AMUG Newsletter January 2018

President’s Report

Welcome to the new year. I hope everyone’s celebrations were exceptional.

In spite of holiday activities, the AMUG Board and our track leaders have been pretty busy. The track leaders have been working nonstop to develop probably the greatest topic-specific agenda of any of our conferences. Having reviewed the agenda, which is now available online, I want to highlight two of our features. The Innovators Showcase will put Fried Vancraen, founder and CEO of Materialise, in the spotlight. If you haven’t sat in on previous Innovators Showcases, get ready to be enlightened through an interview-style appearance that reveals insights that you won’t get anywhere else. We have also booked Dominik Rietzel of BMW as one of our keynote presenters. Join us to hear more about how he and BMW leverage additive manufacturing.

With hundreds of presentations and many hands-on workshops, it will be easy to get overwhelmed by the agenda. But we have a tool to assist you throughout the week: the new and improved AMUG Conference app.  This mobile-friendly app will be there to help guide you to everything you want to see and help you manage all that great content.

I want to thank all of our sponsors for their support. This year our Diamond Sponsors are 3D Systems, Additive Industries, BASF, Carbon, Desktop Metal, DSM Additive Manufacturing, EOS, ExOne, Formlabs, GE Additive, HP, Renishaw, SLM Solutions, and Stratasys. They will be showing off their products all week in the AMUGexpo area and will be presenters throughout the week.  Please check out our sponsor page on our website (www.amug.com/sponsors) to see the complete list of Diamond, Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze Sponsors.

AMUG Agenda Update

A preliminary 2018 AMUG Conference Agenda is now available on the AMUG website. Please be sure to visit www.amug.com for your first look at what AMUG will provide to our attendees.

You will want to arrive no later than noon on Sunday and depart no earlier than the morning of Friday, April 13, so that you don’t miss anything AMUG has to offer. It’s tempting to depart earlier, but seasoned AMUG Conference attendees will tell you that, unlike your typical conference, you will want to stay to the very end.

Here are a few of the high points that you will experience when attending the 2018 AMUG Conference.

Sunday, April 8

Sunday features the first-ever joint UL/SME Fundamentals of AM Certificate training class (for additional information and to register, please visit the UL page).  This class is an add-on to the conference and requires an additional fee. Our New Member Welcome at 4:00 pm is chock-full of information for all of our first-time attendees. At 5:00 pm, the doors open for the AMUGexpo, which features food and drink. The preliminary agenda includes a floor plan of the AMUGexpo so that you can start planning your Sunday night visits.

Monday, April 9 through Thursday, April 12

Following a full day of conference sessions, the AMUGexpo’s second (and last) night will be on Monday.

Throughout the week, you are in for some serious learning. We have 14 Diamond and 20 Platinum Sponsors that will be holding everything from panel discussions to hands-on training to workshops that will run through Thursday evening. These sponsor sessions are complements to the presentations and workshops that fill the four-day AMUG Conference program.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are capped off with great food, plenty of beverages and great socializing. The Tuesday-night gathering is definitely a highlight. It is our annual Awards Banquet, which allocates some time to recognize excellence while giving you plenty of time for entertainment, networking and good conversation.

One example of our hands-on workshops engages attendees in simulation to avoid typical casting defects such as air entrapment, shrinkage porosity, cold shuts and mold degradation. On Monday, from 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm, Ravi Kunju of Altair will lead the workshop on the company’s Click2Cast Model Solidification software. If interested, you will need to bring your laptop loaded with a free trial of the software and optionally a few STLs of metal castings. Before arriving at the conference, please go to www.solidthinking.com/click2cast_land.html and select “Request Trial” to download the software.

Plan Your Week

We will be releasing an Online Planner and a Mobile App that are sure to be a hit in coordinating your AMUG adventure. The AMUG Online Planner will be available in late January, and the AMUG Mobile App will launch one month prior to the conference.

