President’s Report
Mark Barfoot
President
I hope that everyone has been enjoying the summer and hopefully getting some time to relax. Although the AMUG Conference is still many months away, this is a great time for you to start thinking about next year. A few key things you may want to consider:
- Watch for failed builds that you may have throughout the next few months that you can submit as part of the failed builds showcase. Make sure you take note of what caused the failure and how you fixed it so that we can share it with everyone.
- Start thinking about a “cool design” you could enter in our 2016 Technical Competition. If you are the winner, you receive a free conference pass for the following year and your entry gets used on a lot of our marketing literature so you and your company will get lots of exposure.
- Is there something you are working on that you think would be a good thing to talk about at next year’s conference? Jot these ideas down so that you will have them handy when we open the call for speakers.
- Have you told a friend about the group and how valuable it is to attend AMUG? Make a point of doing this.
AMUG’s primary mandate, and our focus, is educating users about the technology. I encourage all of you to extend AMUG’s reach and impact; continue to inform others throughout the year as you go about your business. Help dispel the misinformation that is out there and be willing to say, as Todd Grimm said in his keynote, “I don’t know” if it is something you aren’t familiar with. Together we can make sure people are making decisions based on accurate and relevant information.
Enjoy your summer,
Mark Barfoot
President
president@am-ug.com
Our Mission: Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) educates and advances the uses and applications of additive manufacturing technologies.
Vice President’s Report
Steve Deak
Vice President
This is the time of year when not much is happening and there’s not much to do, or so it appears.
AMUG’s sponsorship cycle is September through August, so there are less than two months for our 2015 sponsors to enjoy the benefits of exposure on the website and in the newsletter. In September, the 2015 AMUG website is no more, replaced with 2016 conference and sponsorship content.
Put some time aside this month to plan your involvement in, and support of, the 2016 AMUG Conference and AMUGexpo. Even though the venue is not finalized, you know that the 2016
Dana McCallum
Vice President
conference will attract your best-qualified audience, as everyone in attendance has ownership or operations of commercial AM equipment. Consider an increased presence at AMUG 2016. For example, if you were a Gold+ sponsor, you can enjoy a presence throughout the entire conference as a Platinum sponsor.
Plan ahead for AMUG 2016. Remember, the 2016 AMUGexpo sold out of Diamond and Platinum suites very early, and expo booths sold out in January! When registration opens up in September, you’ll be ready to make your selections and assure your presence at AMUG 2016.
Regards,
Dana McCallum & Steve Deak
VicePresident@am-ug.com
Event Manager’s Report
Tom Sorovetz
Event Manager
I am working on the draft of the hotel contract for the 2016 conference, and I hope to have everything finalized by the end of the month. I can’t disclose the hotel or the location at this time, but I assure you that the delay will be a mutual benefit to AMUG and the hotel.
We had hoped to have this solidified in June so that we could announce the location and start planning. However, as we grow there are a lot more “moving parts”, and I want to make sure that the contract has the best interest of AMUG; NOT being lopsided towards the hotel’s favor.
Sorry for the delay.
Have a great summer,
Thomas A. Sorovetz
Event Manager
EventManager@am-ug.com
Sponsor News – Stratasys
The World’s Most Versatile Desktop 3D Printer
Objet30 Prime packs specialized materials and a range of print modes into a quiet, easy-to-use system. It offers small design and engineering teams a wide range of materials to produce transparent, flexible or biocompatible prototypes in-house. PolyJet precision and these advanced features make Objet30 Prime the most versatile desktop 3D printer available:
- Draft mode for fast, economical prototypes
- 12 material options, more than any desktop 3D printer
- Bio-compatible (MED610) material for prototyping medical devices
Watch the new animated video that playfully showcases the creative possibilities of Objet30 Prime.
