AMUG February 2020

President’s Report

Don’t contemplate or hesitate; register now!  We are only a few weeks out from the AMUG Conference, and the registration fee will increase in two days. The time and effort invested in the conference have really paid off. We have another “can’t miss” conference for you.

To enhance your AMUG experience, we also have pre-conference activities (Saturday and Sunday) for leisure, education, and immersion. Please be sure to consider these activities, which are available to all members but are subject to capacity limits.

There are many changes and additions to this year’s event. I encourage you to review the details provided by your board (below). One huge change is in the election process. We have changed the board structure, made voting easier, and are providing candidate resumes in advance. Please review all candidates so that you cast an informed vote. The newly elected officers and directors will have a huge influence on our organization and the conference for years to come. More details are provided below.

I also want to encourage you to submit an entry in the Technical Competition and a nomination for the DINO Award. But don’t hesitate since the cutoff dates for acceptance are getting very near.

I look forward to experiencing AMUG 2020 with each of you.

Updated AMUG Conference agenda available for download.

James Hobson (top) and Dr. Jonathan Morris are AMUG’s keynote speakers.

The 2019 DINO class.

SLM Solutions Group: BEAMIT Signs Letter of Intent to Purchase 15 Machines

BEAMIT, Italy’s largest additive manufacturing service bureau, expands its additive manufacturing activities and continues to rely on proven SLM^® multi-laser technology. The Italian service provider signed a letter of intent to purchase 15 Selective Laser Melting machines from SLM Solutions within the next three years. The commitment emphasizes SLM Solutions as the preferred supplier for BEAMIT`s machines and shows the continues adoption of additive manufacturing technology.

“Through the replacement of single laser products with SLM Solutions` multi-laser technology we are able to increase our productivity and provide competitive pricing to our customers,” says Mauro Antolotti, chairman and founder of BEAMIT. He further emphasizes, “By partnering with SLM Solutions, we can meet our customer`s requirements to build high quality parts at increased productivity and expand our facilities.” The commitment is in line with the expansion of BEAMIT´s plant, which is then more than twice the size of the previous space.

Read the full press release here.

Interactive Discussions at AMUG 2020

How is your additive manufacturing (AM) software performing? Struggling to process large STLs? Plodding through latticework and supports? Are the slicing operations you started yesterday still running? Join Dyndrite at AMUG 2020 and be part of our interactive discussions that will ignite an industry-wide definition of what users and engineers really need from AM software. Users, engineers, technicians, developers, and OEMs are all welcome. Don’t miss out!

Sessions:

• 3:00 pm – Monday March 23, 2020
• 1:30 pm – Tuesday March 24, 2020
• 1:30 pm – Wednesday March 25, 2020
• 10:30 am – Thursday March 26, 2020

Booth D10 at the AMUGexpo.

Dyndrite is the developer of the world’s most advanced 3D geometry kernel, delivering unprecedented performance, portability, scalability, and repeatability for AM OEMs and ISVs. Dyndrite’s mission is to enable production-grade additive manufacturing by helping partners incorporate GPU-native processing, Python scripting tools and deliver seamless CAD-to-print applications.

Learn more at dyndrite.com.

Join Dyndrite for interactive discussions on AM software at AMUG 2020.

Expanding the Designer’s Tool Kit

The right tools not only make a job easier, they can also get things done much faster. That’s a result close to the heart of many product designers, as they look to speed up the design cycle in an increasingly competitive market.

Last year Stratasys introduced the J850™ and J835™ 3D printers to help with that problem. These printers let designers create models and prototypes faster with full-color, multimaterial capability. The result is better decision making and ultimately, a better design.

But not all design enterprises need the capacity of a J850. That’s why Stratasys just released the J826™ 3D printer. It has the same capabilities as the J850—PANTONE^® Validated color and seven-material capacity— but comes with a smaller footprint and a lower price point.

Now there’s a powerful tool for smaller to mid-size design shops with a smaller budget. Check out the press release and visit the J8 Series web page for more details.

The new J826™ offers Pantone® Validated color in a smaller footprint.

Webinar: Breakthroughs in Additive Manufacturing with Direct Digital Production

3D Systems’ Figure 4 technology is a scalable digital manufacturing solution that offers a single workflow from prototyping to production. Figure 4 delivers injection molded quality parts without the time or expense of tooling and makes it possible to go directly from CAD to manufacturing to produce parts at any volume.

Join 3D Systems’ Patrick Dunne, vice president, advanced application development, and Tracy Beard, director, operations, as they explain the breakthroughs in additive manufacturing, machine architecture and materials science that have converged to enable a fast, direct path to production. More than just theory, this webinar features real-world projects made faster and more cost-effective through the use of Figure 4 technology. Visit the company’s website to join this webinar.

Join the webinar.

