AMUG Newsletter May 2018

President’s Report

I am very pleased to report that the AMUG Conference was a huge success. On behalf of AMUG, thank you sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers and members for your contributions. Without the support, success would be difficult to achieve.

I’d also like to share my gratitude to all our members for acting on my request to enter the conference with expectations of giving and sharing.  You heeded my call and exceeded my expectations. In each conversation I was a part of—at the AMUGexpo, between sessions or at lunch—I heard “I can help with that!” That is what makes AMUG special, and that is what brings unequaled value to all that attend.

For those who return each year, the openness and sharing felt natural— something they see as normal. For most of our first-time members, it came as an unexpected, but most welcome, surprise.

The AMUG experience led many new members to ask me “How can I do more?” This is a fair question from those that are new to the family and unaware of the behind-the-scenes activities that set the stage for our community-oriented event. To answer the question, let’s work together to find a place for you to contribute. To start that conversation, drop us an email that expresses your interest in getting involved.

Thanks again, all. See you next year in Chicago!

Event Manager’s Thanks

What an AWESOME 2018 conference! I hope everyone who attended agrees with me that the 2018 conference and AMUGexpo were extremely educational, as well as a huge benefit for career development.

I would like to say thank you to everyone (presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, track leaders, liaisons and ambassadors) who helped to make the 2018 event a huge success. Without everyone pulling together and helping out, making the conference such a success would be impossible.

Conference Proceedings & Survey

On May 3rd, conference attendees were emailed instructions for accessing the conference proceedings and submitting evaluations of the conference. If you did not receive the email, please check your spam folder for the subject line “2018 AMUG Conference Proceedings and Survey.” If you still can’t find it, please send an email to secretary@amug.com to have the details re-sent.

Note that access requires a username (your registration email address) and password. These are the same as those sent to you prior to the conference for access to the mobile app and online planner. If you have this information handy, you can access proceedings here or through the mobile app. You can access the evaluation system here.

We strongly encourage you to complete the evaluation. This feedback will be vital in our June planning meetings for the 2019 conference.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Tom Sorovetz is the first recipient of AMUG’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Tom, a casting engineer at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and AMUG’s event manager, was recognized during our 30^th annual conference for 25 years of service, hard work and dedication.

Joined on stage by nine past presidents, Paul Bates, AMUG president, presented the Lifetime Achievement Award to Tom, who was accompanied by his wife, Suzanne. Bates stated, “The common thread among these past presidents, who have held that position from 1991 onward, is Tom Sorovetz.”

During the award presentation, Gary Rabinovitz, AMUG chairman and past president, noted that Tom had served under 18 of the 23 AMUG presidents. From the stage, all of the past presidents spoke highly of Tom’s contributions to the success of the group’s annual conference and to the financial health of the organization.

Congratulations, Tom.

Tom Sorovetz accepts Lifetime Achievement Award from Paul Bates.

DINOs Named at Conference

AMUG presented eight DINO (Distinguished Innovator Operator) Awards to recognize industry veterans for years of experience, contributions to the additive manufacturing industry and active support of the users group. The newly named DINOs are:

• Andy Christensen, Somaden LLC
• Rey Chu, PADT, Inc.
• Douglas Greenwood, Fleet Readiness Center East
• Steve Hanna, 3D Systems
• Rick Pressley, Renaissance Services, Inc.
• Andrew Sliwa, Custom Prototypes Inc.
• Fried Vancraen, Materialise
• Pat Warner, Renault Sport Formula One

Paul Bates, AMUG president, said, “There were many candidates that had the tenure suited for this coveted award. However, that is just one criteria. To be a DINO, one must also give back to the industry and support AMUG. These eight individuals rose above all others because of what they have done and what they have achieved.”

Congratulations on receiving this prestigious award!

Front row (left to right): Andy Christensen, Steve Hanna, Pat Warner and Rey Chu.
Back row (Left to right): Fried Vancraen, Andrew Sliwa, Douglas Greenwood and Rick Pressley.

Technical Competition Winners

Congratulations Ed Graham (ProtoCam) and Andrew Sliwa (Custom Prototypes) for taking the top spots in the annual Technical Competition.

Ed Graham’s winning entry in the Advanced Concepts category was titled “Old world engineering gets and additive makeover.” That makeover solved a decade-old problem for Langhorne Carpets, which could not acquire replacements for the carpet loom drive assembly from circa-1930s machines. Graham’s team applied DFAM (design for additive manufacturing) practices to reduce weight and replicate 1,000 pilot holes while creating a modular assembly that allows replacement of individual components. The five-piece assemblies were then printed with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion and put into service.

