AMUG Newsletter August 2019

President’s Report

I’d like to give a special thanks to all who’ve volunteered to help on the new committees that the AMUG Board is engaging.  These committees will help pull together another great event and address business activities before/after the conference.  The expanded committee structure will help make it easier for people to get engaged in the inner workings of AMUG while keeping the amount of work manageable in light of our day jobs. The committees are listed in the article below. If you would like to volunteer, please visit our portal to submit a volunteer form that will ask for information on your areas of expertise and interest.

For those that are planning on, or considering, attending Formnext 2019, we’d like to invite you to an AMUG gathering during the show. Formnext will be held in Frankfurt, Germany, from November 19 – 22, but the day and time of our gathering are still being worked on. Details on this, as well as other activities, will be coming soon.

One big thing to remember is the opening of registration on October 1!  That will be the first day for you to claim a spot at the AMUG Conference as an attendee, sponsor, or exhibitor. We’ve been working on fine-tuning the registration process, so we expect that you will find the process even smoother than in years past.

TCT Show 2019

Once again, AMUG will be on the TCT Show’s floor and up on its conference stage. We will be exhibiting in stand B48, and staffing the booth will be Gary Rabinovitz (chairman) and Andrew Allshorn (vice president). They will be joined by others representing AMUG, answering questions about our 2020 conference, and engaging in conversation. So, plan on stopping by the stand to get answers or just to say “Hello.”

Additionally, Andrew and Todd Grimm (AM Industry Advisor) will be representing AMUG in a panel discussion and kenote presentation. Andrew will be a panelist in the TCT Inspirational Minds panel. Todd will be presenting “An AM Checklist: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff when Buying AM Equipment” as well as moderating over the conference’s 3-day run.

TCT Show 2019 will be located in Birmingham, England, and run from September 24 – 26.

Mark Abshire (left) and Gary Rabinovitz in the AMUG stand at TCT Show 2018.

U.S. Department of Commerce Promoting AM Companies During Upcoming Trade Mission, Formnext

Formnext 2019 is again certified by the United States Department of Commerce, labeling the show as of special interest to U.S. companies.  Moreover, the United States is designated as the  Partner Country of this year’s show. The U.S. Commercial Services is working closely with show organizers and exibitors to offer U.S. firms additional opportunities to expand their exports at the event.

The official United States Department of Commerce Additive Manufacturing (AM) Trade Mission to France, Germany, and Poland will be held from November 18-22, 2019. This mission is designed to help export-ready U.S. companies launch or increase their export business in the rapidly advancing AM and 3D printing industries of France, Germany, and Poland.  The trade mission is open to both U.S. exhibitors and U.S. visitors at Formnext.

Mission participants will benefit from expert briefings provided by public and private sector specialists on each country’s commercial framework and the local AM market. A strategic focus on AM development, research & development (R&D), and commercial integration will be included in the briefings to emphasize American standards and increase competitiveness.

The agenda in France and Poland includes meetings with local AM stakeholders and professional associations, one-on-one meetings with potential business partners, and onsite visits with industry leaders. In Germany, delegates will attend the Formnext trade show where they will participate in discussions on AM standardization, promote their products via a “Pitch Fest”, and network with international buyers and stakeholders that are also attending or exhibiting at the show.

The registration deadline for the trade mission is September 13, 2019, so act quickly. For more information, download the trade mission document or contact Molly Ho at Molly.Ho@trade.gov or Amy Freedman at Amy.Freedman@trade.gov

U.S. Department of Commerce and AMUG at Formnext 2018.

