President’s Report
Mark Barfoot
President
It’s hard to believe that Christmas is just over a week away. That means that the AMUG Conference is less than 18 weeks away! Wow, that’s a reminder that we have a lot of details to finalize in the next few weeks.
The board members that attended EuroMold were able to secure more sponsors and exhibitors, and we are happy to announce that we have now filled all of our Diamond and Platinum Sponsor spots – that represents a record number of five Diamond and six Platinum sponsors. There are still some Gold sponsorships and AMUGexpo spaces available, but you better move fast as we are over one-half full.
We have started the booth selection process and should have a new planning utility live for you in January that will let you see the AMUGexpo layout and details on the sessions so that you can start planning your time at the AMUG Conference well before you arrive in Florida. You’ll even be able to download it all to your smartphone. Stay tuned for further details on that next month.
Our track leaders have been working hard on securing speakers, and we are thankful for everyone that has submitted a speaker form. If you still haven’t submitted yours, please do so ASAP as we are starting to fit everything into the agenda to see what else we still need. Some tracks are already full of speakers while others may have a few spots open. The topics are great, and I think many of you may have troubles picking which sessions to attend (see “Preliminary Agenda” below). I highly recommend bringing at least a couple people from your company so that you can attend concurrent sessions to avoid missing out on some great information.
We are also pleased to announce that SME is going to conduct their additive certification course again at AMUG. You will need to register for this, so visit the course’s webpage and follow the registration link. The training session occurs Sunday morning, and the test will be conducted on Friday morning. Please keep this in mind when you are booking your flights.
I want to remind everyone that we have two scholarships this year that you may wish to encourage candidates to apply for. The Guy Bourdeau scholarship is for students working in additive manufacturing, and the Randy Stevens scholarship is for professors or teachers that are focusing on additive manufacturing. Check out our website for application forms for these scholarships. We need to get all applications by February 10th so that selections can be made in a timely manner.
We are also accepting entries for the technical competition. If you have an advanced finishing or advanced concept entry, please fill out the forms and submit them by March 28th at the latest.
For the first time, we are inviting anyone to bring their “accidental artwork” that was created when a build went wrong to be exhibited during the AMUGexpo. The idea is to use these examples to help explain to our attendees what can go wrong. I know many of the seasoned veterans wouldn’t admit they have had failed builds, but I think it is important for those new in the industry to understand that even seasoned veterans have issues. If you have something you think would fit this description, please send a note to me at president@am-ug.com. In the email, please include a picture of your failure, a short description of what went wrong and details on how you fixed it.
My last point is to remind you to register for the AMUG event (both attendee registration & hotels). We already have double the number of registrations that we had at the same time last year, so I can’t stress it enough: Register early to ensure you have a spot. This also helps the board out a lot in planning the event and ensuring we secure enough hotel space.
Your board will be taking a short break over the holidays. From all of us, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!
Best regards,
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
Dana Foster
Vice President
The week of November 24th several AMUG Board members were at EuroMold. Although we missed Thanksgiving with family, we managed to have a wonderful time and enjoyed seeing the extended AMUG family.
Over the event’s four-day run, everyone worked hard to drum up sponsorships, enroll exhibitors, excite show-goers about the AMUG Conference, get our fingers on the pulse of the industry and personally thank our sponsors for their support. And it was worth it, first-time attendees are registering, and sponsorships are at an all-time high. As Mark mentioned in his report, we are excited to say that all of our Diamond and Platinum sponsorships are now filled.
AMUG board celebrating Thanksgiving in Germany
Gary Rabinovitz with his AMUG turkey-day hat, which drew lots of attention
AMUG board and Stefan Ritt (ambassador) at Euromold 2014
Although we can’t accept any more of the highest level sponsorships, there are still opportunities to be Gold+, Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsors. There are also a few dozen spaces open for the two-night AMUGexpo. If interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, please contact Steve Deak or me (VicePresident@am-ug.com), and we will guide you along.
