AMUG February 2021

President’s report

My fellow AMUG members,

Our event is still on!  It will be a bit different from previous years, but different has become normal. We understand that we are seeing more news regarding COVID-19, and while some of our members may be absent this year, we are looking forward to their future participation and contributions.

Our VP’s are working diligently to manage the waitlist for sponsors. Meanwhile, we are addressing a number of moving parts that could result in changes to the AMUG Conference. All of the changes made and potential changes are in consideration of providing an environmnet that enables the best possible event for our members.

A bit of Florida sunshine will be a positive change, and we are telling Tom Sorovetz, event manager, to get working on that…use the warm weather to our advantage and work his magic to make it so.

Our board and committees have been getting everything prepared while adjusting to the new date and location. Watch for information to be shared (newsletter, emails, website, etc.) or simply reach out directly to any members of our team. This information will include nominations for our AMUG Board positions, entries for the Technical Competition, DINO nominations, New Member welcome, and all of the amazing activities that are event staples. Please share these links with others in the AM community that you feel are worthy or can contribute to advancing our industry. After all, sharing is how we got this far!

In preparations for what ‘could’ happen, we have prepared some new approaches to the way we do things. One of these includes a policy resolution addressing the requirements of candidates for director/officer elections. Understanding that some of our vetted candidates may be subject to travel restrictions, which may be adjusted in the next few months, the requirement of being at the AMUG Conference has been amended (for 2021 only) to allow members from the 2019 conference (those in good standing) to be considered during the elections.

We do hope that your situation will allow you to attend the conference. Should you need supporting details on our efforts to follow pandemic-related guidelines, please see the extensive list of frequently asked questions (FAQ’s) on our website. If your questions are not addressed, please let us know, and we will act promptly.

Be well, stay safe, and know that we are anxiously looking forward to seeing everyone in person, albeit behind a face covering and at a prescribed social distance, soon!

Warm regards,

Carl Dekker
President

Consider running for board positions

We are just a couple of months away from an in-person event. Deep in the middle of winter, it is nice to look forward to spending time in sunny Florida, and I am hopeful we see a lot of you in Orlando. Those that know me know that I like to start the AMUG Conference week off with some fishing. Due to locations, that hasn’t happened for a few years, but Orlando makes that possible. Don’t know where I will be dropping my fishing line, but stay tuned.

I really missed not being at an AMUG Conference last year, and I know it looks like some will not get a chance to attend this year. For me, attending gives me opportunities, planned or unplanned, to network with my vendors and other users specific to my type of business. There has never been a year I did not bring home significant information that improved the value of 3D printing delivered to my customers.

With the conference nearing, we are still looking for candidates to join the AMUG Board. As Nomination Committee members, our team has been tasked with identifying and recruiting able and willing volunteers to serve on the board as directors/officers. If you have any interest in serving or know someone who may be interested, I encourage you to view the officer and director positions to learn more. You can then go to the Nomination Submission Form to nominate yourself or someone else for consideration. Any questions can be directed to nomcom@amug.com.

Let us keep pushing to have a strong year, getting past the obstacles, and making 2021 great.

Steve McDonald
Nominating Committee Member

Google ATAP uses 3D printing to design brand-new tech experiences

A hardware R&D lab at Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) combines diverse teams of engineers, scientists, and designers to develop technologies that enrich everyday interactions with the physical world.

“Our team is really looking for solutions. We’re always searching and exploring new technologies, but in the end, the most important thing is application-driven innovation,” explains Bryan Allen, technical program manager and ATAP Lab lead. The team specializes in 3D printing and advanced fabrication, so they work with many different AM technologies, including PolyJet™ technology from Stratasys.

Allen explains that PolyJet 3D printers provide a good balance between speed, material performance, and functional fidelity—the last of which is a crucial step in the ATAP product development process. “We’re talking about things that didn’t exist before,” he says.

Typically, getting a multi-material prototype would take weeks, but with PolyJet, the ATAP team can hit print at the end of the day and have a high-fidelity model in engineers’ hands the next morning.

