President’s Report
Gary Rabinovitz
President
The 2013 Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference registration is now officially open for all attendees, exhibitors and sponsors. This year we tried to make things simple by giving everyone the ability to register in one place. It is no surprise to me that one of the first attendees to register this year was Jason Lopes of Legacy Effects. Jason is a true believer and friend of AMUG.
In just the first four days of open registration, we had a total of 17 registrants! If this is any indication of the 25th Silver Anniversary Conference numbers, we are in for a real explosion since these numbers give us a projection of just over 500 attendees. We also have our first committed Diamond Level sponsor, Stratasys.
I have been spending a lot of time thinking about how the 2013 conference agenda should look. The theme of course is “Education and Training,” but I have also been asked about different tracks that may be offered. As most of you already know, this conference is for the owners and operators of AM technologies, and I feel that by sticking to only a few select tracks this may deter many folks from attending. With that being said, I would like to open this year’s agenda to topics from all AM technologies, whether the OEM is supportive of our group or not.
I am looking for new and unique applications that provide both the “wow factor” and the “now that is an awesome use of the technology” factor. Combining technologies in the same project will be a high priority in this year’s agenda.
As the process of putting together this agenda gets under way, I will be personally contacting many of you with a request to participate in one form or another. Several OEM’s have already stepped up to educate and lead hands-on-training sessions — will you be next? Please contact me ASAP (president@am-ug.com) to get involved.
Several of your board members will be attending EuroMold at the end of November, please stop by the SLM Solutions booth, Hall 11 Stand C80 (AMUG is sharing a small portion of this booth) and say hello.
Until next month,
Gary Rabinovitz
AMUG 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
Bret Bordner
Vice President
Registration Made Simple
As many of you may know, registration for the 2013 conference in Jacksonville officially opened last month. We have completely revamped the process and hope you find it much easier to navigate. The best thing about it: you have total control and can go back into your registration and make changes at any time.
Below are a few key features.
- One Form for All – attendees, sponsors and exhibitors can now use the same form.
- Save & Return Later – input your information and save it without payment. You can come back and make changes to your registration at any point. Simply complete the form and select ‘Save & Return Later’ in the Payment Options pull-down menu.
- Multiple Registrations – now you can register multiple personnel for one company at the same time for one total payment.
As always, your feedback is welcome. If there is something we have missed, e-mail us and let us know. We have the ability to make changes on the fly if we need to.
Click on the link below and register today!
Thanks,
Bret Bordner
vicepresident@am-ug.com
Sponsor News – Stratasys
New Black ULTEM 9085
Now build FDM parts in strong, FST-rated black material
For more options in demanding applications, Stratasys is proud to introduce ULTEM* 9085 material in black. If you rely on ULTEM 9085 for its flame, smoke and toxicity (FST) rating and impressive mechanical properties, your Fortus 900mc or 400mc 3D Production System can now build all of the same ULTEM tools, prototypes and end-use parts in a uniform black color.
- Mask stains: Fingerprints and grease stains may be evidence of the tough everyday abuse that ULTEM parts can take, but they can also create doubts about performance and reliability. Black ULTEM endures gritty real-world settings and stays looking great.
- Build realistic prototypes: Black ULTEM 9085 can more closely mimic the appearance of the final product, right out of the build chamber — no need to resort to traditional machining just to have your prototype in black.
- Skip painting: If you’ve been putting in the extra effort to paint ULTEM parts black for any reason, now you can produce black ULTEM 9085 parts directly from your digital files.
Learn more here and check out footage of a black ULTEM truck fender assembly enduring functional testing at Minimizer.
Treasurer’s Report
Vince Anewenter
Treasurer
Just in time for the holidays; AMUG brings back layaway!
Well, sort of…
As part of the new and improved registration process, we now offer you the opportunity to register early and pay later. We realize that in the past many of you delayed registering to avoid issues with reimbursement or budgeting. With the new system, you can complete the registration process and then select the option to pay later.
And everyone wins. You secure a spot at the conference without having to deal with the financial hassles until next year. Your early commitment gives a better idea of how many people to expect, which will make planning much easier.
I encourage all of you to try out our new registration system today. After you take it for a test drive, please let us know if there are things you like or things you see that could be improved.
Sincerely,
Your AMUG Treasurer
Vince Anewenter
Treasurer@AM-UG.com
