AMUG April 2023

President’s report

AMUG Members,

The 2023 AMUG Conference was a complete success! “High energy” are the best words I can use to describe our conference, and that applies to the attendees, exhibitors, presenters, and all activities. I want to thank all our committee chairs, committee members, and volunteers that contributed their time and talent to make this the premier event for AM.

So, what’s next? We get to do it all over again, taking the lessons learned and making improvements for the 2024 AMUG Conference. But we cannot do it without you. Our volunteer committees are the heart of AMUG with administration, ideas, vision, and most importantly – implementation. Our committees are divided into two groups: Operations and Conference, and members serve from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.

AMUG 2023 in one word

Well, in my opinion, it was another AWESOME AMUG Conference!

Why do I say that?  My metrics for success are the number of communications between attendees; the handshaking, smiling, laughing, and, hugging; and the sense of community, to name a few. Throughout the week, these boxes were ticked.

The presentations and hands-on workshops were incredible, solidifying my reasoning for stating that this was an AWESOME conference!

“AMUG creates the opportunity; you create the experience,” and you did so in a spectacular fashion.

Thomas A. Sorovetz
Dir. Event and Hospitality
Eventmanager@amug.com

Going to RAPID + TCT? Discounts and entertainment await.

AMUG is supporting its conference attendees at the 2023 RAPID + TCT event in Chicago in several ways.

We have secured rooms at the Hilton Chicago at a discounted rate of $226.00 per night (plus tax). To make a reservation at that rate, use the AMUG Room Block link. A bus will be provided for AMUG members to shuttle you between Hilton Chicago and McCormick Place. And we will have a reception at the 720 S. Bar inside the Hilton Chicago on Wednesday, May 3, co-sponsored by SME and Hilton Chicago. Please bring your 2023 AMUG badge, or have the AMUG Mobile App on your phone, to participate.

AMUG is an industry sponsor for RAPID + TCT’s AM Industry Celebration on Tuesday, May 2. Please join your fellow AMUG attendees at this event. Since AMUG is a sponsor, SME is offering any AMUG Member a 30% discount on the $1,300 Full-Conference Pass, which includes conference sessions, main stage presentations, and three networking events. Register here and use the code “RP23AMUG” to get the discount. If you have any questions about this offer, please contact Annemarie Kalergis from the SME at 313-425-3105 or akalergis@sme.org.

See you in Chicago at RAPID + TCT.

President’s Award bestowed at AMUG 2023

For only the eleventh time in its history, AMUG presented a President’s Award. At AMUG 2023, Mark Abshire, AMUG President, surprised Mark Wynn, Senior Technical Specialist for Yazaki North America, Inc., with this honor.

Mark Abshire, AMUG President, said, “Mark Wynn’s perseverance, dedication, passion, professionalism, and selflessness were apparent in each of the AMUG roles he filled. And the result of those qualities was excellence in his work.”

Mark Wynn’s first AMUG Conference was in 1995, and his AMUG volunteerism reaches back to 2000. He served many roles over the years, including AMUGexpo team lead, Deputy Vice President, AMUG Board of Directors member, and Expo Committee Chair. In 2015, Wynn received another esteemed AMUG award, the DINO (Distinguished Innovator Operator).

Congratulations, Mark!

10 new DINOs named at AMUG Conference

On March 21, AMUG presented DINO (Distinguished Innovator Operator) Awards to 10 individuals that have the AM expertise and history of service that are the cornerstones of this coveted recognition.

Congratulations to our new DINOs:

• Tim Bell, MELD Manufacturing Corporation
• Bogdan Filipkowski, Custom Prototypes Inc.
• Rob Hassold, Cimquest, Inc.
• Danny Levy, Influit Energy
• Matthew Mitchell, Yazaki North America
• Heather Natal, GoEngineer
• Roger Nielsen, In’Tech Industries
• Dave Rittmeyer, Mathews International
• Colton Rooney, EMI Corp.
• Alex Roschli, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Gary Rabinovitz, Chair of the DINO Selection Committee, noted, “This was the 25^th anniversary of the DINO Award, and we had representation at AMUG 2023 for DINO classes back to 1998, with 40 percent of all DINOs attending the conference.”

The ten newly named DINOs: (from left) Bogdan Filipkowski, Matthew Mitchell, Dave Rittmeyer, Rob Hassold, Colton Rooney, Danny Levy, Heather Natal, Tim Bell, Alex Roschli, and Roger Nielsen.