Digital Technology You can Finally Sink Your Teeth Into

BASF Forward AM and Origin partnered to help establish additive manufacturing as a suitable solution for mass production. Now, they continue to solidify their partnership by focusing on changing dental digital manufacturing. Origin’s Open Additive Technology and Forward AM’s material expertise can now deliver the quality, speed, and scale needed by dental labs at a very low cost.

Before showcasing our dental parts at AMUG 2020, both companies will be hosting “A Decade of Change” breakfast @LMT Lab Day (the biggest dental laboratory event in the US) on February 22, in Chicago. The talk will demonstrate how programmable photopolymerization (P3) coupled with open materials and the leading chemical company in the world enable dental labs to achieve industry-leading accuracy, consistency, and ROI.

To learn more, visit www.ultracur3d-photopolymer.com or contact us at sales@basf-3dps.com.

BASF Forward AM strengthens partnership with Origin (click image for video).

EOS Additive Manufacturing Quality Workshop at AMUG

Join EOS’ Additive Minds applied engineering team in the Additive Manufacturing (AM) Quality Workshop at AMUG 2020 and discover how to develop qualified AM parts. The Additive Minds team will guide you through the qualification process of AM machines; through understanding the AM process itself; and discuss how to have a high level of control over the entire process chain— from the powder to part. Some of the methods originate in traditional manufacturing, but most are unique to the AM process. The Additive Minds team has years of experience supporting organizations around the world through their qualification process and they want to help your organization next.

Join us for this introductory quality workshop during AMUG 2020 on Tuesday, March 24 at 1:30 pm and Thursday, March 26 at 10:30 am. Click here to view the 2020 AMUG Conference Preliminary Agenda for all events.

AM Quality Workshop.

Software for Serial AM

Erpro Group started using 3YOURMIND software because it needed a better way to manage orders, machine planning, and quality control. Together, the companies are developing process blueprints and software functionality that will help define serial AM production.

At the AMUG Conference (on Thursday, March 26 at 10:30 am) we will share insights from the production floor about modernizing AM factories and adjusting to the demands of serial using automation software. Want a taste of this conversation? Take a look at the Erpro customer spotlight video.

Erpro 3D factory, home of the Chanel mascara brush serial am application.

Essentium Shares Material Selection Criteria for High-Performance Applications

Through material innovation, manufacturing companies are benefiting from materials that deliver guaranteed performance to meet the growing demand for industrial 3D printed parts. However, manufacturers are often challenged with deciding which polymers are best suited for different applications. At AMUG 2020, Essentium’s head of R&D for materials, Brandon Sweeney, Ph.D., can assist with this challenge. He will be on hand in Booth D11 to provide insights into core material considerations for manufacturers bringing additive manufacturing at scale into their production floors.

Essentium works with manufacturers to take a close look at the key factors affecting material selection, such as identifying what chemicals the material will be exposed to and what kind of vibration or strength does it need to have to serve in the application. Brandon can guide you through an assessment of considerations that start with the identification of the vertical application for the project.

Brandon is also facilitating an AMUG 2020 Training Lab on “Moisture Control in Additive Manufacturing Material.”

Find out more at webinars.

Brandon Sweeney, Ph.D., head of R&D for materials and co-founder, Essentium Inc.

Renishaw Launches Flexible Explorer AM System

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) is helping innovators create new product designs and develop new business opportunities. If you are new to AM, adopting AM technology requires a thorough evaluation of your business needs and a considered approach to choosing your first system. You may be a researcher or an existing AM user who wants a more flexible system to help develop your understanding of AM performance factors.

The RenAM 500E is Renishaw’s Explorer AM system. It is designed to offer value to new users that want a safe starting point to develop their AM skills and understanding. It also offers expandability to add sensors and features to create a more advanced system for research and development purposes.

Learn more about our newest AM system here.

Don’t forget to visit us at the AMUG Conference; we’ll be at booth D23!

RenAM 500E, an Explorer System for new users.

Six Metal AM Experts Review VELO3D SupportFree

The negative impact of support structures for metal 3D printing is far greater than most understand. When the burden of support structures is removed, there are cost and time benefits directly related to the elimination of this laborious operation, but those benefits fail to capture the real business impact of SupportFree Metal AM Printing. Hear from multiple points of view on how SupportFree can drive improvements in all aspects of the product life cycle.

Watch the webinar (recorded) and read the white paper.

Discover the business-level gains of eliminating supports in the webinar and white paper.

M2 Series 5: Partnership at Its Core

We’ve spent the last year partnering with engineers at GE Aviation to develop the Concept Laser M2 Series 5. The new machine has been developed and put through its paces by GE Aviation, which has helped engineers to prioritize areas where the direct metal laser melting system could be improved.