See what things Google’s ATAP lab develops by reading the full story.

Design iterations of the Jacquard Tag by Google.

Formlabs delivering Fuse 1 SLS printers

Formlabs is happy to announce that the Fuse 1 selective laser sintering (SLS) printer has begun shipping to customers, with over 60 pre-order and reservation printers already in the field and printing. After concluding several months of rigorous beta testing with a host of innovative companies, our totally re-designed SLS 3D printer is ready to deliver industrial-grade nylon parts, right on your workbench. Delivering production-ready nylon at a low cost per part, a large build chamber to accommodate various project sizes, and the ability to print 24/7, no other SLS printer offers the quality and ease of use as the Fuse 1.

Formlabs has also begun to ship the Fuse Sift, an all-in-one powder recovery station for the Fuse 1. The Fuse Sift was created to flawlessly integrate into your SLS workflow and deliver a seamless, simple post-processing setup. SLS 3D printing has long been the domain of expensive, high-end industrial printers, oftentimes putting them out of reach for most business and product designers. Our goal with the Fuse 1 is to deliver the industrial power of SLS into your workshop with an affordable, compact system for production-ready nylon parts.

To learn more about the value proposition of the Fuse 1 and how it works, tune into this webinar.

The Fuse 1 and Fuse Sift.

Essentium provides guidance on blow molding production using AM

Blow molding is a ubiquitous manufacturing process used for a range of hollow products from water bottles and food containers to automotive and aircraft ducting and double-walled parts. While blow molding is a fast and economical process, the initial machining costs can be prohibitive, which makes design changes a challenge.

AM is changing the way manufacturers can design and make these molds. AM is not only changing the economics but also enabling high-performance blow molding tools to be produced rapidly to help manufacturers get their products to market quickly and allow design changes.

On February 24, Essentium will host a webinar detailing how manufacturers can leverage AM to enhance blow molding capabilities across three use cases: a prototype bottle design, a double-walled chair with metal inserts, and ducting replacement as applied to legacy aircraft. The webinar will explore material selection (Carbon-Fiber Filled High Temperature Nylon (HTNCF) or Carbon-Fiber Filled Polyamide (PACF)), design, slicing, and post processing needed to produce high-quality tools for blow molding.

Please see the registration link here.

Blow mold tooling is the topic of the February 24 webinar.

Renishaw goes big on nanofiber

To help with ongoing personal protective equipment (PPE) shortages, Ontario-based nanofiber manufacturer BIG-nano has collaborated with Renishaw to create a local supply chain for protective masks using AM. BIG-nano developed a fine liquid blowing technique for the production of nanofiber, allowing it to more easily scale production at affordable costs.

Renishaw used one of its RenAM 500Q systems located in Canada to build a novel titanium nozzle for the liquid blowing process, which is capable of producing N99 quality fabric while reducing maintenance costs and downtime.

Read the story here.

Nozzles being printed in a RenAM 500Q system.

Webinar: Understanding Metal Powder Reuse and Effective Reuse Strategies for Additive Manufacturing

This webinar will give a holistic view of powder reuse by highlighting the importance of understanding the different aspects of the powder cycle loop prior to launching a powder reuse study/campaign.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021
10:00 am EST.

Register

Join the webinar on powder reuse and effective strategies.

Taking Off with CATI and Boom Supersonic

Have you ever wondered what it takes to launch a new plane? Developing a new product is no small endeavor. The team at Computer Aided Technology (CATI) has provided many organizations the tools and knowledge to best implement for a faster time to market. Our friends at Boom Supersonic have been able to revive commercial supersonic flight using the latest technologies offered by CATI.

Join the team at Computer Aided Technology on Wednesday, March 10 from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm as we are joined by our friends at Boom Supersonic to learn more about cutting-edge product development technology, how Boom was able to quickly and successfully launch the XB-1 Supersonic Demonstrator, and what is possible for you and your organization.

Register to attend.