Andrew Sliwa’s winning entry in the Advanced Finishing category was a stunning recreation of a Praetorian Guard helmet that, according to legend, Cleopatra gave to Mark Antony. Lost to time, Sliwa’s team built on research to create a digital model that fueled metal and polymer additive manufacturing processes. The metal pieces were painstakingly polished and plated in copper, nickel and gold. The jewels, which were printed in clear photopolymer, were dyed and painted to present the grains of precious stones. Showing prowess in additive manufacturing, as well as finishing, Custom Prototypes printed each individual strand of the helmet’s crest and then dyed, plasticized and coated the plume before shaping it with hot air.

Winning Technical Competition entries. Andrew Sliwa for Advanced Finishing (left)
and Ed Graham for Advanced Concepts.

Emrah Celik: Randy Stevens Scholarship Recipient

As a faculty member, I have attended many conferences in my academic life. AMUG was a completely unique encounter. Instead of a conference, I would call it an amazing experience. I gained, in just a week, insights that changed my teaching philosophy, understanding of the AM industry and my future research goals.

At the AMUG Conference, I learned the latest AM technologies and shared these with my students in the first class upon my return. I explained to them the bright future of AM and encouraged them to be part of this community. It was great to see the excitement in their eyes and to hear that some career plans changed towards AM.  I also met great people and learned about great opportunities, such as Carbon’s certificate training program. The interactions gave me the opportunity to invite some of the AM industry leaders to University of Miami to give guest lectures next semester and share their success stories with the students.

I am also proud of being onboard with the organizing committee and helping with the registration process. In the beginning, it was tough to stand for endless hours, but I really enjoyed interacting with the amazing AMUG Board members and volunteers. Teamwork made a very difficult operation so smooth; I still don’t understand how it happened.

At AMUG, I served, helped, learned and networked. It was a unique combination that I have never experienced before. It made a difference on my career, and now my goal is to reflect it onto my students and train the future AMUG leaders.

Emrah Celik, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Miami, addresses AMUG Conference attendees.

New AMUG Board

Effective July 1, your new AMUG Board will take the reins of the organization. But transition won’t be difficult because AMUG members re-elected all candidates that stepped up to be considered for an additional year. That means there is only one change to the board. Deputy Secretary Leslie Frost will take over as Secretary because Kim Killoran opted to step down after holding the position for five years.

The elected officers, in turn, reappointed our chairman, treasurer and AM industry advisor.

Your AMUG Board for 2018-2019 is:

• President: Paul Bates, UL
• Past President: Mark Barfoot, Cimetrix Solutions
• Vice President: Carl Dekker, Met-L-Flo
• Vice President: Jamie Cone, BD
• Event Manager: Tom Sorovetz, FCA
• Secretary: Leslie Frost, GE Additive
• Chairman: Gary Rabinovitz, Reebok
• Treasurer: Vince Anewenter, Milwaukee School of Engineering
• AM Industry Advisor: Todd Grimm, T. A. Grimm & Associates

2018-2019 AMUG Board.

TCT Hall of Fame

AMUG is proud to have two of its long-time supporters nominated for the TCT Hall of Fame, Graham Tromans and Todd Grimm. Graham has served many years as an AMUG Ambassador and is one of only two individuals to have two DINO Awards. Todd has served on the AMUG Board for seven years and has a DINO Award.

The other nominees are:

• Carl Deckard (AMUG Innovators Award and DINO Award)
• Phill Dickens (AMUG Dino Award)
• Greg Morris
• Ely Sachs

Selection of three Hall of Fame inductees will be by public vote, which is open until June 1, 2018. The inductees will be announced at the TCT Awards 2018 event on September 26, 2018. To vote for one of the six nominees, click here.

Graham Tromans (left) and Todd Grimm nominated for TCT Hall of Fame.

2019 AMUG Conference

Mark your calendars now. The 2019 AMUG Conference will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 31 through April 4, 2019. We will be returning to the Hilton Chicago, but this time we will have every square foot of the hotel for conference sessions and the AMUGexpo.

Tentatively, we plan to open the door to hotel reservations in the next few months. Conference registration should be available in October. At that time, we will also be accepting sponsor and exhibitor registrations.

Renishaw Launches Guide to Additive Manufacturing

Renishaw has launched a dedicated Guide to AM page on its website. This new information hub will educate and inform customers, and the wider engineering community, on the possibilities of additive manufacturing and its business impact. The information can be accessed for free at http://www.renishaw.com/amguide.