This collaborative work incorporated an extensive machine design, system and component review, and an extended testing period, which has resulted in the new M2 Series 5— a robust machine, configured to meet the exacting requirements of highly regulated aerospace and medical industries and deliver best-in-class productivity for lower overall cost.

Watch the customer story here.

Partnership and its influence on the M2 Series 5 explained (video).

Nexa3D Moves into Eastern US Market with Cimquest Partnership

Nexa3D is upgrading industrial-grade 3D printing across the continent. Most recently, the company announced a partnership with Cimquest, a leading provider of 3D printers and manufacturing & design products. Cimquest will be handling the distribution and service for Nexa3D’s ultrafast stereolithography production 3D printers in the eastern US.

By offering Nexa3D printers, Cimquest will be delivering a significant upgrade for tens of thousands of older legacy stereolithography printer users. The company’s flagship printer, the NXE400, offers best-in-breed performance with a dramatically lower total cost of ownership (TCO). NXE400 takes current 3D printing speeds from dialup to broadband—printing up to 16 liters of part volume at speeds of up to 1Z centimeter per minute. The NXE400 also features optional washing and curing units that together automate and reduce the time to produce functional prototypes and parts from hours to just minutes.

Cimquest now offers NXE400 3D printers.

DMG MORI World Premiere: LASERTEC 125 3D Hybrid

With the world premiere of the LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid, DMG MORI has expanded its laser deposition welding portfolio to include a model for the maintenance, repair, and production of significantly larger parts. Based on the sturdy monoBLOCK series, it is designed for parts measuring up to ø 1,250 mm x 745 mm and a workpiece weight of up to 2,000 kg. The rigid machine construction and high dynamics of the LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid enable the accurate, reliable, and at the same time, cost-effective complete machining of metallic 3D parts.

Customers can expect high build rates and a repeatable accuracy normally associated with CNC machines. The new AM Assistant is part of the innovative software and hardware of the LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid. The hardware includes an integrated thermal imaging camera for continuous thermal monitoring of the entire work area. The AM Assistant also includes the AM Evaluator software, an intelligent downstream evaluation software for 3D process data.

The new LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid tackles large, heavy metal AM parts.

The Creaform HandySCAN Black Elite

The HandySCAN Black Elite’s technical specifications make it the reference in high-end, portable 3D measurement technology. It can capture high-quality measuring data regardless of environmental changes or part movement. It is an ideal tool for production quality assurance and product development applications.

A few key features of the HandySCAN Black Elite:

• Speed—Able to acquire 1,200,000 points per second at very high level of detail.
• Accuracy—Very high accuracy 0.025mm (0.0009 in.).
• Setup—No rigid setup required, just lay your part on the table and scan.
• Metrology Certifications—HandySCAN Black Elite’s acceptance test is based on VDI\VDE 2634, which is ISO 17025 accredited to guarantee traceability to international standards.
• Each scanner is delivered with a personalized certification and fully documented test results.

Want to see this, or any scanner, in action?  Visit us at the AMUGexpo in booth D18. To see our entire scanner lineup, visit our 3D scanners page.

To learn more about CATI, visit our website.

Creaform HandyScan Black Elite.

Carbon DLS™ Technology for Performance Prototyping

At next month’s AMUG 2020, Carbon and Fast Radius will showcase how they are using Carbon Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS™) for the production of a new, innovative part for the automotive supplier Aptiv. Fast Radius turned to Carbon for their key capabilities in performance prototyping and low-volume production to bring a trailer-tow connector cap for trucks to market in record time. Fast Radius is working to produce tens of thousands of parts for Aptiv this year using Carbon DLS technology. Come stop by Carbon’s booth and learn more: Salon A, booth D2.

On Sunday, March 22, AMUG Conference attendees can travel to Fast Radius for a tour. Join the excursion to see the largest public-facing installed base of Carbon machines in North America in one of the world’s most innovative factories, as named be the World Economic Forum. This free activity provides transportation, food, and beverages. For details and a link to RSVP, visit the AMUG tours page.

Carbon’s M Series printer used to produce Aptiv’s new, innovative automotive part.

PBT Powder with Dielectric Properties for Selective Laser Sintering

DSM’s Arnite® T AM1210 (P) is the first-ever PBT powder commercially available for selective laser sintering. A well-known material in the manufacturing industry, the powder’s dielectric properties open the door to 3D printing applications requiring electrical insulation. With a high reusability rate, the material is an attractive solution for the environmentally conscious.

As 3D printing evolves from prototyping to industrial manufacturing, customers need materials to meet their demands. Current solutions do not meet application requirements for industrial applications, such as automotive electronics. Arnite T AM1210 (P) has the same dielectric properties as the material used in injection molding processes, making it a material engineers are familiar with and prepared to use.

Developed for a wide sinter window, the powder is extremely easy to print. Arnite T AM1210 (P) is recyclable to the extent that the material can be brought back to the powder bed process.