Members elect four to AMUG Board

AMUG Members voted on four board positions during the AMUG Conference. Three positions were retained by the incumbents Jordan Weston (Director of Education & Conference), Thomas Sorovetz (Director of Event & Hospitality), and Tim Bell (Director of Sponsors & Exhibitors).

Heather Natal was elected to fill the role of Secretary, a position held by Leslie Frost for four years.

Separately, the AMUG Board appointed Robin Van Bragt as Treasurer. After serving as Treasurer for 10 years, Vince Anewenter opted to step down. However, he will continue to support the board as the Immediate Past Treasurer.

The terms for these positions will commence on July 1, 2023.

(Top row, from left): Heather Natal, Jordan Weston, and Robin Van Bragt.
(Bottom row, from left) Thomas Sorovetz and Tim Bell.

Technical Competition winners named

This year’s Technical Competition featured many outstanding entries. After scrutiny and deliberation, a panel of DINOs selected the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI) and Custom Prototypes as Advanced Concepts and Advanced Finishing winners.

Separately, AMUG Members picked UDRI for the Members’ Choice Award.

Custom Prototypes’ winning entry in the Advanced Finishing category was titled “Tomlinsonus Dimitrii – The oldest fossil of marine animal ever found.” Representing the company’s entry, Daniel Goncalves and Jung Kyu Im spearheaded the work to bring the 450-million-year-old fossil back to life.

UDRI won the Advanced Concepts category for an additively manufactured micro-turbine engine submitted by Ben Loerke, who represented the organization’s engineering team. The program sponsor for the micro-turbine engine is the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP). Additionally, contributions of skills, talents, and resources were made by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), with Michael Froning as the Principal Investigator, and Belcan Engineering.

Bonnie Meyer, Chair of the Technical Competition Committee, said, “I was so impressed with the entries this year. The quality displayed and the range of industries and applications was outstanding.”

 UDRI’s micro-turbine engine (left) and Custom Prototypes’ fossil.

Photo gallery coming soon

We are in the process of selecting (and editing) pictures from a collection of nearly 2,500 images taken at AMUG 2023. The plan is to have the photo gallery online between April 21 and 28.

When it is live, it will be featured prominently on the homepage of the AMUG website. All images will be downloadable in HD (1920 x 1080).

SPONSOR NEWS

AMUG 2023 spotlights and highlights

Tekna is very proud—as a Diamond Sponsor—to be part of the amazing AMUG community. Once again, we were impressed by the quality of the event, its outstanding audience, the variety of contacts, and as always, the organization!

AMUG 2023 was the opportunity to spotlight the new extension of our collaboration with Uniformity Labs for the supply of aluminum (L-PBF) and the strong partnership with the distributor KBM Advanced Material for in-time deliveries within 48 hours everywhere in the US.

This year, we again had the privilege to animate four technical presentations, including two with our historical partners AddUp Inc and Uniformity Labs. We also connected with many actors in the industry at our booth and during the various networking sessions.

If you didn’t get a chance to stop by at the AMUG Conference, feel free to contact our Sales Director Jérôme Pollak (jerome.pollak@tekna.com) or meet us at the next RAPID + TCT show, May 2-4 in Chicago, and the PowderMet show, June 18-21 in Las Vegas.

We look forward to seeing you next year at AMUG 2024!

Join EOS at RAPID + TCT 2023

Join EOS in Chicago for the AM summit of the year, RAPID + TCT 2023. We will be showcasing our new fine detail resolution polymer system, the FORMIGA P 110 FDR, the cutting-edge metal industrial 3D printer, the AMCM M 290-2 1kW system, revolutionary software developments in support-free metal AM technology, and our portfolio of consumer products leveraging Digital Foam (yes, we’re talking about the Wilson Airless Prototype basketball).

Visit booth #4612 to chat with EOS AM experts about your next application design, 3D printing material capabilities, and more. For a 1:1 chat with a member of the EOS team, please feel free to schedule a meeting with us during the show. Whether you are just beginning your industrial 3D printing journey or looking to accelerate your AM program, EOS is ready to bring your production to the next level.

Register today to attend and join us at the most influential 3D printing event of the year. We look forward to seeing you there!