In webinar, learn how Boom Supersonic quickly launched the XB-1 Supersonic.

ExOne launches world’s fastest, office-safe metal 3D printer with Rapidia

Binder jetting pioneer ExOne and Rapidia, a Vancouver, Canada-based technology company founded by Dan Gelbart, recently joined forces to offer the new ExOne Metal Designlab™ and X1F furnace.

The system 3D prints HydroFuse™, an innovative water-based paste containing metal powders that requires no chemical or lengthy thermal debinding. It also enables faster sintering. This two-step Print Today, Parts Tomorrow™ innovation was first unveiled by Rapidia in 2019.

“We are delighted to partner with the visionary Dan Gelbart and the Rapidia technology team to offer the new ExOne Metal Designlab and X1F furnace,” said John Hartner, ExOne’s CEO. “This technology is a true time-saving innovation that complements ExOne’s portfolio.”

Gelbart added, “I also expect a lot of innovation to come from combining the deep technical knowledge of both companies.”

Learn more during an ExOne-Rapidia webinar event on March 17.

Webinar discusses the new Metal Designlab, a product of ExOne and Rapidia.

Restoring retro cars and winning rallies with 3D printing

Jari-Matti Latvala has been around rally cars almost his entire life. He combined his passions into his job by being both an entrepreneur and a rally driver. His company, JML-Sports, is focused on rebuilding cult cars of the ’80s and ’90s. The availability of spare parts for these cars is extremely limited, and the manufacturing is usually complicated and expensive.

To keep the cult cars on stage, Jari-Matti and his team made the innovative decision to invest in 3D printing and manufacture complex motorsport parts on their own. With 3D printing, the team significantly sped up the manufacturing of parts for a fraction of the cost of traditional manufacturing. What used to take multiple weeks now is accomplished overnight and under their own roof.

Read more here.

3D printed turbo intake pipe.

Meet the 3D printed parts landing on Mars

NASA’s Perseverance rover is touching down on Mars this week, carrying with it 11 3D printed parts. A handful of those components are part of the PIXL, the Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry, which will analyze rock and soil samples to assess the potential for life on the Red Planet.

Although the parts may look like simple brackets and housing components, the stringent mass budget and design restrictions made them challenging to manufacture. 3D printing delivered the forms, but extensive postprocessing brought them to their final dimensions.

Get the full story in this episode of The Cool Parts Show.

Thin walls, hollow box beams, weight limits, and more made these components for the PIXL exceptionally difficult to manufacture. Learn more.

Opening a 3D printing shop during the pandemic

The co-founder of an AM service bureau, Chris Aiello, tells The Additive Reporter why it made sense to launch a company during COVID-19 and why he and his partners focus on metal binder jetting. Watch the interview here.

Other stories posted to our website:

• Blog: the breadth of 3D printing technologies enhances entrepreneurial opportunities. Read it here.
• A Massachusetts company has begun work on the final stages of developing and building electron-beam 3D metal printing systems for a variety of in-space, lunar, and Martian applications. The work, funded by NASA, supports the space agency’s Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and a man on the moon by 2024.
• Building a monolithic part on a large 3D printer instead of gluing together small components made on a small printer offers the user “greater flexibility,” said a source quoted in our story on large-format 3D printers. “For example, there are fewer restrictions on part orientation during the build process,” he said.

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

Large-format printers offer users greater flexibility.

Inside the next issue of TCT Magazine

In the first issue of TCT Magazine for 2021, we explore the potential role of 3D printing in agile manufacturing supply chains with insight from Essentium, 3D Systems, Xometry, and more, while Dr. Jennifer Johns examines the opportunity for AM in reshoring production in the wake of COVID-19.

We’ve also got conversations with jewelry maker Jenny Wu and Aectual co-founder Hedwig Heinsman on how additive is being applied in creative industries, and in our annual software feature, a story on entrepreneurship with newcomer Hyperganic alongside a look at how the complexities of binder jet are being addressed with advanced tools, ahead of what ExOne is declaring “the year of binder jet” technology.