Arnite® T AM1210 (P) for selective laser sintering.

The Cool Parts Show: Season 2

The Cool Parts Show is back! The video series from Additive Manufacturing is kicking off its second season this week with an episode focused on a 3D printed parking brake bracket for a Ford Performance vehicle. Future episodes will look at consumer, dental, UAV, and research applications for AM.

Launched in 2019, The Cool Parts Show is hosted by Editor-in-Chief Peter Zelinski and Senior Editor Stephanie Hendrixson. Each episode examines a real production or proof-of-concept 3D printed part, as the hosts explore how it was made, what makes it cool, and what it says about the advance of additive manufacturing. Featured parts have included a topology optimized spine implant, a “smart” build plate, custom insoles, and more.

Find all the episodes at gbm.media/coolparts.

Cool Parts Show, a video series hosted by Peter Zelinski and Stephanie Hendrixson, returns for season 2.

Practical Advice & Thought-Provoking Commentary

The Additive Report offers users practical advice about additive manufacturing and shares industry experts’ opinions and insights.

Some examples of what’s posted on our website:

• A report on NASCAR champ Brad Keselowski’s $10 million-plus hybrid manufacturing plant in North Carolina, which recently celebrated its 1st anniversary.
• A MIM shop in Pennsylvania, Alpha Precision Group, has added a department that 3D-prints continuous-fiber and metal parts for in-house use. And, it’s looking to print parts for customers.
• An interview with Dr. Hans J. Langer, who founded EOS GmbH 30 years ago and recently was named the winner of AMUG’s 2020 Innovators Award.
• During a video interview, Fusion3 founder Chip Royce told The Additive Report that growth of AM will be driven by materials development.

If you don’t receive the magazine, please subscribe here.

Additive Report takes a look at Keselowski Additive Manufacturing (KAM).

TCT 3Sixty – Call for Papers

TCT 3Sixty is our flagship UK show, reimagined for its 25^th edition in 2020. We’re calling for speakers with experience in all industries to explore additive manufacturing technology across three key areas: evaluation, adoption and optimization.

We understand that the real driver behind adoption is the discovery of applications, therefore we’re inviting real end-users to share their learnings from across the adoption curve from September 29 – October 1, 2020, at NEC, Birmingham, UK. For example: How did you identify a business case for AM? How did you first put AM to work? Have you grown your AM capacity to implement bigger, more complex use cases?

If you have insight to share with the TCT 3Sixty audience, please send an abstract (max 200 words), speaker biography and high-resolution headshot to Charlotte Chambers via charlotte.chambers@rapidnews.com or Magda Brzegowy via magda@rapidnews.com by Friday, March 13, 2020.

A rapt audience at the 2019 TCT Show, now named TCT 3Sixty.

Post-Processing, Software and More in Winter 2020 3DMP

3D Metal Printing editors will be in Chicago, IL, in March for AMUG, and in Anaheim, CA, in April for RAPID + TCT, looking for the latest metal additive manufacturing (AM) news and technology. We previewed both events in our just-published Winter 2020 issue. The info-packed issue also recaps Formnext 2019 and features post-processing technology and software for AM.

And, 3DMP is finalizing its 5th Annual 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour, July 22-23 in Northbrook, IL. The event offers industry-expert presentations and give-and-take focusing on industry trends, identification of suitable metal AM applications, smart build-plate technology and more. Also on tap: facility tours of GPI Prototype & Manufacturing and others.

www.3dmpmag.com

The Winter 2020 issue of 3D Metal Printing covers post-processing, software for AM, and DED process monitoring. Plus, 3DMP provides a comprehensive recap of technology finds at Formnext.

The Quest to Control the Voxel and the 3D Printing Revolution to Come

Imagine camouflage that renders a subject almost invisible; prosthetic limbs that look and feel like real appendages; smartphone battery power that’s embedded throughout the thin fabric of your clothing; windows that direct light to different parts of the room throughout the day. All of these ideas, and many more, may be possible with a new age of material science that is now unfolding. Researchers at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology are learning to manipulate the basic properties of innovative materials to enable revolutionary new products.

“We’re really trying to enhance voxel-level engineering,” says Travis Walker, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at South Dakota Mines.

Learn more about the quest and what is possible with voxel-level control here.

Travis Walker, Ph.D., and Katrina Donovan, Ph.D., with a large-scale, 3D printed item made with two different materials that illustrates what is possible at the micro scale.

AR/VR: Tools to Realize the Potential of AM

As the use of additive manufacturing and generative design technology grows, engineers and designers are under increased pressure to leverage both augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) technologies to help visualize these more complex designs. In the latest issue of Digital Engineering, we take a look at how AR/VR technology is being used across the product development lifecycle to help realize the true potential of three-dimensional design.

Read the articles here.

AR/VR contribution to complex designs discussed in the latest issue.