Operations

• Finance Committee — Chair: AMUG Treasurer, Vince Anewenter (MSOE)
• New Member Committee — Chair: Derek Ellis (Fischer Unitech)
• Governance Committee — Chair: AMUG Secretary, Leslie Frost (GE Additive)
• International Committee — Chair: Stefan Ritt (3YOURMIND)
• Marketing Committee — Chair: Kim Killoran (Stratasys)
• Membership Committee — Chair: AMUG VP, Andrew Allshorn (AT 3D-SQUARED)
• Mentoring Committee — Chair: AMUG Principal Consultant, Elizabeth Goode (GoodeInk)
• NextGen Committee — Chair: TBA (still in development)
• Nominating Committee — Chair: AMUG Past President, Paul Bates (UL)
• Partnership Committee — Chair: AMUG Chairman, Gary Rabinovitz (Reebok International)
• Volunteer Committee — Chair: AMUG Secretary, Leslie Frost (GE Additive)

Creating Opportunities at SkillsUSA

The need for skilled STEM workers has been increasing steadily, and it’s more important than ever to provide resources for students interested in fields like engineering and computer science. That’s exactly why the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference was created: thousands of career and technical education students from across the country have the opportunity to compete and share knowledge.

This year, Stratasys partnered with SME to sponsor the SkillsUSA Additive Manufacturing Competition, which features real-life design challenges and career development opportunities. This provides high school and college students with invaluable exposure to the additive manufacturing industry. For Stratasys, this was an opportunity to give back and to help prepare and empower the next generation of engineers and 3D printing advocates.

Learn more about the Additive Manufacturing Competition and hear from the students themselves in this video from SME.

Students in the Advanced Manufacturing Competition work on an end-of-arm tool design challenge.

Metal Additive Manufacturing for UAV Engine Design Optimization

Renishaw worked with engine manufacturing company Cobra Aero, which is based in Michigan, to optimize its design processes for aircraft and motorcycle engines. After working with Renishaw to develop new manufacturing processes, Cobra Aero invested in the AM 400 system to increase its additive manufacturing (AM) capabilities.

To optimize the design of its engine cylinders, Cobra Aero worked with Renishaw to gain expertise in AM. The company visited Renishaw’s US Additive Manufacturing Solutions Center and collaborated with Renishaw engineers to use AM to improve the design of a cylinder for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

Using AM technology allowed Cobra Aero to design a lattice structure to increase airflow. It also allowed them to produce one solid, lightweight part.

“Staying at the cutting edge of manufacturing is important to Cobra Aero,” explained Sean Hilbert, president of Cobra Aero. “Investing in AM allows us to develop tools and new products for high value, small volume applications, speed up the manufacturing process and produce designs that would not be possible using conventional subtractive machining.”

Read the full press release and watch our case study videos here.

Lattice structure for improved airflow is one of Cobra Aero’s design optimizations.

Additive Industries, Jointly with Customers’ Applications, Named Finalists in the TCT Awards 2019

Amid strong competition and following an intensive review by the TCT expert advisory board, Additive Industries, in cooperation with Sauber Engineering (F1 Team Alfa Romeo Racing), has been named as a finalist for the Automotive Application Award category of the TCT Awards 2019 with the entry ‘Metal F1 Wind Tunnel Components’. We are also delighted to be selected  as a finalist, together with K3D—a subsidiary of the Kaak group, which is the leading company in industrial bakery technology—for our entry ‘Industrial Robot Dough Cutting Knife’ in the Industrial Product Award category.

Getting to the finals by collaborating with our customers underlines our vision: helping customers to reach the top in their business and, at the same time, realizing our ambition to get to the TOP 3 in the AM industry, by accelerating industrial AM. Find out how we can help you to get to the top in your business!

Additive Industries is a finalist in the TCT Awards Automotive and Industrial Product categories.

3YOURMIND Pushes the Umati Standard for Machine Connectivity Forward

The introduction of umati (universal machine tool interface) as a standard for 3D printing and digital tooling machines will bring the entire manufacturing industry closer to a fully automated production stream. Machine connectivity is paramount for seamless AM workflows, and 3YOURMIND is an important partner in preparing umati as that standard in the context of Industry 4.0. Having the perspectives of leading machine companies and software developers at the table guarantees the best solution for the entire industry.

Learn about umati.

Funding will bring machine learning to the AM workflow.

