AMUG February 2023

President’s report

AMUG Members,

Please take special note; International Procrastination Day has been postponed until tomorrow!

Why do I mention this? It’s because we are all, by nature, procrastinators by putting things off for one reason or another. For my personal self-improvement in this area, I am writing this article a week before it is due! Please join me in ‘breaking the cycle’ by not waiting until the last minute.

Below is your checklist for the 2023 AMUG Conference registration, lodging, pre-conference activities, and onsite events.

___ Attendee Registration

You have just a couple of days to register at our standard rate of $1,495. After February 17, the price increases. We offer an early-bird rate (that ended January 6) as an incentive so that we can forecast our attendee numbers. Our standard rate (now in effect) allows us to plan and lock down our cost 4 weeks before the conference. And the late fee reflects the burden of adding the unplanned expense of meals, activities, staffing, etc.

___ Hotel Reservation

We have excellent negotiated rates at 2 hotel properties. We also want our members and exhibitors to be aware of a Hotel Scam Alert (scammers posing as an official hotel or AMUG representatives). Get the best rate and avoid scammers by making reservations through the AMUG links (click here).

___ ASTM Pre-conference Course

ASTM is offering supplementary conference training and certification on “Establishing an Additive Manufacturing Facility for Critical Part Production.” This course has an attendance cap, and it requires a separate registration. Save $150 by registering before February 18.

___ Offsite Pre-conference Tours

Before the conference begins, take the opportunity to tour DMG MORI or Impossible Objects. While there is no cost and transportation will be provided, you need to register for this separately as there are limits on the number of people that can attend.

___ AMUG Golf Outing

For those interested in a pre-conference leisure activity, we are considering adding a Topgolf outing on Saturday, March 18. If you are interested, please contact Tom Sorovetz, director of hospitality and event, at EventManager@amug.com. If interest isn’t high enough, It may be canceled.

___ Technical Competition

Always a highlight of the AMUGexpo, the Technical Competition is where you can see what your fellow users are capable of producing. Competition winners receive a free pass to next year’s conference. But to enter, you need to submit by March 8. Even if you are unsure that your project will be ready for the competition, go ahead and submit an entry. It is easier to withdraw from the competition than to enter late.

Don’t put off taking action for another day! I will see you at the 2023 AMUG Conference.

Mark Abshire
President
President@amug.com

Conference and agenda highlights

The agenda for the AMUG Conference is coming together, and the tireless efforts of our dedicated volunteer board and committee members are about to pay off.

The event officially begins on Sunday, March 19,  with the New Member Welcome and the opening night of the AMUGexpo. The main stage programs, beginning at 8:00 am Monday and continuing through Thursday, will feature exciting content from our two keynote speakers, a fireside chat with the recipient of this year’s Innovators Award, an International Report, and highlights from the AMUG Scholarship and Technical Competition winners. Also, don’t miss Tuesday’s session highlighting 25 years of the AMUG DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator) Award.

The conference tracks will offer user-led panel discussions, presentations, and once again, an increased emphasis on hands-on workshops. After the afternoon sessions, attendees can continue their learning experience through engaging conversations and networking opportunities during our evening dinner events.

Additionally, AMUG is offering three pre-conference activities for early attendees. Sign up for one of our offsite tours at DMG MORI and Impossible Objects. DMG MORI Chicago has again extended an invitation to AMUG attendees to visit its facility in Hoffman Estates. Impossible Objects is offering tours of its factory floor in Northbrook. Round-trip transportation from the Hilton Chicago to each tour location will be provided, but registration for a tour is required (separate from conference registration). You can find more information and registration links for the tours on our website.

If you’re interested in professional development, ASTM will conduct its two-day certificate course “Establishing an AM Facility for Critical Part Production using PBF-LB/M” (Powder Bed Fusion using a laser-based system with metal). This course requires separate registration from the AMUG Conference, and participation is at an additional cost. For more details and the registration link, click here.

