AMUG December 2020

President’s Report

I’m hoping you have heard some fairly big news of late…that being the new dates and location of our 2021 AMUG Conference. The news has been received positively, by most. But these changes will not work for everyone, unfortunately.  Please understand we have had to keep our focus on the needs and best interests of our members with the motivation of delivering an experience that expands their expertise.

Why Orlando in May? This was one of several contingencies that we have had in the works. Considering a huge number of factors, ranging from space to room rates to airport services, it proved to be the best option. Working through all the contingencies and making the final decision required an enormous amount of work by your board. We have had to put our plans to the test, and we truly believe this will be an excellent opportunity as we move towards getting back to normal.

We are now taking all the actions that result from the change of location and dates. If information is not available at this time, it is in development and will be communicated soon. Please read the articles below for the details that we have pinned down.

It’s the holiday time of year already, and while the season will likely be much different from those of the past, we hope you can celebrate. We’d also like to take a moment to wish you good health and lots of cheer. If you must travel, I wish you a smooth, safe journey.

I look forward to seeing you in May.

Engineering Handbook for the Carbon DLS™ 3D Printing Process

This new handbook is your complete guide to the Carbon Digital Light Synthesis™ (Carbon DLS™) 3D printing process. Whether your goal is prototyping functional parts, producing low volumes, or scaling production, this handbook will equip you with the knowledge, tools, and best practices to design better parts and achieve the best results with the Carbon DLS process. Additionally, you’ll learn:

• How does the Carbon DLS process work?
• Is the Carbon DLS process right for my part?
• How do Carbon materials compare to traditional thermoplastics?
• What does design freedom with the Carbon DLS process look like?
• How do I design my part to achieve the best results with Carbon DLS?
• What factors affect my print?
• How do I cost-effectively scale production?

Download the Engineering Handbook for Carbon DLS.

Download the Engineering Handbook for Carbon DLS.

Somos® WaterShed Black, Plus New Pellet Material EcoPaXX® AM4001 GF (G)

DSM’s Somos® WaterShed Black processes up to 50% faster than alternative black resins and prints in a true black color off the machine. With similar properties and processing as Somos WaterShed XC 11122, this multipurpose resin provides the same benefits in a black stereolithography material. Learn more and see for yourself with a request for a free printed sample…just click here.

Last month, DSM introduced EcoPaXX® AM4001 GF (G), a high-performance material for fused granulate fabrication (3D pellet printing). EcoPaXX AM4001 GF (G), a polyamide PA410, has excellent thermal and mechanical properties with low moisture uptake, excellent chemical resistance, and good surface properties, as well as 42% bio-based content based on ISO 16620-1 2015(E). DSM’s proprietary PA410 technology in EcoPaXX ensures lower moisture uptake than classical PA6/66 while being an easy-to-print, bio-based material.

EcoPaXX AM4001 GF (G).

Startups Transforming Manufacturing – DMID 2021 Event

On January 19, 2021, Dyndrite and HP Tech Ventures will host the second Digital Manufacturing Investor Day 2021 (DMID2021) event. With a live investor panel of established business leaders and VCs to question and examine startups, and eight top emerging companies presenting, the event will showcase the future of digital manufacturing.

You are invited to interact with the hottest emerging digital manufacturing companies as they pitch to more than 80 VC firms and 150 industry experts from around the globe.

Register now.

Register for the Digital Manufacturing Investor Day.

Making AM More Accessible

Within the manufacturing industry, about 20% of 3D printed end-use parts are jigs and fixtures. But despite the benefits of AM tools, the design process is not always clear and is often a bottleneck in the workflow. That’s now changed. Stratasys and nTopology, the maker of leading engineering and design software, are working together to make design for AM (DfAM) easier and more accessible.

The first workflow in this collaboration is the FDM Fixture Generator, which enables engineers to quickly turn a part file into a ready-to-print fixture with simple drag-and-drop steps. The software overcomes the typical DfAM barriers by guiding the user through a process to quickly and easily create fixtures that maximize the benefits of AM. Other applications to streamline the workflow process will follow in 2021.

Learn more about this powerful combination of hardware and software at stratasys.com/ntopology.

An FDM holding fixture designed with nTop Platform software.

Forward AM Customer Highlight:  Midwest Prototyping, Helping Advance Motorsport Applications

Midwest Prototyping and Forward AM partnered with Ligier Automotive to construct specific race car components, such as a custom cooling duct for the ECU (engine control unit) on the Ligier F3 car. To kick the project into high gear, the teams chose BASF Ultrasint^® PA6 MF material and began moving forward with the application testing. The parts were carefully designed, printed, and then smoothed using the AMT Post Pro 3D system, all while keeping maximum airflow to the ECU in mind.

Why Ultrasint^® PA6 MF for motorsport?

• Meets & exceeds high temperature requirement of 180 °C (ECU is mounted near the engine)
• Addresses high part stresses, such as vibration and speed of racing application
• Keeps tight tolerances over time, ensuring that heat stress doesn’t change part geometries

What is on the racing horizon for our customer’s partnerships?

