AMUG Newsletter March 2010

This year I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with some of you and in the process I’ve learned that there is a lot of innovation going on inside small businesses and that is being facilitated by guys on the shop floor just like you and me. I soon realized that all this know-how is part of the “tacit knowledge” that goes on inside organizations and that never makes the scholarly papers presented in conferences. What I found interesting is that this know-how increases sometimes on a daily basis and it doesn’t even make it into the process control documents of these organizations. I am far from being one of our group’s distinguished Dinosaurs, but you really don’t have to be one to realize that there is no other conference within this industry where you get the amount of networking that goes on at the 3DSUG. The level of knowledge that gets shared among users is worth years of hands-on experience. All you have to do is ASK someone and you will get an honest answer that will give you solutions to problems you thought were specific to you and your company. The number of reasons why you should attend keeps increasing…add the following to the list you got in our last newsletter:

Please join us before the deadline to register at the discounted rate. Also, we are still receiving entries for the technical competitions so please submit the description of your parts or projects.

Luis Folgar, Paramount Industries & 3DSUG Chairperson
E: chairperson@3dsug.org

1/2 day trip on the Rio Grand River – Sunday April 25th

Class III: Intermediate. rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid and which can swamp an open canoe. complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided. strong eddies and powerful current effects can be found, particularly on large-volume rivers. scouting is advisable for inexperienced parties. injuries while swimming are rare; self-rescue is usually easy but group assistance may be required to avoid long swims. rapids that are at the lower or upper end of this difficulty range are designated “class III-” or “class III+” respectively.

A 1/2 day trip on the Rio Grande River, the Racecourse offers fun for the entire family. This is the location of the annual “Mothers Day Whitewater Races”, one of the oldest river races in the USA, started by a Boy Scout troop in Los Alamos about 35 years ago. You will boat over “Albert Falls”, through “the Narrows”, past “Big Rock”, and at high water you will confront the awesome wave at “Souse Hole”.

• Pick up 9:00 am return by 3:00 pm
  To/from the hotel (about an hour ride from the hotel)
• Cost: 85.00 includes transportation, deli spread lunch provided at the end of trip, gratuity.
• 6 persons per raft
• Wet suits provided no cost
• THE WHITEWATER RAFTING TRIP WILL TAKE PLACE RAIN OR SHINE.  NO REFUNDS.

We are less than seven weeks from the start of the 3DSUG Conference and there is still so much to do. We are in the process of finalizing the agenda, assigning the rooms for each of the presentations, and assigning demo suites for our three main vendors as well as finalizing the vendor fair. This year’s conference is gaining momentum in regards to the various hands on training session, presentations, number of registered attendees, and the number of vendors. I am very excited on what a great conference this will be. As I have stated in the past, we could always use more vendors, more attendees, and more sponsorship money to help offset rising costs, so please do your part and help get additional attendees, vendors and sponsors for the 2010 conference. Remember this User Group is run by the Users for the Users so everyone has a responsibility to help make it successful.

In case you missed it, Derek Ellis has put together a whitewater rafting trip for Sunday. It should be lots of fun!! If you are interested in participating, please contact him so he can reserve your spot.

And finally, if you need to make arrangements from the airport to the Hilton Buffalo Thunder, visit our transportation reservation page on our website and you will be contacted by the Hilton.

Well that is it for now and I hope to see everyone in Santa Fe next month.

Don’t miss “Additive Manufacturing of the Future” Aerospace Track at the 3DSUG Conference. Topics to be addressed include:

Early Registration Discount Date Extended to April 16, 2010!

Remember, your registration is not complete until your payment is received, if you are not paying with credit card, send check payments payable to 3DSUG, Inc. to the following address:

3DSUG, Inc.
C/O Guy Bourdeau, Treasurer
1297 Pine Burr Dr
Lugoff, SC 29078-9378

If you have any questions, the best thing to do is to email or call me at (954)559-3728.