AMUG Newsletter December 2018

President’s Report

Happy Holidays! I want to wish our members a safe and wonderful holiday season, and I hope you get to spend some time with friends and family. For those that will be traveling, let’s hope for delay-free flights and clear-weather drives.

We are all going to have a break from our working lives, at least for a few days, as we celebrate the season, but we will back to work all too quickly.  As the clock strikes midnight on New Year’s Eve, we will be just 11 weeks away from AMUG 2019. Only 11 weeks, yet the AMUG team still has a lot to do.

But we have a lot to be thankful for, and we have made tremendous strides since the close of the very successful AMUG 2018. Fueling our progress is the support of the AM community, from manufacturers to users. Experiencing and appreciating the uniqueness of the AMUG Conference, companies filled our sponsorship and exhibitor slots in record time; members state that it is the best event — a can’t-be-missed conference; and members volunteer their time for what they know to be a worthy endeavor. That is a lot to be thankful for.

Those that want to attend AMUG 2019 but have to wait for 2019 budgets to be approved shouldn’t wait too long. When we ring in the new year, get ready to register for the conference as soon as your company will allow. We expect record attendance that may reach the capacity of the venue. If you wait too long, you may discover that we have had to close registration.

Deputy VP of Member Relations

AMUG is pleased to announce that Jay Dinsmore has agreed to move into a newly developed position as Deputy VP of Member Relations. Jay’s role will have him taking a deep look at our membership from a historical view so that AMUG can improve its member relations and offer even more value. Throughout the year, he will be connecting with members near and far to gain feedback and discover how AMUG can support and assist AM users. He will also be evaluating how to get members to engage more with AMUG and how the AMUG Board can better serve its members.

Jay has been involved in AM for many years and has been a member of the AMUG management team for two years. You can contact Jay at Jay.Dinsmore@amug.com.

Get Excited – AMUG Conference Will be Here Soon

Once we get through the holiday season, the AMUG Conference will be here before you know it. And this year’s event will be bigger and better than any of our previous conferences and AMUGexpos.

If you are a “First Timer,” you will be amazed — and probably overwhelmed — by all the types of stimuli: from hands-on training to interacting with new equipment and products. For those who have not attended recently, it is time to come back and see what you have been missing.  And for all (new member, old member or current member), we are sure that you will really benefit from and enjoy AMUG’s new Training Lab where the AM equipment is the focus of hands-on experience.

Your AMUG Itinerary

If AMUG ran a typical conference, you would likely plan on returning home the last day of the conference, sacrificing a few afternoon sessions. But the AMUG Conference isn’t typical, and a premature departure will be a major loss.

When booking a flight and making a hotel reservation, you will want to arrive no later than midday Sunday (March 31) and depart no earlier than Friday morning (April 5). What makes the AMUG Conference unique is the exchange of information and insights between members, often in a social setting. Well, those social periods begin with the AMUGexpo on Sunday and continue through our “Family Dinner” on Thursday night, which ends at 10:00 pm. Arriving late or departing early means that you will miss out on opportunities to meet others, converse about AM, and discover things that will help you in your AM journey.

With that in mind, go ahead and make your hotel reservation now. We are expecting record attendance that will exceed the capacity of the Hilton Chicago. And as anyone that has attended before will tell you, you will want to stay at the conference hotel. If by chance you book a room and discover later that you cannot attend, please notify our Event Manager, Tom Sorovetz (EventManager@amug.com), prior to canceling your reservation. This allows Tom to reclaim the room and offer it to another member that had to make a reservation at another property.

HP Announces New Installations and Applications

HP recently announced new and expanded installations of its HP Jet Fusion 3D printing solutions to meet the growing worldwide demand for production-grade 3D manufactured parts. HP has also showcased new applications across the transportation, industrial, medical, and consumer sectors, including new PA-11 applications, and initial customers of its new award-winning HP Jet Fusion 3D 300 / 500 solutions.

HP also announced a design-to-print workflow with Autodesk to enable generative design capabilities across the entire HP Multi Jet Fusion portfolio, as well as new online resources to accelerate the journey to mass production for customers and resellers. For more information, read the release.

Window guide rail for BMW i8 Roadster.