Sponsor News – Concept Laser
In-situ Quality Assurance with QMmeltpool 3D
Concept Laser recently announced QMmeltpool 3D and its availability in 2016. Active quality assurance is one of the most important requirements of additive production users. Monitoring the key data of a laser melting system regarding oxygen content, temperature, laser output and powder quality is part and parcel of the standards nowadays. However, a comprehensive statement about the quality of the part cannot be made simply on the basis of these machine parameters. Using in-situ process monitoring systems based on an on-axis system, however, it is possible to obtain information about defects after the build process. Concept Laser, a pioneer of LaserCUSING®, now presents a tool for position-related real-time monitoring and three-dimensional visualization. The next quality level with QMmeltpool 3D will be available from 2016 onwards.
In-situ process monitoring is one of the strategic technology areas of Concept Laser, and it is now expanding to include the QMmeltpool 3D for three-dimensional, real-time monitoring. The LaserCUSING process is a highly dynamic one because of the high scanning speeds and significant laser outputs; it is influenced by a wide variety of process factors. In challenging areas such as medical technology, aerospace and automotive, the safety requirements are strict and high quality is a prerequisite. QMmeltpool 3D supplies quality-relevant data in real time for process monitoring and documentation. The system records position-related characteristics of the melt pool while the component is being built up. This data can be visualized in a three-dimensional landscape, and analyzed by the user. According to information from the manufacturer, the analytical tool is comparable to the HD resolution achieved by computer tomography (CT).
For additional details, visit http://www.conceptlaserinc.com/in-situ-quality-assurance-with-qmmeltpool-3d-from-concept-laser.
Sponsor News – SLM Solutions
Aero Kinetics Joins with SLM Solutions to Bring 3D Metal Printing to Commercial Unmanned Aircraft
Aero Kinetics, the first company to file for FAA Type Certification for multi-rotor unmanned aircraft, has recently partnered with SLM Solutions NA to bring advanced 3D metal printing technology to Aero Kinetics’ latest generation multi-rotor vertical takeoff and land (VTOL) UAS.
The use of additive technology for metal part prototypes and production manufacturing allows Aero Kinetics to rapidly produce complex, fully optimized, aerospace-grade components, in both aluminum and titanium. By integrating additive metal technologies into unmanned aircraft that others thought impossible, Aero Kinetics improves component life cycle and mitigates the obsolescence commonly associated with the hobbyist systems on the market.
W. Hulsey Smith, chairman and chief executive of Aero Kinetics said, “The safety, speed, and quality of SLM’s machines are well suited to produce ultra-lightweight structural components for unmanned aircraft. When coupled with Aero Kinetics’ subject matter expertise in design for additive metal manufacturing, we will reduce weight in our critical structural components. SLM and their technology help us deliver unmanned aircraft to our clients with the most advanced 3D printing technology.”
By incorporating industry leaders from aerospace and beyond, Aero Kinetics has developed UAS solutions that are unmatched in today’s market. Aero Kinetics continues to develop critical teaming partners to assist its growing international customer base in the critical infrastructure, disaster/emergency response, border security, ranching and electronic newsgathering industries.
James Fendrick, vice president of sales & marketing-NA, commented, “We believe there is true value in proving that our products are capable of manufacturing parts that are flight worthy and able to pass strict FAA requirements.”
Smooth or Bumpy? New 3D-Printed Surfaces Change on Demand
ENGINEERING.com
An MIT team has been working on a way to make soft materials using a 3D printer. The interesting part of their method is that after the material is printed, the surface textures can be modified on demand to be perfectly smooth, ridged, or bumpy, or even to have complex patterns that could potentially guide fluids. The key here, of course, is the material. It is made up of two different polymers with different degrees of stiffness.
Read the whole story at ENGINEERING.com.
More news at ENGINEERING.com
Metal Additive Manufacturing Magazine
Metal Additive Manufacturing for the Aerospace and Motorsport Industries
UK-based Materials Solutions Ltd. is a world-class specialist in the additive manufacturing of functional parts using the Selective Laser Melting process. Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine reports on this pioneer of commercial metal AM parts production in the UK and discovers a company with a focus on the aerospace and motorsport industries.
Download your free digital copy of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine and read the exclusive seven-page report on Materials Solutions.