Plus, our regular through-the-doors feature with a remote tour of the UK’s Digital Manufacturing Centre and an Expert Advisory Board column from industry consultant Phil Reeves on helping businesses to understand the investment case for AM.

Subscribe to receive your free print subscription and access our full digital library.

Subscribe to receive the next issue of TCT Magazine for free.

Winter issue coming soon

Now at the press, the Winter issue of 3D Metal Printing provides a recap of the technology and news coming out of Formnext 2020, as well as a survey of new metal AM software for process control, optimization, and much more.

As the cover shows, Winter 3DMP also spotlights Wabtec, which plans to produce more than 25,000 AM parts by 2025. This spring, the company will open a new AM facility at the Neighborhood 91 195-acre dedicated AM campus in Pittsburgh, PA. Take a campus tour during the 3D Metal Printing Experience and Tech Tour, June 15-16 in Pittsburgh. Visit the 3DMP website, www.3dmpmag.com, for details.

The Winter issue of 3DMP spotlights Wabtec and recaps technology and news from Formnext 2020.

3D printing moves closer to developing transplantable organs

3D printing inspires a number of intriguing futures. One of these futures involves the possibility of using this technology to heal people of various physical ailments. For some time now, the medical community has explored the use of 3D printing to make tissues, facsimiles of organs, (primarily for testing), replacement bones and bone plates, joints, and so on, and the technology continues to advance.

3D Systems, a company with decades of experience in the field of 3D printing recently announced plans to significantly expand its development efforts on regenerative medicine and bioprinting. The Figure 4 technology created by Chuck Hull will play a role in this expansion. Many of you may know that Chuck is co-founder, executive vice president, and chief technology officer of 3D Systems, as well as the founder of the 3D printing technology known as stereolithography. He joined Leslie Langnau to discuss the developments in bioprinting and 3D printing’s role.

Listen to Chuck’s thoughts here.

Chuck Hull discusses 3D bioprinting.

Out now – latest issue with in-depth AM feature articles

The January/February issue of Digital Engineering includes in-depth features on sustainable 3D printing technologies and materials, as well as a look at how AM has been used in front-line disaster response applications. You can download the issue here.

DE January/February issue.

Machine learning and AM: What does the future hold?

Generating data is only useful if we can balance the quantity of data created with the ability to turn it into usable, actionable information.

With manufacturing marching towards automation, networked communication, and robotics, AM has a unique advantage. Designed, from its inception, to enable connectivity and communication, AM machines are already producing more build data than any other manufacturing technology.

Utilized properly, this data will provide the foundation for the development of machine learning tools that can improve and industrialize nearly all points of the AM process workflow.

In the latest issue of Metal AM magazine, Chelsea Cummings and John Barnes of The Barnes Global Advisors discuss the current and future role of machine learning in AM.

Read the article in full now.

Sign up to be notified when the next issue of Metal AM goes live. Or search ‘Metal AM’ in the app store on your iOS or Android device to get the app and be notified as soon as we upload a new issue.

In this issue, current and future roles of machine learning.

ADDITIV launches new virtual event focusing on aerospace sector

The 3Dnatives team is organizing a new, 100% virtual ADDITIV international event, this time dedicated to AM in aerospace. AM brings immense benefits to the aerospace sector, including allowing for lighter, more efficient, and safer parts. Already dynamic, the field is expected to grow immensely with the aerospace AM market expect to cross $5,933.4 million by 2026, according to a ResearchDive report.

ADDITIV Aerospace will take place on March 18, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EDT and will offer expert panel discussions, workshops, and networking sessions. Participants will be able to meet the users and makers of technology related to aerospace as well as hear from the most innovative experts in the sector. The panels will cover topics ranging from AM in aviation, material development, safety and certification, and space exploration with speakers from NASA, Rolls-Royce, ArianeGroup, ESA, and more.

You can learn more on the website.

ADDITIV Aerospace is a virtual event that will take place on March 18. Register for free here.