SLM Solutions Launches Additive.Designer^® at formnext 2018

SLM Solutions commercially launched the Additive.Designer® software platform at formnext 2018. Additive.Designer lowers the learning curve of metal additive manufacturing while increasing the build quality and reproducibility of results. With a user-friendly interface, Additive.Designer differs significantly from similar products by optimizing part builds according to user-defined criteria such as surface quality, production speed and the minimization of support structures for reduced post-processing.

Visitors at formnext showed special interest in the intelligent component orientation via heat maps, which enables inexperienced users to identify optimal build plate positioning based on their chosen criteria and aiding in increased quality results with significant material and overall cost savings. The sleek interface with manufacturing planning features such as machine overview, a cost estimator as well as user administration and restriction were also well received.

Visit our website for more information.

Carbon Lowers Resin Prices for Production-Scale Applications

Due to the rapid adoption of its digital manufacturing solution for high-volume production, Carbon further reduced the bulk price for its most widely-used resins to $50 per liter when 50 liters or more are purchased and delivered in a single order:

• RPU 70: a versatile, tough, and rigid material comparable to ABS;
• EPX 82: a rigid, high-strength, temperature-resistant material comparable to glass-filled PBT used primarily for applications like electrical connectors;
• EPU 41: a highly elastic, tear-resistant, and resilient material comparable to traditional TPU elastomers used primarily for cushioning, gaskets and seals in applications like footwear, sporting goods, and more.

The reduction expands upon the bulk discount program Carbon introduced in 2017 and fulfills Carbon’s promise of getting to sub $100 per liter. This game-changing move will increase the total addressable market for large-scale, digitally manufactured parts across industries,  and it will continue to drive down costs and spur growth for the implementation of Carbon’s digital manufacturing solution globally.

For more information visit www.carbon3d.com/materials.

Bulk material pricing ($50/liter) for production-scale applications.

EOS North America Launches the Integra P 400 Quick-Scan Polymer Industrial 3D Printer

EOS North America has officially launched its new Integra P 400 polymer additive manufacturing (AM) platform, developed to meet customer demands for the North American market. The fast, flexible powder bed AM platform gives organizations the ability to process applications using a wide range of materials that offer characteristics such as high abrasion or chemical resistance, low-temperature performance, high elasticity, and transparency.

Built for high-productivity, the Integra P 400’s industry-best scanning speed results from a combination of technologies such as sky-writing, a 120-Watt CO₂ laser, and digital galvanometers delivering speeds averaging 12,700 millimeters per second – a 40 – 50% improvement compared to existing platforms. The new machine also operates at temperatures up to 300 °C, and it has an innovative recoating system to apply material faster with the flexibility to process a wide range of powdered materials, including high-performance TPU, TPE, and the new HT-23.

Read the full press release.

The New Integra P 400 – A Product of EOS North America.

Google ATAP Taps Formlabs High Temp Resin to Solve Pre-Production Challenges

Formlabs recently launched a user story with Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) lab. Using Formlabs’ High Temp Resin, a 3D printing material with high thermal stability, they bridged the gap between prototyping and production, reducing turnaround time for a crucial component by 85% while saving over $100,000.

Formlabs also launched the latest formulation of its High Temp Resin, part of its library of Engineering Resins for the Form 2 desktop stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer. High Temp Resin offers the highest heat deflection temperature (HDT) among Formlabs resins and is suitable for printing detailed, precise parts with high thermal stability. The new formulation, shipping now, has an HDT of 238 °C @ 0.45 MPa and improved elongation to decrease brittleness.

Google ATAP’s Bryan Allen interacting with Formlabs printers.

All New BigRep Metering Extruder Technology (MXT)

BigRep has developed a new thermoplastic extrusion method.  Its proprietary metering extruder technology (MXT) provides exceptional speed and precision, which is one of the defining features on BigRep’s newest 3D printers, the PRO and EDGE. The state-of-the-art extruder, as well as Bosch Rexroth motion controls, allows for ultimate control on large-scale industrial prints, allowing users to achieve the highest quality for every application.

With unmatched dynamic response for start, stop and corners, BigRep’s MXT ensures precision, high print quality, accelerated print times and high material throughput.