We are also considering the possibility of hosting a networking event at Topgolf. If you are interested in participating in a pre-conference Topgolf experience, please reach out to Tom Sorovetz by February 22 (EventManager@amug.com) so that we can gather an accurate headcount for a reserved space at the complex.

Last Call!  Now is the time to enter the AMUG Technical Competition!

“If this is your first AMUG or your 20^th … join the competition and show off your talents.  You’ll meet lots of people with similar ideas, interests, and experiences.  Win or not, you will get a lot out of entering the competition.  Bring on your best effort!  You’ll be glad you did,” advice from Bruce LeMaster, a past Technical Competition judge.

It’s not just about winning an award.  This competition highlights a wide range of impressive projects that can only be solved with AM, but the benefits are beyond the awards.  Just by entering, many past participants have shared how much they have learned from others, how they made so many new connections, and that this was a chance to celebrate their team’s accomplishments.  You just need to enter.

The time is now.  The deadline is March 8.  Details avaialble on the Technical Competition page.

AMUG Conference presentation tracks

For AMUG 2023 presentations and workshops, below are some facts and figures.

62 presentations/panels planned.

13 workshops – 8 will be on Thursday afternoon as part of the ‘drop-in, hands-on’ Workshops on Thursday. DO NOT leave the conference early. Thursday will be the heaviest day in regard to presentations, panels, and workshops!

New track category: healthcare.  The healthcare track will be split with sessions dedicated to dental (a first for AMUG) and medical.

And here are two highlights featured in recent social media posts with words from Ed Graham, track leader chair:

“You can learn a lot when you roll up your sleeves and get hands-on with technologies, processes, and concepts. So stick around for the Workshops on Thursday during #AMUG2023. Most conferences charge a lot of money for these types of experiences, but it’s FREE to AMUG attendees with a full conference pass.”

Hands-on sessions include a “Beyond Adhesives” workshop where you can learn how to assemble 3D-printed plastic parts with various techniques, “Foundry in a Box” where you will be able to cast metal parts, and “Advanced Urethane Castings” using 3D-printed molds and more!

View the preliminary agenda here.

Hilton Chicago: act now

If you have not booked a room at the Hilton Chicago for AMUG 2023, please make your reservation now to secure the $154.00 AMUG rate. On February 18, the AMUG room block is released to the general population at the higher ‘rack rate’. While you may be able to secure a room at the AMUG rate using the reservation link, room availability will decline as non-AMUG reservations pour in.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to the Director of Hospitality and Event at EventManager@amug.com.

First AMUG Conference? Read this.

Hello new members/first-time attendees. I’m sure you are excited and filled with anticipation as to what to expect when you arrive at AMUG 2023. The first point of order is to attend the New Member Welcome Meeting on Sunday, March 19, at 3:00 pm in the Grand Ballroom. From that moment on, your days and nights will be jam-packed with workshops, breakout sessions, the AMUGexpo, and tons of networking.

Your networking session begins during the new member meeting, where you will have the opportunity to meet DINOs (Distinguished INnovator Operator). DINOs, AMUG members with rich histories and deep AM knowledge, will be at the new member meeting to jumpstart your networking.

Time flies, so this is a great time to download the preliminary agenda, and be on the lookout for the Mobile App, which should be released by the end of this month. If you’re anything like me, you will have more sessions you want to attend than what time allows.

I can’t wait to see you at the meeting. As always, if you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at newmember@amug.com.

Travel safe and be ready for one heck of a week!

Derek Ellis
New Member Committee Chair
NewMember@amug.com

AMUG 2023 scholarships receive high volume of submissions

We are glad to report a very high level of applications for the Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship and the Randy Stevens Scholarship. The scholarship committee and the sponsorship team are busy evaluating the submissions and will select the winners within a couple of weeks.

Our goal is to notify the winners in the third week of February and publicly announce them by the end of the month.

