MILWAUKEE, Wisc., Dec. 15, 2016 – The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) today announced its featured keynote speakers for the 2017 AMUG Education & Training Conference, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 19 – 23, 2017. Stacey DelVecchio, Jason Lopes and Todd Grimm will inform, inspire and excite attendees with their discussions of additive manufacturing strategies, applications, trends and technologies.
Steve Deak, AMUG president, said, “We have an exciting lineup of keynote speakers, including two perennial favorites. Once again, Jason Lopes and Todd Grimm will share their insights and experiences with their passionate, engaging and inspirational presentation styles. Caterpillars’ Stacey DelVecchio will join us, for the first time, to enlighten us on the strategic aspects of applying additive manufacturing in applications that go far beyond prototyping.”
From Left: Todd Grimm, Stacey DelVecchio and Jason Lopes.
Todd Grimm, president of T. A. Grimm & Associates and AMUG’s AM industry advisor, will open the conference on Monday, March 20. Grimm says that he will use highlights of the changing additive manufacturing landscape to shed light on where the industry is going and offer guidance on how attendees can get there. This will be his seventh appearance as an AMUG keynote speaker.
“Todd opens our conference by sharing valuable insights over a broad spectrum in a way that engages the audience and makes them comfortable with developments and issues that may challenge our members. His keynotes are perfectly aligned with AMUG’s intent — sharing information so that the right decisions can be made,” Deak said.
Stacey DelVecchio, additive manufacturing product manager for Caterpillar, will step onto the AMUG stage on Tuesday, March 21, to discuss how Caterpillar’s strategy to bring 3D printing from prototype solution to manufacturing method has evolved. Stacey will also share how Caterpillar is leveraging its innovative incubator to “think big…start small…act fast”. As product manager, Stacey’s team focuses on deploying AM technology within product groups. She also manages the company’s Additive Manufacturing Factory. She holds a B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and proudly served as the 2013-2014 president of the Society of Women Engineers.
Deak said, “For Jason’s keynote, we have a new twist this year. He will begin his visual journey of his use of additive manufacturing for special effects on Monday; continue with video shorts on the following days; and then wrap up on Thursday with a Q & A session. The goal is to illustrate the amazing things the company does and how it selects the right technology for the job.”
Jason Lopes, of Legacy Effects, returns for his fourth AMUG keynote appearance. Lopes has been a world-wide sensation with his visual presentations of the special effects the studio has worked on that have used additive manufacturing. Spanning film, TV, Broadway and character appearances, Lopes’ work pushes the limits of the technology to make amazing physical effects a reality. In his presentation, he will share the tools he has used, the creativity employed and the amazing results that were achieved. Lopes’ film credits include Avatar; Ironman 1, 2, 3; Avengers 1, 2 and the upcoming third; Pacific Rim and Jurassic World.
The AMUG Conference will feature the Innovators Showcase, which is an on-stage conversation with Carl Deckard, inventor of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and chief technology officer for Structured Polymers. The conference will also include over 200 presentations, workshops and hands-on training sessions.
The users group conference, now in its 29th year, is open to owners and operators of all additive manufacturing (3D printing) technologies. The advanced, all-inclusive conference registration fee is $795.00. For details and a link to registration, visit www.am-ug.com.
ABOUT ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USERS GROUP (AMUG)
AMUG is an organization that educates and advances the uses and applications of additive manufacturing technologies. AMUG members include those with any commercial additive manufacturing/3D printing technologies from companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems, Concept Laser, SLM Solutions, EOS, ExOne, Renishaw, HP, EnvisionTEC and Carbon. AMUG meets annually to provide education and training through technical presentations on processes and new technologies. This information addresses operation of additive manufacturing equipment and the applications that use the parts they make. Online at www.am-ug.com.