• Printing speeds of >600 millimeters per second (mm/s), when the PRO is used with its finest 0.6 mm nozzle, making it five times faster than any FFF printer on the market. The EDGE surpasses that with speeds of up to 1,000 mm/s with the finest 0.6 mm nozzle.
• Demonstrated filament throughput rate of 5x at the maximum extrusion rate and 3x at the average extrusion rate, compared to FFF technology

For more information, visit bigrep.com/bigrep-pro.

The fast and precise BigRep Metering Extruder Technology (MXT).

Farsoon Technologies’ New FS421M Metal Laser Sintering System

Farsoon Technologies has begun taking pre-orders for the new FS421M additive metal laser sintering (MLS) system. The innovative FS421M is part of our Continuous Additive Manufacturing Solution (CAMS) ecosystem strategy introduced by Farsoon in 2017.

The FS421M enables the fabrication of large parts or multiple quantities of parts (build envelope of 425 x 425 x 420 mm [16.7 x 16.7 x 16.5 in.]) with stainless steel, cobalt chrome, titanium, aluminum, maraging steel, bronze, and more. With multiple options, such as single or dual laser, closed-loop powder handling, and future development of automation options, the FS421M is the next step in Farsoon’s path towards MLS production.

The FS421M adds to Farsoon’s product line of MLS systems (FS271M and FS121M) and PLS (polymer laser sintering) systems (HT1001P, 403P, 252P, and eForm).

Farsoon is now taking pre-orders, and the FS421M will be commercially available by the end of Q3 or beginning of Q4 2019. An early adopter program will begin in early 2019.

Farsoon Technologies’ FS421M MLS system.

Not Just Another Metal 3D Printer

Metal additive manufacturing continues to grow, and there’s no evidence that trend will slow down. In fact, the number of metal AM systems sold in 2017 rose nearly 80% compared with 2016, according to the 2018 Wohler’s Report. Despite its growing popularity, additive metal processes continue to be expensive and time consuming.

At the recent formnext 2018 exhibition, Stratasys showcased its new metal LPM™ technology currently in development. LPM, short for Layered Powder Metallurgy, combines standard powdered metals and Stratasys ink-jetting technology to produce parts with high accuracy, controlled shrinkage and very fast throughput.

The real beauty of LPM, however, is that it reduces cost-per-part, making traditionally unprofitable stages of the product life cycle economically viable.

For a closer look at Layered Powder Metallurgy, watch the video.

This aluminum housing was 3D printed with Stratasys LPM technology.

Renishaw and Sandvik Power the Future of Metal Additive Manufacturing

To strengthen the metal additive manufacturing (AM) industry, global engineering company Renishaw has initiated a collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing to supply the company with high-productivity, multi-laser RenAM 500Q systems, which will substantially increase Sandvik’s printing capacity.

This is one of the largest installations to date of Renishaw’s latest AM system, the RenAM 500Q. The system features 500-Watt quad lasers in the most commonly used platform size, enabling a radical increase in productivity, without compromising quality.

Working with ongoing support from Renishaw, the investment will complement Sandvik’s existing printing technologies and strengthen its position in the growing additive manufacturing market. The two companies also intend to collaborate in areas like materials development, AM process technologies and post-processing.

Read the full story here.

RenAM 500Q is part of a collaboration with Sandvik Additive Manufacturing.

3YOURMIND Offers Exclusive Early Access to Its Agile MES

In November 2018, 3YOURMIND announced an early access program with EOS to test their Agile Machine Execution System. We are now extending this offer to the entire AMUG community.

Companies that drive their production traffic through the Agile MES will be the first in the world to experience the future of predictive AM production planning. Program participants will have access to all current features: smart-part prioritization, custom AM workflow definition, automatic scheduling recommendations, and dynamic resource adjustment. The software will be tailored to the most highly requested features, and participants will then be able to test these improvements during the two-month access period.

To request access, submit your company details. Our product team will get back to all applicants by January 7, 2019.

Agile MES offers predictive AM production planning.

TRUMPF Showcases Green Laser for Copper and Gold Processing at Formnext

At formnext, TRUMPF used a green laser to demonstrate how to print pure copper and other precious metals using Laser Metal Fusion. To achieve this, the developers connected the new TruDisk 1020 disk laser with the TruPrint 1000 system.