Spinal Disorders: 3D-printed Titanium Implants Offer Hope

At first glance, the little grey blocks may seem unremarkable – but they have the power to change peoples’ lives. Known as interbody cages, they are a type of spinal implant that can be inserted as a space holder between two vertebrae to restore the natural height of the vertebral segment. For this to succeed, the cages need to meet stringent design requirements to withstand mechanical stress while being lightweight and biocompatible. The Moscow-based company CONMET currently produces cages on a TRUMPF TruPrint 1000 using 3D printing technology.

The cages are made of a biocompatible titanium alloy. One of the key challenges cage manufacturers face is creating a surface that has exactly the right level of porosity. CONMET production manager Nadeschda Morozova explains: “Porous structures promote osseointegration, in other words direct structural and functional connection between the living bone and the surface of the implant. These structures are almost impossible to fabricate using conventional methods such as turning, milling and casting, so 3D printing has a clear competitive edge.”

CONMET uses a TRUMPF TruPrint 1000 to develop parameters and test different geometries and materials. “Our aim is to better understand all the processes involved,” says Morozova. “That will enable us to produce custom-made, patient-specific implants and give us the groundwork we need to embark on full-scale production at the earliest possible stage.” CONMET plans to purchase a TruPrint 3000 to kick off full-scale production of its spinal implants.

Titanium interbody cages that are 3D printed with a TRUMPF TruPrint machine.

Avio Aero’s Plans to Scale DMLM

In July, Avio Aero’s second additive manufacturing plant, in Brindisi, officially started 3D printing production of parts for the new Catalyst engine for the Cessna Denali light aircraft. The new plant specializes in the production of additive technology for melting metal powders through Direct Metal Laser Melting (DMLM), and up to ten different GE Catalyst components will be produced in the plant.

The engine’s first flight is scheduled for the end of 2019 and will be the first turboprop engine in the world with almost 30% of its internal metal parts 3D printed. There are already three GE Additive-Concept Laser DMLM machines in operation, as well as two machines dedicated to post processing. By the end of this year, this machine fleet will double, and between 2022 and 2023, Brindisi will reach full capacity with another 15 DMLM machines in operation.

Learn more about GE Additive at ge.com/additive.

Catalyst engine, to take flight in 2019, will be manufactured in Avio Aero’s second AM plant.

U.S. Army Research Lab Selects 3D Systems to Develop World’s Largest, Fastest Metal Powder 3D Printer

3D Systems has been awarded a $15 million contract by the Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory (ARL) to create the world’s largest, fastest, most precise metal 3D printer. This printer will revolutionize key supply chains associated with long-range munitions, next-generation combat vehicles, helicopters, and air and missile defense capabilities. 3D Systems and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) were awarded funding to create this revolutionary printer and will partner with ARL and the Advanced Manufacturing, Materials, and Processes (AMMP) Program to advance the leadership and innovation of the world’s strongest military.

Once developed, the Army will leverage its manufacturing experience by placing the new large-scale systems in its depots and labs. The printer’s build envelope is planned to be 1000mm x 1000mm x 600mm, with the ability to build minimum wall thickness of 100µm and layer thickness of 30µm. This is a significant increase over current large-scale metal 3D printers with a build envelope of 500mm x 500mm x 500mm.

3D Systems’ new metal 3D printing technologies will revolutionize key supply chains associated with combat vehicles and other defense capabilities. (Image credit: U.S. Army)

PCTG Meets Manufacturers’ Demands for a Tough, Easy-to-Print, and Affordable Filament

While PETG is quickly becoming one of the most popular filaments for today’s manufacturers who need something a step above standard PLA, many manufacturers seem to have overlooked the lesser known PCTG, despite its almost universally superior characteristics. PCTG offers increased toughness, impact strength, and clarity, making it an excellent substitute for PETG.

PCTG, which stands for Poly–Cyclohexylenedimethylene Terephthalate Glycol,  is very similar to PETG, but it has higher chemical resistance, a larger range of printing temperatures, and increased durability. These qualities make PCTG easier to work with while also providing the same safety and recyclability as PETG.