Awards Banquet

For the first-timers, and a reminder to AMUG veterans, please note that the Tuesday night Awards Banquet can be indoors, outdoors, or both. Since we keep the venue a secret (you won’t know where we are going until you get there), you will need to dress for all conditions. We recommend checking the St. Louis weather forecast and packing accordingly. Also, pack for comfort—this is a night of entertainment, not a fashion show or semi-formal business gathering.

Museum of Science and Industry was the site of the 2017 Awards Banquet.

Hotel Reservations

Book a Friday Checkout

Your AMUG Conference Program concludes Thursday, April 12, at 5:00 pm. But the activities continue through the evening with our second annual Family dinner (from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm). If you treat the AMUG Conference like any other—returning home the last day of the event—you will be missing out. So make your reservations with a Friday checkout.

If you already have a reservation, but it is scheduled for an earlier checkout, reconsider that plan and adjust your stay.

St. Louis Union Station

Our primary hotel and conference venue, St. Louis Union Station, is now sold out. Those that have yet to make a reservation will need to book a room at our backup hotel, Hilton at the Ballpark. But don’t delay, we are confident that this hotel will also sell out soon.

If you have questions or issues, please contact Tom Sorovetz, event manager, at EventManager@amug.com.

Conference Registration

Registration is trending higher than last year, and there is potential to reach maximum attendance this year, so register early to avoid a sold-out disappointment! Attendees that have registered so far represent a wide variety of industries, including education, consumer goods, healthcare, automotive and aerospace. The wide range of industries shows the diversity of applications to which additive manufacturing technologies can be applied.

If you plan on attending the conference in any capacity (speaker, exhibitor, sponsor, attendee), you’ll need to register. If you haven’t done so already, register soon. The early registration discount has expired, so the attendee fee is now $995 through March 10 (which is still a great value since AMUG spends more than that to make the week-long event informative, enjoyable and memorable).

While registering, you’ll be asked if you want to participate in the golf outing on Saturday, April 7, or skeet shooting on Sunday, April 8. It’s a great chance to network and enjoy St. Louis. If you’re interested in attending either of these activities and have already registered, you can log back into your registration account and update your registration accordingly. The price for each is $125.00 per person.

Your attendee registration includes all the meals for the week. However, if you’re bringing a guest that would like to dine with you, add extra lunches or the Awards Banquet to your registration for $30.00 per lunch per day and $125.00 for the Tuesday night Awards banquet. Those that add these options will receive special tickets when checking in at the registration desk for badge pickup. Make sure your guest brings these tickets to those functions.

We’re getting excited, and hope you are too! See you soon.

Transportation

Air

You will be flying into St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), which is 20 to 30 minutes from the conference site.

Our official airlines, Delta and its Sky Team partners, are offering discounted airfare from anywhere in the world (both domestic and international flights). To get access to the airfare discount, you will need to use this link. If your organization has its own travel department, please forward this link so that you can benefit from the discount.

Ground

For transportation between the airport and the conference hotels, AMUG has negotiated a discounted rate for shuttle services with GO BEST Express. The rate is $17.00 each way (excluding tip), but it is only available when you make a reservation with this link.

If you have travel-related questions or issues, please contact Tom Sorovetz, event manager, at EventManager@amug.com.

Sponsorship Status & Exhibitor Manual

We would like to thank all of our amazing sponsors for the support of the 2018 AMUG Conference! It is really shaping up to be an astounding year in St. Louis. We wish we had more space available to bring in all of the great exhibitors that have shown interest. However, unless we have cancellations, we are now only able to offer the Silver and Bronze Sponsorship packages to new registrants. The details of this can be found on our website at www.amug.com/sponsorship-opportunities.

We are also looking forward to helping all of our sponsors utilize the online exhibitor manual. This should be an excellent tool that simplifies all of the details needed for exhibiting. We look forward to it simplifying everything from set-up to move-out for all of our sponsors. Understanding it will be another first for the conference, your VPs (VicePresident@amug.com) are ready to help you take advantage of this new benefit.