Those selected for the scholarships receive expense-covered access to the AMUG Conference. The opportunity to attend the AMUG Conference, where the scholarship recipients are immersed in the AM community, is invaluable. All our past winners have reinforced this value. Many, such as Sean Dobson, John Sorvillo, and Kate Schneidau, have become integral parts of AMUG and AM communities through continued participation and support of others.

AMUG and the sponsors sincerely thank the academic AM community for its interest in these scholarships. We genuinely appreciate this mutually rewarding collaboration.

For those who could not meet the deadline for 2023, we encourage you to submit an application when the submission window reopens for 2024.

Step back into 1893 at AMUG 2023

Last year, the Wednesday night dinner/festivities had a 1920s theme that was a huge success. So we are once again encouraging AMUG 2023 attendees to pack the right garb for the evening of March 22. This time, the theme will be “1893 Chicago World’s Fair—Steampunk Style.”

To provide attendees with a fun, memorable evening, we are incorporating ‘steampunk’ into the dress style. If you aren’t familiar with steampunk, it is a melding of Victorian and industrial styles. Need a bit more inspiration? Check out shows and movies like The Wild Wild West, Wild West, Doctor Who, or Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

We can’t wait to see what you come up with!

AMUG hotel during SME’s RAPID+TCT

AMUG has made the Hilton Chicago its designated hotel for SME’s 2023 RAPID+TCT event.  Head to the hotel reservations page (use this link, not the one for the hotel during the AMUG Conference), where you can book a room at this Hilton hotel.  The rate is $226.00 (+tax) per night.

For those who will be staying at the Hilton Chicago (and booked a room using the AMUG link) and attended AMUG 2023, there will be a reception at the 720 S. Bar inside the Hilton Chicago on Wednesday, May 3, 2023, from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. Sponsored by AMUG, SME, and Hilton Chicago, you will enjoy free food and beverage and the company of your AMUG friends. 

The requirements to enter the reception are that you used the link to book your stay at the Hilton Chicago, you have a hotel room at the Hilton Chicago Wednesday night, and you bring your 2023 AMUG Conference badge to the reception for verification.  If you have any questions, please contact Thomas Sorovetz, director of event and hospitality, at EventManager@amug.com.

SPONSOR NEWS

Alstom 3D prints production parts for railcars in resin

Alstom is one of the four largest rail manufacturers in the world. With rail cars and locomotives on all six inhabited continents (no trains in Antarctica yet), they have a lot of rolling stock. Maintaining that equipment for their customers is no small task, and when equipment fails, customers need replacements as quickly as possible. Enter their newest ultrafast 3D printers from Nexa3D.

Read the story.

Sierra Space implemented Stratasys 3D printed tooling to build a reusable commercial spacecraft

Sierra Space builds the Dream Chaser spaceplane, which requires a thermal protection system (TPS) on the outside of the spacecraft that is comprised of 2000 heat-resistant tiles. The tiles are adhered to the skin of the Dream Chaser using “chucks” – tools that position the tiles and verify a proper bond during testing. Manufacturing the chucks traditionally involved casting them from resin.

“We have to produce these chucks for basically every tile; we have thousands of them on this vehicle. In the analysis we did, it very quickly built a case for using 3D printing to do these chucks. We’re looking at tens of thousands of hours saved. In fact, the labor savings alone essentially paid for the acquisition of the printer, a Stratasys F900™,” said Bob Gjestvang, lead TPS Manufacturing engineer at Sierra Space

Read more.

3, 2, 1… Meltio is just a few weeks away from presenting at AMUG 2023

How our unique metal 3D printing solutions boost productivity in the industry

Meltio is proud to participate as a Diamond Sponsor for the second consecutive year in an AMUG Conference.

We continue to innovate and will take the opportunity to explain in more detail our unique wire-laser metal 3D printing technology and how we help industries—automotive, aerospace, oil & gas, mining, and others— around the world to manufacture metal parts by reducing costs, increasing productivity, and manufacturing locally.

During AMUG 2023, Meltio will participate in 4 panels with the head of R&D, Lukas Hoppe, applications manager, Giorgio Olivieri, and the head of sales & marketing, Gerard García.