With PCTG, you can 3D print virtually anything you would normally print with PLA or ABS. We’ve seen use cases for medical devices like prosthetics. The optical clarity is excellent for this application to help with patient fitment. Jigs and fixtures are another great application for PCTG.

Essentium offers PCTG filament in clear, a variety of standard colors, and an ESD-grade with our Essentium PCTG-Z. Essentium PCTG is unique in that it provides superior Izod impact resistance, which means it can withstand much higher impacts than similar filaments, while still maintaining tensile strength and heat resistance.

Watch the video here.

BASF 3D Printing Solutions and EOS Co-host Training Event in Austin, TX

 On September 17 and 18, BASF 3D Printing Solutions and EOS will be hosting a two-day event focused on moving 3D printing into production using BASF’s PA6 powder and the new EOS P 400 printer.

In addition to equipment and material components, BASF 3D Printing Solutions will also be hosting a special session focused on its proprietary Ultrasim^® Simulation Software. Using a Virtual Engineering approach, Ultrasim^® can help in all development phases from finding the best concept design to predicting how 3D-printed parts will behave under service loads.

Day 1

• Industry experts’ high-level overview
• BASF’s PA6 material & EOS P 400 printer deep dive
• Ultrasim^® simulation example
• Tour of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing facility

Day 2

• 6 separate in-depth, one-on-one trainings (3 company slots are still available)
• Solve specific problems – adapting to production level parts

To register for free to this event, please contact jeremy.vos@basf.com or call him at 641-670-2579. For more information, check out our new website or contact us at 3d-printing@basf-3dps.com.

BASF’s Ultrasim^®3D used for optimizing 3D-printed parts production (video).

Fabbaloo Gets to Go Behind the Scenes at SLM Solutions North America

Fabbaloo’s Sarah Goehrke visited SLM Solutions North America for a peek behind the curtain:

“In quite a change from SLM Solutions operations of years past, when the company played its cards so close to the vest and we had no idea what they had in their hand, transparency was the word of the day. I appreciated the opportunity to walk through the office, lab, post-processing and metrology setups, and even the warehouse. The company has been public since 2014, so there’s a certain level of information they are required to divulge. That doesn’t often translate into “feel free to take photos or ask anything” when on-site, though — so it was definitely refreshing to visit a company that holds several patents and is still willing to share.”

Read Sarah’s entire article on SLM NA here.

Carbon x Kode With Klossy: Inspiring the Next Generation of Female Innovators

This summer Carbon hosted Kode With Klossy. Born out of supermodel Karlie Kloss’s desire to better understand coding, Kode With Klossy is a free, two-week camp that provides young women, ages 13–18, with instruction on web development and programming.

Hosting the camp at Carbon’s HQ in Redwood City afforded the Kode With Klossy scholars the opportunity to learn about emerging technologies, such as digital manufacturing. The young women received a demo on how 3D printing works at Carbon as well as their very own 3D-printed bracelets. They also spoke with Carbon’s CEO Joseph DeSimone, Carbon’s CMO Dara Treseder, and female Carbon employees working in STEM. Carbon’s partnership with Kode With Klossy illuminates the company’s belief in the limitless potential of women.

Learn more about Carbon’s partnership with Kode With Klossy by visiting www.carbon3d.com.

Kode with Klossy scholars watching a 3D printing demo.

ExOne to Feature New Materials, Innovent+™ at TCT Show

ExOne^® will be among one of the 300 exhibitors at the world-leading design-to-manufacturing event in Birmingham, UK, September 24 – 26. ExOne’s Innovent+ metal 3D binder jet printer will be showcased, featuring state-of-the-art recoating technology, allowing for the widest range of materials to be printed, and producing the most consistent and uniform print bed.

In addition, part displays will feature new, cutting-edge materials, including Inconel 718, M2 Tool Steel and Copper. The proprietary binder jetting technology from ExOne creates the opportunity to leverage a broader class of materials for 3D printing. Whether identifying industrial binders and materials for parts on demand or to leverage in ExOne’s printing systems, ExOne’s pros can help you find the right solution for your industry or application.