GE Additive Opens Its First International Customer Experience Center in Munich

2,700 square meters, 10 machines (EBM/DMLM) and an investment of $15 million—the new Customer Experience Center in Munich is a state-of-the-art facility and designed to help customers understand the additive process, regardless of where they are on their additive journey:

• AddWorks – Collaboration with GE’s additive experts on product identification, design, material selection and on additive facility setup
• Prototypes & low rate initial production – Build prototypes or multiple parts and develop operations processes
• Additive Academy – Training from the GE team of additive experts in all aspects of additive manufacturing
• Spare parts and powder – Access to GE’s team who can provide field service knowledge, spares and operational support to customers

For more details, visit www.ge.com/additive.

Ribbon cutting at the new, state-of-the-art Customer Experience Center in Munich.

ExOne: Continuing to Grow in 2018

2017 was a year of exciting developments and growth at ExOne. We expanded our material offers through our production center, opened ExOne Adoption Centers (EAC) to facilitate service and education for our sand customers, and continued our growing R&D efforts to prepare for future releases. 2018 will continue our momentum of growth. Look for releases of new material offerings and system improvements.

Come visit us at our upcoming tradeshows!

• Shot Show: January 23-26, Las Vegas, NV – Booth 52117
• AFS Wisconsin: February 14-16, Milwaukee, WI – Booth 418
• MIM International: March 5-7, Irvine, CA
• Metal Casting Congress: April 3-4, Fort Worth, TX – Booth 703
• And of course, AMUG! Booth D6

To contact us to learn more about our systems and services, go to www.exone.com/Contact-Us.

A new ExOne Adoption Centers (EAC) that facilitate service and education.

Moving Metal Additive Manufacturing from Prototype Manufacture to Commercial Production

Technology from Renishaw is helping HiETA to move metal additive manufacturing (AM) from prototype manufacture into commercial production of its specialist range of heat exchangers. In particular, the recent addition of Renishaw’s RenAM 500M system at the company has enabled manufacturing times, and therefore production costs, to be reduced dramatically.

The RenAM 500M is a laser powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing system designed specifically for the production of metal components on the factory floor. As well as incorporating a powerful 500 W laser to give faster processing than earlier models, the 500M features an automated powder handling system that enables more consistent process quality and reduced operator time on the machine.

Read the case study and watch the video here.

Cuboid heat exchanger (recuperator) to be used as a range- extender for electric vehicles, discussed in the case study.

KALLISTA Uses 3D Systems’ Metal Printing for Final Production of Luxury Faucet

KALLISTA, a leading designer and provider of luxury kitchen and bath products, recently unveiled the Grid™ sink faucet, whose minimalist design includes discreet interior channels to allow water to flow through the base. This innovative faucet was produced by 3^rd Dimension using 3D Systems’ ProX^® DMP 320 metal 3D printer and LaserForm^® 316L, a high-quality stainless steel 316 powder material.

“By choosing to produce this faucet via 3D printing, we opened ourselves to limitless design possibilities,” said Bill McKeone, design studio manager, KALLISTA. “3D Systems’ breadth of materials and technologies allowed us the freedom to create a unique, functional faucet which would not have been possible with a traditional manufacturing process.”

Watch 3D Systems’ video with KALLISTA or explore the 3D Systems website for more information.

KALLISTA’s innovative faucet leverages 3D printing capabilities.

Incase and Carbon Join Forces to Revolutionize the Future of Device Protection

Incase, creator of design-driven solutions centered on protection and mobility, and Carbon announced a global, multi-year partnership. Incase will leverage Carbon’s innovative 3D manufacturing process to fundamentally change the material composition and development of protective solutions for mobile devices. Together, Incase and Carbon will deliver the industry’s first 3D-manufactured protective mobile solutions designed with complex structures in new elastomers at scale.

Key aspects of this partnership include Incase utilizing Carbon’s robust M2 printer and Digital Light Synthesis™ (DLS) technology to create complex latticing structures, access to a wide range of programmable materials to customize durability, and usage of Carbon’s algorithmic design and simulation software to inform and drive Incase’s end-to-end design process.

The terms of the multi-year partnership will provide Incase with access to 20 M2 Carbon printers and the exclusive right to co-brand Carbon-printed protective mobile solutions with the Carbon name.