“Conventional systems use an infrared laser as the beam source, but its wavelength is too long, and it can’t weld highly reflective materials such as copper and gold. This can be done with laser light in the green wavelength spectrum,” says Thomas Fehn, TRUMPF general manager additive manufacturing.

According to Fehn, this will open up new possibilities for 3D printing in the electronics, automotive and jewelry industries. “The 3D printer doesn’t waste expensive gold and silver,” Fehn says. With these technology advancements, printing can be more economical than milling or casting a piece, which inevitably entails a loss of material. Read the press release here.

3D printed components made of pure copper. (Source: TRUMPF Group)

GE Additive Unveils a New Software Strategy

GE Additive unveiled a new software strategy that centers on simplification and an open modular approach. The software creates one file format and an easy user experience that allows the ability to communicate with other computer systems. Designed with our customers in mind, it bridges the gap between part design-to-build process. The fundamental strengths include:

Ease of use: Our next-generation software is delivered as one simple solution with modality intuitive user experience.

Security: With built-in features that protect your content at each progression our software is critical in protecting your operations overall value.

Speed: Our software was built with speed in mind, so you can go from design to print as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Interoperability:  Our open architecture allows seamless interfacing with industry products using standard formats.

We are launching a fully-integrated commercially available version in May 2019.

Watch the video now. To learn more visit ge.com/additive/contact.

New software strategy offers simplification and an open modular approach.

3D Systems’ Figure 4 Platform Enables Rapid Application Group to Double Capacity

Rapid Application Group (RAG), located in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, has doubled its production capacity and throughput with 3D Systems’ Figure 4™ Standalone 3D printer. This industry-leading plastic 3D printer is helping RAG support mission-critical, time-sensitive operations for customers in the oil and gas, aerospace and defense, motor sports, and healthcare sectors. After incorporating the Figure 4 Standalone printer into its workflow this past August, RAG immediately doubled its capacity while reducing its time-to-print process by nearly 90% – from seven hours to 45 minutes or less.

“The Figure 4 Standalone – including 3D Sprint^® – truly delivers as promised with outstanding ease-of-use, six sigma repeatability of production parts, and incredible speed,” commented Terry Hill, owner and CEO, Rapid Application Group. “The robust materials and injection-molding-quality surface finish, combined with very quick print times, have helped us double our capacity and throughput. We have already achieved full ROI with this one, remarkable 3D printer.”

Rapid Application Group has doubled its production capacity and throughput with 3D Systems’ Figure 4 Standalone.

BASF Continues to Build Strategic Alliances for Industrial 3D-printing

At formnext, BASF announced several partnerships for the development and distribution of groundbreaking 3D-printing solutions and products.

For photopolymers, our new partnerships included:

• Origin, a new open platform for additive mass production, who has developed a new print process for BASF’s new Ultracur3D that produces a combination of surface finish, mechanical strength, and throughput that is unmatched in the industry.
• Photocentric, a manufacturer of 3D printers who has developed and optimized the use of LCD screens as image generators for its own printing systems, who will be working with BASF to offer solutions that replace parts of the traditional manufacturing process such as injection molding for small series and enable the production of large components.
• Xunshi Technology, a Chinese printer manufacturer who operates in the US under the name Sprintray, will be opening new fields of application in 3D-printing for BASF’s Ultracur3D product range.

To learn more about our partnership with Origin, watch the video. For more information, please contact us at 3d-printing@basf-3dps.com.

Origin part made with BASF’s Ultracur3D material showcased at formnext 2018. (click image for video)

3DMP Reveals Automotive Progress

Following in the footsteps of medical and aerospace, the automotive industry is making a huge splash. It’s been using AM for tools and fixtures, and, with the technology allowing for greater volume in part and lot sizes, production parts now are a reality. For example, read the Winter 2019 issue of 3D Metal Printing to see what Ford is up to. Hint: Ford is up to a lot.

www.3dmpmag.com

This metal tool—reportedly Ford Motor Co.’s first—provided a rapid payoff for the automaker.