If you’re at the show, stop by booth D72 to chat with our experienced staff. Visit ExOne’s newly redesigned website to learn more about their innovative products.

Innovent+ and parts with cutting-edge materials to be featured at the TCT Show.

EOS Webinar: 3D Printing Solutions for Thermal Management

Tuesday, Sept 10 | 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. ET

What do gaming CPUs, LEDs, race cars and electrical appliances have in common? They all need ultra-efficient thermal management in a small space. Register now to join the next EOS webinar, “3D Printing Solutions for Thermal Management” and learn how additive manufacturing (AM) can help control heat and advance the limits of miniaturization.

Hosted by EOS Business Development Manager Mathias Höh, the webinar offers a look at how biomimetic and generative design in AM can push the boundaries of what’s possible with thermal management, including larger surfaces, conformal cooling, and integrated functionalities, all while retaining target manufacturing costs.

Register Now.

Tuesday, Sept 10 | 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. ET

Spotlight: From Design to 3D Print; the Form 3 Workflow

With the new advanced Low Force Stereolithography technology behind the Form 3 (and its large format counterpart, the Form 3L), Formlabs has completely re-engineered resin-based 3D printing to deliver incredible part quality and printer reliability, giving anyone from individual designers to large production teams the ability to bring their ideas to life. Formlabs has just released a new blog that takes readers through the steps on how to use the Form 3, from software and materials to printing and post-processing.

Formlabs has also just announced its first European User Summit on October 1, 2019, at Funkhaus in Berlin. The event will bring together interdisciplinary panels from the minds behind the most disruptive digital workflows, offer attendees the chance to see Formlabs new Form 3 and Form 3L 3D printers in person, and provide Formlabs University training sessions.

Get insights on the design to print process with Low Force Stereolithography in this new blog.

How Boyce Technologies Integrated Large-format AM Beyond Prototyping into Production

Boyce Technologies is one of the leading manufacturers of security and communication equipment for the mass transit market in New York. Since incorporating large-format 3D printing, Boyce Technologies has seen firsthand how 3D printing helps compress the design, engineering, and production time so they can meet tighter deadlines and get to production faster.

“At the beginning we understood 3D printing as primarily a prototyping tool, that quickly shifted into production,” said Ajmal Aqtash, director of advanced robotics, Boyce Technologies.  The planned integration for the new system was for about 90% prototyping usage and 10% production. What ended up happening was exactly the opposite, and the team has seen its usage shift to 90% production and 10% prototyping.

Boyce now uses its BigRep large-format 3D printers across a variety of applications including prototyping, manufacturing end-use parts, and creating vacuum forming molds.

Read the full case study here.

Boyce Technologies printing end use parts for Verizon Digital Kiosks.

What is Polymer Directed Energy Deposition (DED) and How Can It Benefit You?

DED is best known for metal feedstock, which can be a powder or wire, that is fed into the path of a laser or electron beam to be fused by melting as the material is deposited. The wire process results in high throughput rates, but like all metal processes, it requires a controlled environment; in this case a shielding gas.

Polymer DED developed by AREVO uses a “wire” or filament of carbon fiber impregnated with a thermoplastic polymer matrix, but it does not require a controlled environment. It is capable of processing carbon fiber volume contents of 50% (or more) and incorporates advanced modeling and software capabilities. A full study of mechanical properties of these composites was conducted, which provided valuable input and validation.

Illustration of the polymer DED process by AREVO.

Successful 3DMP Conference and Tours, Info-Packed Summer Issue Out

Attendees of 3DMP’s 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour, held earlier this month in Novi, MI, got a close look at how Ford Motor Co. leverages additive manufacturing to help propel its manufacturing prowess and how Linear AMS’s design and metal printing efforts meet customer prototype and volume needs in the metal-injection-molding arena.