Content includes videos, articles, industry news, opinion pieces and detailed case studies of successful applications. It also contains a collection of technical articles written by Renishaw’s industry experts, including popular AM LinkedIn blogger Marc Saunders and Lucy Grainger, an expert in metal powders for AM.

Featured on the new page is the beginner’s guide to AM, which explains how users can optimize their use of metal AM to take advantage of the design freedom, performance and efficiency of this manufacturing technique. It also explains how understanding the particular AM process characteristics are essential to waste and cost reduction.

Visitors can have the latest AM developments sent directly to them by signing up for our quarterly enewsletter.

Renishaw launches guide to AM.

HP Accelerates Transformation of Manufacturing with 3D Printing Expansion to Mexico

HP Inc. recently announced the commercial availability of its industry-leading Jet Fusion 3D Printing Solutions in Mexico and its first customer Bojä3D, an innovative digital manufacturing service provider. “We are excited to bring the industry’s leading 3D printing technology, most robust partner community, and most innovative materials ecosystem to help drive the digital reinvention of this key Latin American manufacturing market,” said Marcos Razon, vice president and general manager, HP Latin America. “With HP’s Multi Jet Fusion technology now available in the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, we are changing the way the world designs and manufactures around the world.”

Read the press release here.

Victor Anaya of Bojä3D (left) and Stephen Nigro of HP at the announcement event.

3D Systems’ Customers Showcased Real-World Results at AMUG 2018

At AMUG 2018, 3D Systems customers shared the 3D printing strategies and workflows they have incorporated to make manufacturing more efficient, responsive, and cost-effective.

Dr. Timothy H. Osborn of University of Dayton Research Institute highlighted select applications in partnership with aerospace OEMs that leverage Figure 4™ to develop agile programs to meet aviation component supply needs.

Jarod Rauch discussed how B & J Specialty increased injection molding production rates by 30%, reduced cycle times by 40% and increased part quality and tooling longevity with a ProX® DMP 320 and complementary software.

Tom Mueller, founder of Mueller AMS, addressed progress in investment casting with 3D Systems QuickCast® SLA patterns and MJP printed wax patterns. Now his customers can make patterns in 90% less time at 92% lower cost, with easier integration into the casting process.

These presentations are available in the AMUG Conference proceedings.

Dr. Timothy H. Osborn of University of Dayton Research Institute presents Figure 4 applications at the AMUG Conference.

Carbon Adds to Its Broad Lineup of Production-Ready Materials

Digital 3D Manufacturing company Carbon recently announced two new production-ready materials: Epoxy (EPX) 82 and Elastomeric Polyurethane (EPU) 41.

EPX 82 is a high-resolution and high-strength engineering material with excellent long-term durability and a heat-deflection temperature of 115 °C. It is ideal for applications requiring a balance of strength, toughness, and thermal-cycling durability such as connectors, brackets, and housings in the automotive and industrial sectors.

EPU 41 is Carbon’s production-scale elastomeric material offering higher resilience for making durable, elastic lattices. EPU 41 adds to Carbon’s unparalleled elastomeric materials families and is especially well-suited for producing elastomeric lattice geometries that can outperform traditional foams. Its tear strength, energy return, and elongation make it perfect for cushioning, impact absorption and comfort.

EPX 82 and EPU 41 are currently available to Carbon customers in North America. Global availability information will be shared at a later date.

To learn more, contact Carbon’s sales team at sales@carbon3d.com.

Printing of lattice pucks made with EPU 41 used for consumer applications such as helmets, gloves, shin guards.

NEW EOS High-Temp Polymer System and Material

Launched at RAPID + TCT 2018, EOS introduced the new EOS P 810 polymer platform, specifically designed to process the new high-performance ALM material HT-23. The EOS P 810—the world’s first economic, high-temperature polymer AM solution—addresses industry requirements for demanding, high-performance parts.

With aerospace in mind, the EOS P 810 builds on the success of the well-established EOS P 800 and features a build volume of 700 x 380 x 380 mm, with two 70-watt lasers. Designed in conjunction with the system, the HT-23 material is the first carbon fiber-reinforced PEKK material that can be processed on EOS systems, opening new opportunities for weight reduction, cost efficiency, reduced assembly time for components, and design freedom.

Read the full press release here

The NEW EOS P 810 Polymer 3D Printer.

BASF Continues to Rock On with 3D-printed Guitar

What a successful event we all had at AMUG 2018! Kudos once again to everyone involved in bringing the additive manufacturing community together.

A special thanks to all of you who stopped by our Diamond suite to see our different 3D-printed parts and/or attended our track sessions led by our experts and partners. If you need more information, please contact us at 3d-printing@basf.com.