• Using Ultrasint PA6 MF to construct brake cooling ducts to fit in complex geometries
• Exploring Ultrasint PA6 MF for airflow and structural components in and around the engine compartment as well as the cockpit
• Taking advantage of AM to streamline the design process and move parts from ideas to production

For more information, visit www.forward-am.com

BASF Ultrasint PA6 MF ECU cooling duct flush mounted in the car’s carbon fiber body.

Formlabs Unveils Two New Proprietary Resins for Quick Designs and High-Performance Parts

Formlabs has announced the new Rigid 10K Resin, suitable for strong, industrial-grade prototypes. Because of its incredible stiffness and strength, Rigid 10K Resin can be used across multiple industries for high-performance applications: engineering and manufacturing, aerospace and automotive, and injection molding.

Injection molding is one of the most novel uses for Rigid 10K Resin. By incorporating 3D printing into the injection molding process, manufacturers can eschew expensive and time-consuming metal machining. Rigid 10K Resin’s strength, stiffness, and thermal resistance make it ideal for short-run injection molding. To read an in-depth case study for this application, check out this white paper.

Formlabs has also unveiled a new formulation of Draft Resin. Printing four times faster than Formlabs standard materials, Draft Resin is ideal for initial prototypes and rapid iterations. Because of its incredible print speed that facilitates faster design and prototyping, Draft Resin helps bring products to market faster. Faster print time doesn’t mean compromising quality—the reformulated Draft Resin reduced layer thickness by 33 percent, improving surface finish.

You can get more information about both materials by checking out this webinar.

Draft Resin (gray) and Rigid 10K Resin (white) expand what is feasible with stereolithography.

Essentium Survey Reveals Trends in 3D Printing for Production Manufacturing

Essentium, Inc. has commissioned independent global research on the current and future use of industrial 3D printing. The third annual study reveals that the use of large-scale AM has more than doubled in the past year for 70 percent of manufacturing companies. The number of companies that have shifted to using AM for full-scale production runs of hundreds of thousands of parts has doubled from 7 percent in 2019 to 14 percent in 2020, proving AM has evolved from the prototyping phase.

Some other statistics from the survey include:

• 3D printing investment plans have changed at many companies: 24 percent of respondents have gone all-in; 25 percent of manufacturers are ramping up to meet supply chain needs.
• 57 percent of manufacturers increased 3D printing for production parts to keep their supply chains flowing during the pandemic.
• 90 percent of manufacturers agree that the manufacturing industry could save billions of dollars in production costs once 3D printing technology matures.

To see the research in detail, download it here.

Sample of survey results available in downloadable research report.

Learn from Our Experts

We have a variety of webinars that are designed to keep you informed of the latest thoughts and insights—straight from our experts. Whether you’re interested in AM production, DfAM, or downstream processes, discover a webinar for you.

See what we have coming in 2021, as well as what’s available to view on-demand.

Conveniently, the webinars are listed all on one page. Take a look here.

Stay informed through Renishaw’s webinars.

Effective Powder Reuse Strategies

GE Additive outlines the choice of powder reuse strategies that will drive cost, ease of implementation, and quality. The white paper’s intent is to provide insight on the basics and factors affecting a successful powder reuse study, with answers to some of our FAQs.

Q&A with the Authors:

Q1: Is ‘how many times can I reuse my powder?’ the question you’re usually asked first?

Q2: Is powder and specifically powder reuse sometimes an after-thought or is it front of mind for metal additive users?

Q3: What do you mean by making the process and science work for the business case?

Q4: Where does the human factor come into powder reuse strategies?

Download the white paper.

Effective Powder Reuse Strategies: white paper now available.

Advanced Manufacturing Olympics Recap

With the Advanced Manufacturing Olympics, the USAF Rapid Sustainment Office created what may have been unimaginable prior to 2020—a virtual event that highlighted hands-on innovation, encouraged collaboration, and provided opportunities for lively conversation and networking, all within a virtual platform.

Speakers from all corners of the advanced manufacturing world converged to discuss topics like cybersecurity, automation, industry trends, and additive printing in space, with thought leaders from government, industry, and academia in attendance. Competitive technical challenges showcased talent from across the US in material hurdles, approval sprints, supply chain marathons, TDP relays, and the box of parts challenges. These competitions gave insight into the future of advanced manufacturing in the USAF—and rewarded the winning teams handsomely.

If you missed the inaugural event, you’re in luck! The RSO website includes an expansive video hub with sessions from the entire virtual experience, covering topics like supply chains, open source, and the airman perspective on AM, just to name a few. And while you peruse the AMO video hub, check out the USAF RSO blog, Technology Essential, to discover further insights, success stories and more.

Take Advantage of 2020 Tax Incentives

Are you looking to increase your capacity in 2021? Or maybe you’re looking to replace some older equipment? There are only a few weeks left to save BIG on new equipment. 2020 is the year for saving with Section 179.

You can now save on the latest from Stratasys, Creaform, Desktop Metal and PostProcess Technologies.

Save even more by bundling the tax savings with some of our current promos or one of our demo machines.

Explore your options here.

Act before the year’s end to capitalize on tax incentives.

