invite you to experience a 3D printed version of the city that’s on display at the Chicago Architecture Foundation (224 S Michigan Ave.) located only four blocks away from the AMUG Conference.

Back in 2009, the city of Chicago was trying to win the 2016 Olympic bid and commissioned the project. With the help of Columbian Model & Exhibit Works, DSM and a few other companies, they were able to create the largest, most detailed replica of Chicago. While only meant to be a temporary exhibit, it’s popularity has turned it into an ever-evolving project where Somos® helps update the buildings annually. Make sure to stop by while you’re in town.

Read more here about the exhibit.

Visitors at Chicago Architecture Foundation viewing the 3D printed Chicago display.

SLM Solutions

SLM 280 2.0 Makes North American Premier at AMUG

SLM Solutions is proud to support the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) as a Diamond Sponsor again in 2017. In their suite, SLM Solutions will premiere the SLM 280 2.0 to the North American audience. Advancing the successful first generation of the metal 3D printer, the new generation system, which made its world debut at Formnext last November, features upgrades to increase power with dual 700W lasers available and advanced gas circulation and filtration. Additionally, the SLM 280 2.0 incorporates dozens of smaller changes such as redesigns for convenience, ergonomics, throughput, worldwide industrial standardization and ease of use incorporated in both the hardware and software. The new developments aim to further reduce build times while guaranteeing high quality standards, even in production processes.

During the week, SLM Solutions will also host an array of seminars and customer training. Presentations, including how to metallurgically evaluate a 3D printed part, SLM Solutions Software, customer case studies, and a User Group will all take place during the annual conference.

AMUG Conference to be site of SLM 280 2.0 NA debut.

EOS

P 800 for High-Temp Sintering

Seeking a high-temperature SLS solution to turn the heat up on production during additive manufacturing (AM) of high-performance polymers? Learn more about the EOSINT P 800, the world’s first laser sintering system for high-performance plastic products.

EOS’ P 800 solution is designed for high-performance polymers using High-Temperature Laser Sintering (HTLS) technology. The adapted process, with temperatures of up to 385 °C, exploits AM’s possibilities of thermoplastics to the fullest, with the shortest possible throughput times thanks to optimized processes. The heavily insulated EOS P 800 machine enables the high-temperature EOS PEEK HP3 material to be processed in an energy-efficient way.

Learn more at http://bit.ly/EOS_P800.

EOS’ P 800—high-performance polymers using High-Temperature Laser Sintering (HTLS)

ExOne

Auto Restoration with Hahn-Vorbach & Associates LLC and ExOne

Hahn-Vorbach & Associates LLC has teamed up with ExOne as well as other partners to offer 3D printed restoration auto parts and services. Using ExOne® Binder Jetting technology, Hahn-Vorbach can now recreate parts that are usually hard or impossible to find. Hahn-Vorbach expanded on these services through developing HV3Dworks LLC to bring together auto restoration and 3D printing. HV3Dworks offers 3D scanning, reverse engineering, custom part design and 3D printing management.

For additional information about Hahn-Vorbach and ExOne, check out their segment on MSNBC Your Business.

3D printed auto restoration parts.

BASF

Help Us Unlock the True Potential of 3D Printing

BASF, a new Diamond Sponsor at the AMUG Conference 2017, has the broadest product portfolio of materials in the chemical industry that can be developed for 3D printing. BASF is leveraging its extensive range of engineering thermoplastics (e.g., polyamides, polyurethanes) for SLS and FDM applications, as well as photo‐curable monomers and oligomers for stereolithography. Materials such as functional additives, stabilizers and colorants, as well as metal systems, complete the BASF offering. This product range forms the basis for in-house formulation development activities for 3D printing.

BASF foresees the offering of this raw material base to prospective 3D customers to facilitate the development of superior product solutions for the 3D printing industry. The future looks bright and BASF is committed to the industry.

As BASF expands its 3D printing team globally, we ask you to consider joining our efforts. For information on an immediate NA position for a Marketing Manager – 3DP, visit on.basf.com/2j4Lzst.

Learn more about working at BASF by watching this short video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSrpPvm30Ok.

BASF Carbon Materials Innovation Center (Germany).

Renishaw

Renishaw Solutions in Illinois

Renishaw is delighted AMUG is coming to its U.S. home state of Illinois, and as a returning Diamond Sponsor, it looks forward to welcoming delegates to Suite D1 to see and hear about its latest advances in AM.

An international team of Renishaw experts will share knowledge via talks on a broad range of subjects from metallurgy, through to AM facility management and specialist applications. The team is offering demonstrations on its QuantAM build preparation software and ADEPT (Advance manufacture for Design led Efficient Patient Treatment) software for craniomaxillofacial implant design. Other highlights include exhibit of RenAM 500M metal AM system for serialized production and Robot Bike R160, a commercial example of Renishaw’s end-to-end solutions.

Currently based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, Renishaw Inc. is completing a new 133,000 sq. ft. facility in West Dundee, not far from Chicago. The facility will include Renishaw’s North American Solutions Center, the latest in a global network of Solutions Centers that are designed to make metal AM more accessible to users and ease adoption.

Find out more www.renishaw.com/additive.

ADEPT used for patient-specific craniomaxillofacial design for 3D printed implant.

Stratasys

FDM Thermoforming Tools

The next time you eat a cup of Greek yogurt, thank the thermoforming industry. No, not for the yogurt, but for the cup that holds it.

Thermoforming is the process of heating a plastic sheet and drawing it down over a mold using vacuum. Food containers, trays and a host of similar products are made with this process.

Thermoforming mold tools are typically made by machining wood or metal. This can be a lengthy and expensive operation and manufacturers continually look for ways to be more efficient.

That’s where Stratasys FDM technology can help. 3D printed FDM molds save time, material and cost by avoiding expensive machining operations. FDM molds use durable engineering-grade thermoplastics that are lighter than metal mold tools. They also exhibit natural porosity, obviating the need for integral vacuum channels. In sum, FDM thermoforming tools provide manufacturers with a faster, more cost-effective means for low-volume thermoforming production.

Learn more at Stratasys.com.

Thermoforming with FDM molds.

3D Metal Printing Magazine

3D Metal Printing Magazine Features the Recently Opened Training Facility on the Campus of the University of Louisville

There’s a dearth of operators trained in 3D metal printing, but not for long, thanks in part to the efforts of the recently opened training facility on the campus of the University of Louisville. There, students learn the process from soup to nuts, including design, setup, build and post-processing.

Other highlights from the current issue:

You can download the digital issue here or subscribe to 3D Metal Printing to receive each issue.

Ed Tackett explains support strategies in training at U of L.

Metal AM Magazine

Metal AM at AMUG 2017

Preparations are well underway on the feature-packed Spring 2017 issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine. This issue, which promises to be one of our largest yet, will be distributed to all participants at the 2017 AMUG Conference. To submit your company’s news for this issue, contact our News Editor, Paul Whittaker (paul@inovar-communications.com), no later than February 17th.

Don’t miss the current Winter issue of Metal AM magazine, available to download as a free PDF from our website. You’ll also find all back issues of the magazine in our free-to-access archive.

Download your PDF copy of Metal AM magazine.