In case you missed it, Wednesday during Casino night, we had #1 Billboard Blues Artist Anthony Gomes play our 3D-printed guitar. The guitar was the result of the collaboration between BASF and renowned high-end electric stringed instrument maker Jens Ritter. The guitar was built by SLS using BASF’s Ultrasint^® PA6 powder material. The 3D-printed guitar was also featured during our 2018 Annual Shareholders’ Meeting in Germany.

To learn what the artist had to say about our 3D-printed guitar, please click on the image.

Thank you from BASF 3D Printing Solutions team!

More Manufacturing and Production Resources from Formlabs

We had a great time hosting our Diamond Sessions at AMUG 2018 and exploring how additive manufacturing can transform production and manufacturing, not just prototyping. If you’re interested in hearing more about these topics, we recommend checking out our white papers:

• Moldmaking with 3D Prints: Techniques for Prototyping and Production: Moldmaking opens up a world of production materials and provides the ability to produce short-run batches and test mold designs prior to committing to expensive tooling. Learn how moldmaking with desktop 3D printing allows engineers and designers to get much more functionality from their 3D printer.
• Designing Jigs & Fixtures with 3D Printing: Use this white paper as a starting point for jig and fixture design and to learn how to leverage 3D printing to reduce costs, shorten development time, and optimize production workflows from design engineer to manufacturing floor technician.

See you next year!

With heat-resistant 3D printing materials like Formlabs High Temp Resin, packaging designers can go from a CAD model to a thermoformed piece of plastic quickly and affordably.

Successful 4-laser MetalFAB1™ System Launch at AMUG

It was a very fruitful week at AMUG 2018. Metal additive manufacturing is maturing rapidly to become a regular production technology. When applications shift from single parts being prototyped to small and larger series production, process and equipment requirements change from manual flexibility to automated predictability and integrated reproducibility. With its growing installed base in the aerospace, automotive and high-tech component industries, Additive Industries’ MetalFAB1™ system has proven its added value in the domain of industrial parts production.

During AMUG 2018, on our display we had the MetalFAB1 Process and Application Development Tool processing IN718 with 4 lasers covering the entire 420mm X 420mm part bed. We also showed that Additive Industries is ready to step up the game and focus on traditional manufacturing metrics like OEE and productivity in order to beat competing conventional technologies like casting and machining on their own turf.

MetalFAB1 is tackling traditional performance metrics.

Manufacturers Stay Ahead of the Competition with Full-Color, Multi-Material Additive Solutions

Every prototype starts with a vision of how the finished product needs to look, feel and function when complete. Designing is a process that transforms ideas into manufacturable goods and is often a road paved by technical realities and business compromises. Mitigating risk before investing in the manufacturing process is an important step to ensure market success.

Proving what works through extensive testing and sampling on true-to-life prototypes at the beginning, middle and end of a development cycle means design challenges are addressed early, which trims time and money from product development.

The Stratasys J750 lets designers 3D print in multiple materials and colors without sacrificing time for intricacy and complexity. With realistic prototypes, they can better communicate designs with vivid samples and save on manual post-processing delays and costs.

The Stratasys J750 is helping manufacturers completely streamline prototype production from several steps to only one, helping manufacturers get to market with speed and confidence designs will succeed.

Learn more about Stratasys solutions for manufacturing here.

Product developers make more informed design decisions about form and function by printing multiple iterations in full color.

Great to Meet Everyone in St. Louis!

AMUG 2018 was a big success for GE Additive. Thank you to all attendees for coming and to the AMUG team for a wonderful experience. AMUG was founded on the premise that the industry thrives when we share information. It was inspiring to see old acquaintances and meet new faces.

In our Diamond Suite, we displayed sample parts across different industries, as well as M2 cusing DMLM and Q10plus EBM machines. We offered an array of presentations on cutting-edge additive topics, including use cases, machines, materials, and AddWorks – GE‘s consulting services. Thank you to our industry-leading guest speakers, who shared insights on their additive journeys.

It was great seeing everyone at AMUG 2018. See you in 2019!

www.ge.com/additive

In the Diamond Suite, there were plenty of conversations and information exchanges throughout the week.

Innovent+ Introduced at AMUG Conference

The ExOne Company was proud to introduce its new binder jet metal additive manufacturing system at this year’s AMUG. The Innovent+ offers an ultrasonic recoater and enhanced powder handling capabilities, designed to enable greater material flexibility and ease of use.