Emphasis on Automotive

While aerospace and medical have been standby markets for 3D printing, the technology is now gaining ground in the automotive industry. New machines emphasizing conventional automotive materials like steel are helping additive expand beyond prototyping and tooling into manufacturing end-use car parts. Increased demand for lightweighting and fuel efficiency means that 3D printing is poised to change how cars are designed and manufactured in the near future.

That’s why Additive Manufacturing is launching the Additive Manufacturing Workshop for Automotive (AMWA) in 2019. The event takes place January 16 during the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) Industry Preview in Detroit. Find more information and register at additiveconference.com.

These light hinge components, on display at formnext, showcase how optimized design and additive manufacturing could change how automotive parts are made and how they look.

Download the Metal AM app for iOS and Android

Metal AM now offers a free app for iOS and Android, giving you access to every issue of the leading international publication for metal 3D printing, all the way back to our launch in 2015. Our app allows you to download any issue to your device for reading online or offline, and features a powerful keyword search, enabling you to find the content you’re interested in across all of our current and back issues – even those not stored on your device.

Get the app. Visit Metal AM.

Metal AM now available on iOS and Android.

Survey Says …

Digital Engineering magazine conducted its annual technology outlook survey, and the results are in. See where DE’s design engineering audience ranked additive manufacturing among technologies making an impact on the future of product design and development, the reasons why they adopted 3D printing, whether AM technologies are meeting those objectives, and more. Check out the digital edition of DE’s December issue.

DE’s December issue.

Nominations Open for 2019 3D Printing Industry Awards

Returning for the third year, the 2019 3D Printing Industry Awards will take place on June 6, 2019, in London.  As in previous years, the winners will be selected by a public vote. Readers are invited to make their nominations for the enterprises and individuals leading our industry. The nominations form can be accessed here.

Also, this month has seen an increase in the number of job openings posted on our jobs site. The service is free to use for both employers and employees. The 3D Printing Industry Jobs site can be accessed here.

3D Printing Industry Awards.

Subscribe to the TCT Podcast

Looking for some additive insight to make your commute a little more productive? Why not download the latest episode of the TCT podcast and hear Deputy Group Editor, Laura Griffiths, in conversation with bestselling author and Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Professor, Richard D’Aveni, following the release of his new book, The Pan-Industrial Revolution. D’Aveni discusses the impact of additive manufacturing on the world economy, current challenges, and how a small number of pan-industrial companies will capture the market.

As we look towards 2019, we will be bringing you a new-look podcast featuring more interviews, keynotes and discussions curated by the TCT content team. Subscribe and be the first to receive our special preview episode including a round-up of the year in AM, out next week.

Subscribe to TCT Podcasts.

RAPID + TCT Announces SME Zone

New this year at RAPID + TCT is the SME Zone, which will support what is seen on the show floor and offer additional opportunities to engage with experts and like-minded peers. Here you will find:

• Career Forum – Discover new additive manufacturing career opportunities.
• SME Membership Lounge – Learn about what SME and the AM Tech Community offer.
• RAPID + TCT Art Gallery – View a display of creative artwork made possible by 3D printing, 3D imaging, and digital sculpture.
• Show Floor Theater – Not attending the conference? Hear experts share the latest applications in additive manufacturing.
• Smart Manufacturing Hub – Hear from industry-leading smart technology providers on recent developments in this rapidly evolving field.
• SME Storefront – Get the latest information on how SME is impacting manufacturing.
• And more!

Attendee registration will be available soon. Visit rapid3Devent.com to RSVP for RAPID + TCT 2019 and learn more.

RAPID + TCT announces SME Zone, new for 2019.

Imagining a Better Space Lander Through Generative Design

NASA has spent decades exploring Mars through various mobile vehicles. So far, there has been scant signs of life on that planet. Now, the plan is to examine other planets for possible life.

Thus, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) is turning to the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. However, JPL engineers must solve several challenges. One of the larger challenges is distance.  Jupiter lies more than 365 million miles away, compared to the 35-million-mile trip to Mars. And if they go to Saturn, that’s an additional 381 million miles past Jupiter. How do you create an interplanetary lander that can go these distances? Get the answer in this insightful article.

Read about 3D printing’s role in NASA’s journeys beyond Mars.