The successful event also included presentations by top-notch industry professionals and scholars, as well as an abundance of networking opportunities. The summer issue of 3D Metal Printing provides additional conference and tour details along with a comprehensive wrap-up of RAPID + TCT, a tour of HP Inc.’s new 3D Printing and Digital Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Spain, and insight into Lincoln’ Electric’s new AM business and technology.

www.3dmpmag.com

3DMP’s 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour included visits to see Ford’s Advanced Manufacturing Center (pictured) and Linear AMS.

Robots and 3D Printing Go Together

3D printing and automation share some of the same promise – reduced labor, unattended operation, and more efficient workflows. But what happens when 3D printing and robots intersect? The latest issue of Additive Manufacturing magazine explores this interplay.

In our cover story, injection molder Evco details how it integrated a cobot with a cell of six printers to run 24/7. As a result, the company can now take on different types of plastic part production that wouldn’t have been possible before. Other topics covered include metal 3D printing directly with a robotic arm, custom 3D-printed grippers, and coordinated robot “swarms” that could print large pieces efficiently. Read it here and subscribe to receive the next issue in your mailbox.

Evco integrated six Markforged 3D printers with a Universal Robots cobot for unattended, 24/7 production.

Get the Metal AM app for iOS and Android

As well as being available in print and via our website, Metal AM magazine offers a free app for iOS and Android, giving you access every issue of the leading international publication for metal 3D printing, all the way back to our launch in 2015.

Our app allows you to download any issue to your device for reading on or offline, and features a powerful keyword search, enabling you to find the content you’re interested in across all of our current and back issues – even those not stored on your device.

Get the app and visit Metal AM.

Read, discover and search with Metal AM’s mobile app.

Liquid Magnets and Impossible Actuators

The summer months are traditionally the calm before the autumn conference storm season begins. Taking advantage of this lull, and a break from teaching duties, are several academic-focused conferences — for example Additive International in Nottingham, UK, and Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium in Austin, Texas. The latter event is celebrating its 30th edition this month.

Two recent pieces of academic research caught the eye of 3D Printing Industry. At Berkeley Lab, a modified 3D printer was used in work that brings “a revolutionary class of printable liquid devices” a step closer. At MIT, drawing on inspiration from nature, a combination of multi-material 3D printing and topology optimization was applied to fabricate complex actuators that the scientists anticipate could be used in future robots or airplane wings.

The 3DPI team also has several new developments coming soon, and we look forward to sharing these with readers this autumn.

MIT researchers fabricated floating lilies with petals that fold up in response to magnetic fields. (Image via MIT/Subramanian Sundaram).

From the Editor

The latest North American iteration of TCT Magazine is now five volumes old. In that short space of time, we’ve seen a radical transformation of this industry with stories from the likes of Ford Motor Company, Boeing, Stryker Medical, Adidas, Jabil and more conglomerates using 3D printing. However, what we simply haven’t had enough of is additive success stories from the SMBs in the region.

The small gains additive gives the machine shop in fixturing or the foundry in tooling, go a long way. Those applications are of equal importance, if not more so, to those of the Fortune 500 companies. The reason we see less coverage for SMBs is, 99% of the time, down to marketing; the big guys have whole departments adept at getting their message out, and truth be told, make editors’ jobs easy.

Well, here at TCT we don’t want easy, we want to engage with you and we want to help accelerate this industry. To do that we’ve got to start having more conversations. Have you got a great story to tell? Get in touch.

RAPID + TCT 2020 Call for Speakers

RAPID + TCT is now accepting speaker applications for our 2020 event! Do you have an innovative case study, application, or research to share with the additive manufacturing community? Now is your chance to become a part of the select group of presenters dedicated to the advancement of the industry.

What’s in it for you? Here are the top five reasons to speak at RAPID + TCT:

• Reach key industry decision-makers
• Showcase your company’s innovation and success
• Gain industry-wide exposure through event marketing support
• Position your company as a thought leader
• Receive complimentary admission to the RAPID + TCT 2020 exposition and all conference sessions

Apply to become a RAPID + TCT 2020 speaker and influence the future of 3D technology at one of the world’s largest and most influential additive manufacturing conferences.