The topics will be:

• Mold making with DED and dual wire.
• Wire-laser metal 3D printing for machine shop.
• Opening new DED horizons through dedicated tool path generation.
• “DED parameters development: combining mechanical properties with surface finish”

To learn more prior to AMUG 2023, visit our website.

Take your career to the next level with ADDiTEC

ADDiTEC, a metal AM solutions provider located on Florida’s Treasure Coast, has exciting opportunities for the right individuals to join our growing team. ADDiTEC was founded in 2015 and developed ground-up multi-laser DED technology currently utilized by Meltio, a joint venture of ADDiTEC. We engineer and offer turnkey metal AM robotic systems as well as R&D services. For the last eight years, we have proudly supported our customers in the aerospace, automotive, research, and government sectors.

We’re hiring passionate individuals for the following positions:

• Field Service Engineer
• AM Sales Manager
• AM Robotics Application Engineer
• Product & Graphics Designer

Apply here.

Formlabs at AMUG: Making end-use production a reality

After a big start to 2023, Formlabs is excited to get together with the best and brightest of the AM industry at AMUG 2023 and talk about all things 3D printing. We launched our Automation Ecosystem in January at CES, and we’ll have the Form Autos running in our booth for anyone who wants to see how truly hands-off 3D printing production works.

Along with showing the new machine in action, we’ll be hosting workshops and discussions about mass customization, end-use 3D printing, and post-processing techniques that help turn printed parts into end-use all-stars. If you’re looking to improve the temperature resistance, mechanical strength, durability, chemical stability, or surface finish of your 3D printed parts, our workshop on Cerakote, Electroplating, and Vibratory Tumbling is your one-stop shop. We can’t wait to see you at Booth D14!

Dyndrite showcases first end-user app for LPBF Materials & Process Development

Empowers Aconity, SLM, EOS, and Renishaw Users at AMUG 2023

Join Dyndrite in booth D3 and join our talks at AMUG 2023,

Presentation: “Aconity, SLM, EOS, and Renishaw Users, Accelerating Materials and Process Development,” with Dyndrite CEO Harshil Goel. Find out how to advance development in LPBF machines. Improve control, print intricate models, and increase build rate. Monday, March 20, 3:00 pm, Williford A (3rd floor), and Wednesday, March 22, 4:30 pm, Astoria (3rd floor).

Education: “Aconity, SLM, EOS, and Renishaw Users, Accelerating Materials and Process Development,” led by Dyndrite head of product development, Steve Walton. Sessions are for material and process development professionals who want more control over the LPBF process. Part 1 shows how Dyndrite tools add flexibility to your LPBF machines. Tuesday, March 21, 1:30–2:30 pm, Room PDR2. Part 2 demonstrates how to develop toolpaths down to the hatch vector. Thursday, March 23, 1:30 pm, Williford C (3rd floor).

Get your questions answered by the pros

AMUG is an amazing community of experts that is always looking to push the limits of design and technology. We all learn so much from the wonderful presentations and get a chance to troubleshoot our projects with others.

The team at GoEngineer has developed a community page where you can discover tips & tricks along with sourcing expert advice on issues you may be facing with your equipment, project, or software.

We invite you to join the conversation by registering for free at GoEngineer Community Forums.

MEDIA SPONSOR NEWS

Latest issue explores the rise of wire-based DED with WAAM3D’s Dr. Filomeno Martina

Most people associate the advantages of metal AM with complex, small- to medium-sized parts, but wire-based Directed Energy Deposition (DED) makes it possible to achieve geometric complexity on a huge scale. While its uptake by industry has not come close to the more widely known metal AM processes, the technology has advanced dramatically over recent years and promises major advantages in a volatile manufacturing landscape.

Hear more from DED expert Dr. Filomeno Martina, CEO and co-founder of WAAM3D, in Metal AM magazine, Winter 2022.

Attending AMUG 2023 next month? Collect your complimentary print copy of Metal AM for this and more deep insights.