The conference featured presentations by multiple ExOne users, including Expanse Microtechnologies Inc., University of South Florida, University of Texas at El Paso, University of Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Oak Ridge and Los Alamos National Laboratories. Highlights included a 3D video showing density analysis using CT scanning.

ExOne is also working with AMUG Conference organizers to offer a ceramics track for next year’s event.

CTO, Rick Lucas, discusses the advantages of using binder jet technology to produce sand molds and cores.

Metal AM app for iOS or Android

A new way to read our magazine, the brand new Metal AM app gives you access to every issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine, the leading international publication on the 3D printing of metals.

A powerful keyword search system allows you to search for content and find relevant articles and news stories in all of our current and back issues – even those you haven’t yet downloaded.

Download now to read every edition of Metal AM, dating back to our launch in 2015, keep up to date with the latest metal AM news and be notified each time a new issue is available to add to your library.

Get the app.

Access past and current issues of Metal AM magazine with new iOS an Android apps.

RAPID + TCT 2018 Recap

RAPID + TCT 2018 was held April 23-26, 2018, in Fort Worth, TX. Nearly 6,000 attendees from around the world joined together for North America’s largest additive manufacturing event. The RAPID + TCT show floor spanned 88,000 square feet and hosted 341 exhibiting companies, a record high. Countless valuable business connections were made, products were introduced, ideas were born, and visions became reality.

Save the dates for 2019:

AMUG 2018 “a unique experience”

During the many conversations at AMUG this year, one word cropped up frequently – unique. There was an excitement and enthusiasm running through the week’s events. 3D Printing Industry has gathered some of the insights and reflections from AMUG 2018 in our article.

Today, we will be hosting the 2018 3D Printing Industry Awards. If you are unable to join us in London for the event, you can watch our livestream and keep up to date via social media with the hashtag #3DPIAwards.

Sparking Creativity with Additive Manufacturing

You were exposed to the most interesting concepts at the annual Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference. The morning of April 11, attendees received a look at how several innovative companies around the world are thinking about using the layer-by-layer approach to build objects. Imagine using a drone to extrude material to construct buildings. Dedibot, out of China, is thinking about this. Learn more about innovative concepts here.

Dedibot drone (concept) takes AM innovation to new heights.

May Issue: Transformative Tooling

3D printing has proven itself as a means to produce workholding devices, cores and cavities, jigs, fixtures, and more in moldmaking and machine shops. But are there other industries and manufacturing sectors utilizing 3D-printed tooling with success? Without a doubt, yes.

The May issue of Additive Manufacturing magazine explores some of the ways that 3D-printed tooling is transforming industries that might not be obvious AM users. Gate Precast, for example, has found success in using 3D-printed forms to make hundreds of precast concrete windows for a skyscraper in New York City. Other stories in this issue show that it’s possible to 3D print masking tools for the PVD process, as well as punches and dies for press brakes.

Read more here.

Can precast concrete benefit from 3D-printed tooling? Gate Precast shows how in the latest issue.

AMUG Wrap-up Coming in Summer 3DMP

The Summer 2018 issue of 3D Metal Printing details what we saw and heard at AMUG, including unique products and services from exhibitors as well as presentations on envelope-pushing technologies and applications. We’ll also wrap up the recently held RAPID + TCT event.

Be sure to visit the 3DMP website, www.3dmpmag.com, for details on our Mexico Additive Manufacturing and 3D Printing Conference, coming in June, and our 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour in August.

The Spring issue of 3DMP is available online. Look for AMUG post-event coverage in our Summer 2018 issue, due out in July.

TCT Awards – Last Chance to Enter Your Winning AM Innovation!

AMUG 2018 kicked off one of the busiest months on the TCT calendar as the team jetted to-and-from the U.S. to cover the latest from the AMUG Conference and RAPID + TCT. As always, the quality of conversations, insightful user stories and technology launches did not disappoint and have given us plenty of food for thought for the next issue of TCT Magazine and upcoming TCT Awards.

There are only a few weeks left to enter one of our 14 TCT Award categories. In keeping with the AMUG community spirit, if you have created or spotted a winning 3D technology or application, visit the TCT Awards website or give those deserving teams a nudge so we can celebrate those innovations at our prestigious awards ceremony this September.

TCT Awards is accepting entries for 3D technologies and applications until June 1, 2018.

Engineering.com gets a first-hand look at the new suite of AM simulation tools offered by ANSYS, upon its acquisition of 3DSIM. What benefits do simulations hold for metal and plastic 3D printing? Found out here.

Simulation results from ANSYS Additive Print showing displacement for a heat exchanger part. (Image courtesy of ANSYS)