On the administrative front, we have rolled out our live suite/booth selection website to Diamond and Platinum sponsors. We will be working on Gold+, Gold and exhibitors this week and next.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your vice presidents.
Happy Holidays,
Dana Foster
Sponsor News – Concept Laser
Concept Laser Introduces New M2 cusing/M2 cusing Multilaser and Announces the Opening of US Subsidiary in Dallas
We wish to thank everyone that stopped by the Concept Laser booth at EuroMold in Frankfurt. It was a great event, and as we prepare for 2015, we are excited to be part of the 2015 AMUG Conference as a Diamond Sponsor.
If you missed us at EuroMold, we have a few items we would like to share. We introduced the new M2 cusing/M2 cusing multilaser. The new M2 cusing has a fresh look and fully integrated structure. The new design is equipped with a new filter configuration and increased surface area of 20 square meters. A multilaser version of the new M2 cusing – called the M2 cusing multilaser – is also now available. The M2 cusing multilaser is available with two 200 W lasers, or alternatively with two 400 W lasers, with an improved segmented exposure strategy for laser melting of metals. In addition, we announced the X line 2000R coming up in the near future with two 1000 watt lasers.
Beyond EuroMold, this has been an extremely busy year for the Concept Laser team. We announced our new production facility in Lichtenfels, Germany and the opening of our US subsidiary in Dallas, Texas. Ongoing developments and demands for LaserCUSING systems in the US led to the strategic placement of our new office. To manage the new operation and provide a strong partnership with headquarters in Germany, John Murray was named CEO of the newly formed Concept Laser Inc. For more news and information, www.concept-laser.de/news.
From all of us at Concept Laser, we wish you and your families very Happy Holidays.
M2 cusing Multilaser from Concept Laser
Sponsor News – Stratasys
ULTEM 1010: From Food Production to Aerospace
The newest high-performance FDM thermoplastic has an impressive set of qualities. Along with the best heat resistance, chemical resistance and tensile strength of any FDM material, ULTEM 1010 resin is the only one with an NSF 51 food-contact certification. This opens doors for food-production facilities to gain the same 3D printing benefits that other manufacturers enjoy. Possibilities include heat-resistant dies, patterns and fixtures.
ULTEM 1010 is also biocompatible, with an ISO 10993/USP Class VI certification, allowing production of medical tools that withstand steam autoclaving.
For automotive and aerospace applications, ULTEM 1010 is ideal for under-the-hood and out-of-cabin parts. This complements its closest FDM relative, ULTEM 9085, which is suitable for in-cabin parts.
ULTEM 1010 runs on the Fortus 900mc 3D Production System and is slated for 2015 compatibility with the Fortus 400mc and Fortus 450mc 3D Production Systems. Learn more here.
ULTEM 1010 manifold
Scholarships
In the honor and memory of two long-time supports of AMUG, there are two scholarships available. To be considered, applications must be received by February 10, 2015.
The Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship is awarded annually to one college student for additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing education and professional development. It is open to any student with a major (such as manufacturing, engineering, design, art, medical, etc.) who has an emphasis on, and a passion for, additive manufacturing and integrating additive manufacturing into their professional world. You can find more details on the scholarship here.
This is the first year for the Randy Stevens Scholarship, which has been created to reward the activities of a professor/teacher that focus on additive manufacturing. Fore details and a downloadable application, visit the scholarship page.
Rabinovitz Receives Alumni Achievement Award
Gary Rabinovitz, AMUG advisor and past president, was honored by Plymouth State University with its Alumni Achievement Award. Recognizing Gary’s work in the additive manufacturing industry, the university presented him with the award during the annual homecoming and family celebration.
Established in 1978, the Plymouth State University’s Alumni Achievement Award recognizes deserving alumni who exemplify the university’s motto Ut prosim (That I may serve) through active participation in and special contribution to the activities of the Plymouth State Alumni Association, their chosen professional field or the improvement of society in general.
Gary Rabinovitz with the Alumni Achievement Award