Won’t be at AMUG 2023? No problem—download the digital edition.

Keep yourself informed on the latest advancements in metal AM. Get our twice-weekly news updates and quarterly issue releases packed with insight from the heart of the industry, delivered directly to your inbox. Join our mailing list today.

Exclusive subscriber-only 3D printing insights inside TCT

It’s not often we get to make people the focus of our cover stories, but for the latest issue of TCT, we decided to do something different. For subscribers of our print magazine, you’ll find our five TCT Women in 3D Printing Innovator Award finalists: Prof. Kate Black, Alba Gonzalez Alvarez, Ph.D., Beth Ripley, Jessica Drazba, and Parastoo Jamshidi. We also have insights from our recent panel session at #TIPE2023.

There’s also a fascinating long-form piece from Sam Davies, editor, about how 3D printing was used to create the puppets in the latest Guillermo Del Toro Netflix stop-motion animation movie, “Pinocchio.”

All this plus state-of-the-industry reports, software insights, creative applications, a Q&A with AMUG President Mark Abshire, and more.

This content is available exclusively to print subscribers of TCT Magazine. Get your free copy here.

Heat treatment to improve patient-specific implants manufactured using metal AM

The article discusses innovative heat treatment used by researchers at IISC to transform martensitic microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V into a bimodal microstructure. The manufacturing method was SLM, which was followed by innovative heat treatment. The results indicated improvements in ductility and performance comparable to conventionally manufactured medical devices.

Read the full story.

3Druck.com / 3Printr.com, your AMUG Media Sponsor for the European market

With a singular focus on AM, our readership consists of a highly specialized and targeted niche of individuals across all industrial sectors in Europe.

To enhance your media presence in Europe, we invite you to set up an appointment with our co-founder, Dr Johannes Gartner, at AMUG to explore potential strategic and mutually beneficial collaboration opportunities.

Request an appointment online.

The January/February edition of 3D ADEPT is out

Whether it’s the beginning, middle, or end of the year, talking about funding is a timeless topic, and in this first issue of 3D ADEPT Mag for 2023, we devote some time to it and offer solutions for two categories of people: those who are in a bootstrapping model and those who are constantly looking for funds.

Moreover, although money can remake the world (of AM) to some extent, it is still considered to be wasted without solid concepts and viable technologies. That’s the reason why this issue of 3D ADEPT Mag breaks the stereotypes, maps out the current reality, and identifies the areas of improvement for these technologies that are often described as miracle solutions to engineering problems. This issue discusses metal (and multi-laser) AM, ceramic AM, artificial intelligence, infiltration and coating processes, and high-performance materials—all with a focus on the automotive and aerospace industries.

Read the interactive digital mag for those stories and more.

3dpbm Automotive AM Focus 2023 eBook

3dpbm’s AM Focus eBook series is back for 2023, and the latest edition is dedicated to automotive AM. Widespread additive production for mass-market automotive remains a long-term goal. However, the use of AM in the automotive segment is booming for prototyping and tooling, with some exciting production use cases already underway.

In this issue, we present an analysis of the largest vertical AM users in the automotive industry, from BMW to Ford, along with a map of several key AM companies that are leaders in targeting the automotive segment. In particular, we feature exclusive stories about OECHSLER and CRP Technology’s Windform. We also bring you a full report on the AM applications that have emerged from every F1 team during the 2022 Formula 1 season. Topping it all off, an exclusive one-to-one with GM additive specialist Brennon White about the Cadillac CELESTIQ and the integration of over 100 3D printed components

Download the full ebook or read it online absolutely free; no registration is required. 3dpbm’s AM Focus 2023 Automotive eBook.

Re-engineering the supply chain

The January/February edition of Digital Engineering focuses on new approaches to improving the global supply chain, including articles on leveraging simulation to improve 3D printing processes, the role of on-demand manufacturing providers, and how AM and digital manufacturing tools can help drive reshoring efforts.

You can download the issue here.