AMUG 2023: Excellent event for Meltio to connect and engage and to showcase our wire-laser metal solutions

The interest of industries in our unique wire-laser metal 3D printing solution is growing more and more every day. This was demonstrated at the AMUG 2023 event in Chicago. Although it has only been a few weeks since this show ended, we can’t wait to experience all that this wonderful community has to offer again. It was our honor and privilege for Meltio to participate as a Diamond Sponsor for the second year in a row, and we wish to express our congratulations to the AMUG team for pulling off such a fantastic event! With a superb location at the Hilton Chicago, the Meltio team was eager to greet existing and new industry friends.

During AMUG 2023, we had the chance to connect with many industry professionals and engage in great conversations in our booth and during the various networking sessions.

We also had the opportunity to dive deeper into different topics regarding Meltio’s wire-laser metal 3D printing technology, mold making, and hybrid manufacturing, amongst others, and showcase several applications during the four presentations given by our Head of R&D, Lukas Hoppe, and Applications Manager, Giorgio Olivieri. We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank you for your overwhelmingly positive feedback on our speaking sessions and for filling up the spacious rooms of the Hilton Chicago.

If you’d like to get a copy of the presentations or continue the conversation with us, feel free to reach out to us here.

Formlabs introduces game-changing flexible SLS Material at AMUG 2023

AMUG 2023 was, as always, a fantastic event where we got to gather with the 3D printing community, learn from the best and brightest in the industry, and connect with some of our amazing users to learn how they’ve been pushing the boundaries with AM.

We showed off the Formlabs Automation Ecosystem and introduced a little something called TPU 90A Powder—our first flexible SLS material that we think will change the production and product design paradigm for manufacturers everywhere.

Between Form Auto, new dental products, and our TPU parts, we got pretty excited about what the rest of 2023 has to offer, and we can’t wait to get these products in the hands of our community.

Access to technology tips

Thanks for joining us at AMUG 2023 for our presentations. We hope you enjoyed our ‘Snap, Crack, Pop’ workshop and ‘Printer Hacks You Wish You Knew’ presentations. If you enjoyed those, we have a bunch of online content available to provide you with additional insights and tips in the world of product development.

Subscribe to get the latest in 3DCAD software, technology, and expertise information that enables companies to unlock design innovation and deliver products better and faster. GoEngineer has over 35 years of experience and thousands of customers in high-tech, medical, machine design, energy, and other industries. GoEngineer provides best-in-class design solutions from SOLIDWORKS, Stratasys, 3DEXPERIENCE, Velo3D, XactMetal, CAMWorks, Creaform, Artec3D, and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM).

Discover the #1 technical resource, our YouTube channel.

Nexa3D acquires Addifab, launches xMOLD resin

Following the acquisition of XYZPrinting SLS technology, Nexa3D recently completed another acquisition by joining forces with Addifab. Addifab is the originator of Freeform Injection Molding, a patented digital tooling process that couples the design freedom of 3D printing with the mechanical performance of injection molding.

By combining the freedom of AM with the industrial strength of injection molding, Addifab unlocks tremendous potential for contract manufacturers, regional molders, service providers, and low-volume manufacturers looking to take full advantage of the design freedom while using tried and true injection molding plastic materials for same day and next day part production.

With the acquisition of Addifab, Nexa3D customers can now take full advantage of the design complexity that comes with 3D printing and the mechanical performance of actual injection molding materials. This is because the xMOLD resin used to print digital tools is compatible with thousands of off-the-shelf injection molding materials, including reinforced high-performance feedstocks. The xMOLD resin will soon be readily available through Nexa3D’s network of authorized resellers. Visit nexa3d.com/xmold for more information.

Toyota Racing Development uses 3D printing for wins on multiple levels

FDM and SAF 3D printing technologies have a big impact on Toyota’s U.S. motorsport division, driving down development costs and accelerating designs under tight timelines. See how Toyota Racing Development USA incorporated Stratasys 3D printing technology to help design and build the GR86 race car for the new GR Cup Series, using AM for rapid prototyping and direct part production.

Check out the high-speed video.

MEDIA SPONSOR NEWS

Trends in digital manufacturing

The convergence of software, cloud computing, and AM (3D printing) technologies has given manufacturers the ability to cost-effectively supply millions, thousands, or dozens of a given workpiece—and even batch sizes down to one. It’s no wonder that worldwide, batch sizes have shrunk‚ catering to increased demand for customized products. This has vaulted AM into a realm far beyond its hobbyist and rapid-prototyping origins.

Today, manufacturing relies on AM as well as traditional machining and injection molding incorporating software and other digital tools for top flexibility and efficiency. Interestingly, digitally driven AM is the perfect solution for the rapid production of injection-molding fixtures and jigs. This is just one example of cross-pollination between the various branches of digital manufacturing.