Get the New Issue of Metal AM Magazine, Winter 2020

The Winter 2020 issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine is out now and available to read for free in your browser, as a pdf download, or via our Metal AM app for iOS and Android. It includes the following exclusive features:

• Metal Additive Manufacturing and the new space race: The inside track with Launcher and AMCM
• Falcontech: The journey from materials engineering to large-scale metal Additive Manufacturing
• Strategies for advancing the automation of metal Additive Manufacturing
• Machine learning and Additive Manufacturing: What does the future hold?
• System 3R: Bridging critical gaps in the Additive Manufacturing workflow to enable serial production
• Metal AM in South Africa: Research and commercial initiatives to bring the benefit of AM to the African continent
• CFD simulations for metal Additive Manufacturing: Applications in laser- and sinter-based processes

View online or download your free copy, or get the app today for access to this issue and the full Metal AM magazine archive.

Winter edition of Metal AM Magazine.

3D Printed Medical Implants, Today and Tomorrow

The use of AM for medical implants brings complex geometries and short lead times compared to conventional methods. But these benefits are only the beginning. The November/December issue of Additive Manufacturing Magazine explores 3D printed implants today, as well as the developments that will make them more common in the future.

Read the issue to learn about scalable medical production through electron beam melting (EBM); research into nitinol for shape-memory stents; a custom implant that replaces an entire ankle bone; bioceramic materials; microscale 3D printing; and a workflow strategy to deliver custom implants for pets.

The knee implants on this issue’s cover illustrate the evolution from a cast/machined implant (back) to one made via EBM (middle) and polished (front). Read the issue or subscribe.

ASME’s Emerging Technology Awards

ASME’s Emerging Technology Awards usually recognize innovations in five engineering fields, but this year the editors of Mechanical Engineering magazine realized the technologies that stood out all had something in common: They were responding in some way to the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of the winning innovations of the 2020 Emerging Technology Awards is Prusa Research’s fully open-source design for a face shield that can be quickly 3D printed. During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the design inspired makers to produce PPE for healthcare workers around the world. Get the details here.

Prusa Research’s open-source face shield is one of the 2020 Emerging Technology winners.

Reporting on 3D Printing Technologies and Additive Manufacturers

A few of the stories you’ll find on our website:

• Private company additively manufactures first ceramic part made in space. Read it here.
• Researchers seek ways to prevent pores from forming during metal 3D printing.
• Virtual trade shows proving unpopular with show-goers. Read it here.

If you don’t receive The Additive Report, please subscribe here.

Ceramic blisk printed on the space station.

The Biggest TCT Magazine Issue of the Year is Out Now

We’re at that point in the year where reflections are being made on the last 12 months and predictions from our 3D printed crystal balls are being cast for the next. Over on tctmagazine.com we’ve been taking a look back at some of the biggest stories of the last year, which you can hear our editorial team discuss in more detail on next week’s Additive Insight podcast.

Despite 2020’s many unexpected challenges, TCT is ending the year on a high note with the successful completion of our TCT Japan event and our biggest magazine issue of the year. Read the digital issue here and secure your free print subscription to TCT Magazine, ready for 2021, where you can expect several new features including a focus on supply chain, application studies in emerging markets, and industry challenges around diversity.

We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday and a hopeful new year.

The biggest issue of the year, TCT’s year end magazine.

Machine Learning Provides Big Boost to Quality Control in AM

“Does machine learning (ML) function in the real-world of AM? The answer is a resounding yes.” So says Darren Beckett, chief technology officer, Sigma Labs Inc., in his article, ‘Machine Learning: A Game Changer for AM Quality Assurance’, appearing in the Fall 2020 issue of 3D Metal Printing.

“Think of the end-to-end part/process quality decision methodology as an ecosystem that functions best if it’s possible to distinguish between part and process quality,” he explains. “Effective AM-ML models are designed to recognize anomalies in specific parts and also to monitor the quality of the process itself. This enables quality and consistent-improvement opportunities on AM parts.”

Such abilities are here today, and continually sharpened, as the 3DMP Fall 2020 issue explores in-depth.

www.3dmpmag.com

Laser powder bed fusion parts printed with in-process quality assurance technology. (Photo courtesy of Sigma Labs Inc.)

How to Make a Car Walk

What are the design challenges when developing a car that can walk? Hyundai Motor engineers recently set about exploring that idea and developed a prototype vehicle called the Elevate. The goal was for the car to have several types of locomotion—reptilian, mammalian, and the more familiar passive suspension. The use of generative design software and 3D printing was key in developing the prototype.

For more on the story, read it here.

Hyundai Motors’ Elevate vehicle.

Annual Technology Outlook

The December issue of Digital Engineering magazine features the results of our annual Technology Outlook survey, including a look at how our readers are using AM and generative design technology. In addition, this issue includes a feature on how mass customization and flexibility will ensure the role of 3D printing in a post-pandemic supply chain, and it reports a case study outlining how Team Penske is leveraging Stratasys technology for racecar design and manufacturing.

You can download the issue here.

Read the latest issue, featuring the annual Technology Outlook.