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AMUG Newsletter April 2015

By April 4, 2015October 4th, 2016

President’s Report

Mark Barfoot President

Mark Barfoot
President

With only 11 days until the AMUG Conference, this will be the last newsletter before the event. I hope everyone is as excited about the conference as I am. I think this is going to be the biggest and best AMUG we have ever had.

For those that will be joining us in Jacksonville, here are a few final reminders:

  • We have several sessions that require pre-registration. Take a look at what is offered and register today. (see article below for details)
  • The SME Additive Manufacturing Certificate course is on Sunday morning before our conference, and the exam is on the Friday after. The deadline for registration is April 13th so please make sure you register if you are planning on participating.
  • The online planner allows you to schedule what sessions you plan on attending and plan your event. You can even access it on your smartphone or tablet while at the conference (see Vice President’s Report for details)
  • We have extended the deadline for the technical competition until April 15th. If you haven’t submitted a form, please do so. (see article below)
  • Bring some parts and files. Consider bringing items that you are having issues with so that you can get help solving them. If you are attending the Postprocess Technologies post processing session, bring your parts with support still intact so that you can try out some different support removal options. If attending the silicon molding workshops, bring a small item and you can reproduce it.
  • Bring a hat, sunglasses and sunscreen. We eat lunch outside, and our Tuesday event could be inside or outside.
  • Bring lots of business cards. You will meet a lot of people during the week that you want to add to your network.

We have had issues with the hotel bookings, and some people were not able to get the AMUG rate. I talked to many of you, and the hotel is fixing your bookings for the $137 rate. If I didn’t call you and you couldn’t book a day or ended up booking at a different hotel, there are still rooms available at the Hyatt even if the hotel originally said it was full. Please contact Tom Sorovetz at EventManager@am-ug.com, and he will fix your reservation for you.

The board has worked hard to put on this event, and I’m sure you are going to find it very rewarding and useful. Get some sleep over the next few weeks so you will be able to survive your sleep-deprived AMUG week. Also consider dieting since AMUG has a reputation for copious amounts of food.

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone there.

AMUG Board, Ambassadors and Liaisons welcome attendees to the 2014 conference.

AMUG Board, Ambassadors and Liaisons welcome attendees to the 2014 conference.

See you all in Jacksonville,

Mark Barfoot
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

Steve Deak Vice President

Steve Deak
Vice President

A little planning will go a long way toward your successful week at the 2015 AMUG Conference. We have added an online planner to help you accomplish your goals. Here’s how it works:

BEFORE THE CONFERENCE, visit www.eventscribe.com/2015/AMUG to create your conference itinerary.

On the left column, click on “Conference Program” and browse the topics and speakers you want to see. Once you find your event, click the “star” on the right-hand side of the listing. The star will illuminate, indicating this event is added to your planner. Repeat the process for all your interests; you can browse by date, topic, speaker, track, and more. You can also click an individual session to view the speaker details and presentation abstract. At this point you can save the

Dana Foster Vice President

Dana Foster
Vice President

presentation to your schedule, email the presentation topic to a colleague or share on social media.

Next, plan your AMUGexpo activities. On the left-hand column, click on “Exhibitors” and browse the companies of interest to you. Clicking on the company name will open up a description of the company, its products and its services. Once you find a company of interest, click the “star” on the right-hand side of the listing. The star will illuminate, indicating this event is added to your planner. Repeat the process for all the companies you wish to visit.

To view the interactive floor plan, click “AMUGexpo Floor Plan,” this will give you an overall view of the AMUGexpo and location of exhibitors and sponsors. Click on the company name to view company information, see contact details and download its brochure.

Select “My AMUGplan” from the left-hand column to review your events and companies. Send the plan to your email, Excel spreadsheet, MS Word and PDF by clicking any of the icons at the top of your plan. A planner link will be sent to you by email. Use the link on your smartphone or tablet to have access to your plan while you are at the event.

You have your hotel reservations, conference registration, and a plan so you are all set to have a great AMUG Conference!

Dana Foster & Steve Deak
VicePresident@am-ug.com

Event Manager’s Report

Tom Sorovetz Event Manager

Tom Sorovetz
Event Manager

Well, I hope everyone is ready for a great 2015 AMUG Conference and Expo because the agenda is full and the content is far superior to any other AM Conference.

If you have not made your hotel reservation yet, please do so soon. The Hyatt added additional rooms (at the $137.00 rate) for us, so if you receive a message that no rooms are available for the selected dates, let me know, and I will help you out. If you made reservations at another hotel but would like to transfer to the Hyatt, please make your reservations at the Hyatt prior to canceling your reservations at the other hotel.

Since I am on the subject of reservations, the hotel notified me that there a lot of people with multiple reservations. Please call the hotel just to verify that you have only the room (or rooms) you require so there are no surprises at check-in or check-out.

So far several people signed up for the St. Augustine day trip on Monday, April 20, and the van will leave the Hyatt at 8:30 AM and will return approximately at 5:00 PM. I will have discounted shopping coupons for those that are going to the St. Augustine Outlet Mall so please stop by the conference registration desk and pick them up. There is still room left so if you want to go, please send me an e-mail. This trip is for our family and guests, not conference attendees — you have conference sessions to attend.

The Tuesday night Awards Banquet is a casual-dress affair. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. The banquet can be inside, outside or both, so depending on the weather, you might want to bring a jacket. As usual, the event location is a surprise, and NO ONE is allowed to drive separately. You must take the bus, and your AMUG badge is REQUIRED to board.

As Mark stated above, this is also your final reminder that we eat our lunches outside. Don’t forget to bring a hat, sunscreen, and sunglasses.

See you in sunny Jacksonville,

Thomas A. Sorovetz
Event Manager
EventManager@am-ug.com

Technical Competition

The AMUG Technical Competition provides a forum for users of additive manufacturing technologies to display their unique applications as well as their finishing capabilities. Users may submit their entries in the Advanced Concepts category or the Advanced Finishing category. Each category will be open to all additive manufacturing technologies with a winner and runner-up being selected from each.

Winners walk away with the pride of being the best of the best and a free conference registration for AMUG’s 2016 event.

Hurry, entries must be submitted by April 15th. For details visit the competition’s page.

BONUS: Stratasys customers that submit an entry that uses FDM or PolyJet will receive free material! See the webpage for details.

Gary Rabinovitz & Carlos Bolanos CHECKLIGHT

Gary Rabinovitz & Carlos Bolanos
CHECKLIGHT

Mike Littrell Perfect Choice

Mike Littrell
Perfect Choice

Golf and Fishing

Kick of your AMUG Conference experience with golfing and fishing. But remember to add these activities to your registration. The price for each is $125/person.

The golf outing is on Saturday, April 18th. The deep-sea fishing excursion is on Sunday, April 19th.

Play a round at Eagle Landing

Play a round at Eagle Landing

AMUG is chartering the Sea Love II

AMUG is chartering the Sea Love II