For the 2023 Design World Trends issue, the editors asked industry experts to comment on these digital-manufacturing developments. Here’s what the sources had to say.

MAMS 2023 aims to accelerate adoption of metal AM

The article by AM Chronicle focuses on key highlights and happenings at Metal Additive Manufacturing Symposium (MAMS 2023) scheduled for May 25-26,  2023, at the Taj Yeshwantpur in Bengaluru.

Read Full Story.

The 2023 International Catalogue of AM Solutions

In a fast-paced, gotta-have-it-now world, whether you are online or at a tradeshow, if you are looking to expand your portfolio of AM processes, or just start with the technology, there is a great chance that you follow the same steps: looking for what you want to buy while searching for answers to questions about the things you want to buy. Providing as much information as possible about the specs and details of AM machines and the advantages and limitations of each type of technology has been the goal of our International Catalogue of AM Solutions since day one.

We are now ready to unveil the 2023 edition of this publication, and attendees at Rapid + TCT will be the first to have it in the USA. Make sure you stop by the trade press booth to pick up your copy. As usual, if a major announcement will be unveiled during the event, you can reach out to us via our general email address and share it with us.

AM users seriously look at production at the 2023 AMUG Conference

The Chicago event showed a level of passion unseen in any other industrial segment, with participants set on solving production challenges. The underlying leitmotif at the 2023 AMUG Conference was scaling 3D printing into production. Even as most of the over 1,800 Additive Manufacturing Users Group members present at the conference currently use 3D printing primarily for prototypes and tools—and these remain key value-added opportunities for AM today—many of the presentations, workshops, panels, and conversations focused on the next phase of the AM industry’s growth.

The AM community wants to additively manufacture increasingly large batches of final parts, in metals, polymers, composites, or ceramics, targeting aerospace, automotive, energy, and other segments. Another evident characteristic of the AMUG Conference is the passion that AM users put into their work, and that is required to solve the many challenges that still lay ahead before this vision can be delivered fully.

This year, more than a third of all participants were “first-timers,” many coming from overseas, showing that the AM industry is still just getting started.

You can read the full AMUG Conference review on VoxelMatters.com.

Recap of 2023 AMUG Conference

Digital Engineering has published a lengthy look at the AMUG 2023 conference in Chicago, including a rundown on the keynotes, conference sessions, interesting exhibit displays, and interviews with attendees and presenters alike.

Read the recap here.

The Spring 2023 issue of Metal AM magazine is out now

This 204-page issue features extensive industry news from the last quarter plus the following deep-dive articles:

• Separation anxiety: Lessons learned at NASA from a developmental rocket engine failure
• What is ‘good’ metal AM? Exploring the industry’s value metrics for production
• An inside perspective on China’s thriving metal AM industry
• AM for jewelry and watchmaking: Exploring the potential of sinter-based technologies
• Metal AM for digital dentistry: An introduction for dental professionals
• Case study: The development of a multi-material heat sink by AM using Aerosint technology

Get your free PDF here. Or, visit this link to read the issue in your browser.

Why should you use metal 3D printing for aerospace? Experts give their advice!

One of the first, and most fervent, adopters of AM was undoubtedly the aerospace industry. The sector was drawn to the technologies to help with lightweighting parts (optimizing their weight vis-a-vis their strength). And though polymer 3D printing plays an important role, metal AM has quickly grown in the sector.

But how exactly can you use metal 3D printing in the aerospace sector? What are its benefits? How can metal 3D-printed parts be certified? To answer these questions and more, we spoke to three experts in the field.

Take a look and benefit from their insights.

Get your RAPID + TCT Conference pass

In just two short weeks, the AM industry will head back to Chicago once more, this time to McCormick Place to see the latest AM developments and applications at RAPID + TCT 2023. In addition to show floor exhibits, thought leadership panels, and all-important networking, the event features three days of expertly curated content at the RAPID + TCT Conference.

Produced in collaboration with TCT and SME, alongside an esteemed panel of industry event advisors, the conference brings together some of the most influential AM figures and end-users to share insights, research, and technology adoption stories. This year, delegates can expect to hear from the likes of Lockheed Martin, Launcher, Boeing, and more on how they’re deploying additive and opening up new application opportunities. Get your conference pass here, and we’ll look forward to seeing you in Chicago!