Learn more here.

 Incase and Carbon partner for production of protective solutions for mobile devices.

EOS Helps i3D Scale Metal Printing Capacity

Integrated 3D Manufacturing (i3D) has expanded its metal additive manufacturing (AM) production capabilities, acquiring an EOS M 400-4. Continuing its investment in EOS technology, i3D’s stable of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) machines now stands at seven, including an EOS M 280 and five EOS M 290s. i3D is the first AM service provider in western North America to purchase the high-throughput EOS M 400-4, enabling the organization to meet market demand and bring large-frame metal 3D printing capabilities to complement their existing technology.

“3D metal printing is no longer future technology, it is now, and our customers are moving at a rapid pace to take advantage of what true AM brings,” said Erin Stone, CEO of i3D.

Read the full press release here.

The i3D team and their new
EOS M 400-4.

BASF 3D Printing Solutions at 2018 Auto Show in Detroit

BASF is hosting OEMs in its Technology and Innovation Suite at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS). As the biggest chemical supplier to the automotive industry, we’ll be showcasing a variety of 3D-printed parts targeting automotive applications ranging from TPU to PA/CF, leveraging different AM technologies.

As we align our industry focus with customers’ needs, we continue our commitment to contributing materials and engineering solutions to be part of and help progress the new digital world of manufacturing.

The possibilities are endless, and the future looks bright for BASF’s innovation efforts in 3D-printing. Help us create the unexpected.

To learn more, please contact us at 3d-printing@basf.com.

BASF 3D-printed brake fluid container for Daimler (click image for video).

Formlabs Announces Grey Pro and Rigid Resins for Engineering

At CES 2018, Formlabs announced two new Engineering Resins, expanding your options for 3D printing functional prototypes and low-volume production runs on the Form 2 desktop stereolithography 3D printer.

Grey Pro Resin is a versatile prototyping material, suited for functional parts and rigorous testing. Rigid Resin, our first glass-reinforced material, offers very high stiffness and a polished finish, and it is great for precise printing of strong, thin features.

With the constant development of versatile, advanced materials, Formlabs is pushing the limits of our 3D printers as well as what additive manufacturing is capable of across the industry.

Formlabs’ library of Engineering Resins for the Form 2 has grown to include six materials: Grey Pro, Rigid, Durable, Tough, Flexible, and High Temp.

Desktop Metal Awarded Seminal Separable Supports Patents for Its Metal 3d Printing Technology

Desktop Metal, the company committed to bringing metal 3D printing to engineers and manufacturers, announced it has been granted seminal patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for its inventions in interface layer technology for both its Studio System™, the first office-friendly metal 3D printing system for rapid prototyping, and Production System™, the only 3D printing system for mass production of high-resolution parts.

Desktop Metal has exclusive rights to the patented technologies and adds these to its existing portfolio of over a hundred pending patent applications covering more than two hundred inventions.

“As a company driven by invention, we are committed to both innovating and protecting our technology through strategic intellectual property achievements,” said Jonah Myerberg, chief technology officer and co-founder of Desktop Metal.  “The technological innovation in these patents enables users, for the first time, to print large metal parts with complex geometries that can be easily removed from their support structures by hand or to print metal objects with separable interlocking structures.”

Separable Supports, an industry first, enable printing of parts through metal sintering and the removal of metal support structures, like this ULA bracket, by hand.

MetalFAB1™ Entry Level System

The MetalFAB1 Process & Application Development Tool is designed specifically for materials evaluation, process and application development, and prototyping. Its compact footprint and competitive price point allow users to migrate to a large platform metal additive manufacturing system before scaling up to series production.

The Process & Application Development Tool is Additive Industries’ latest addition to the MetalFAB1 range of machines where the modular architecture provides an upgrade path to a fully configured robotic MetalFAB1 system later, while maintaining the large 420 mm X 420 mm X 400 mm build volume. The four full-field lasers in the MetalFAB1 system ensure the highest scanning flexibility and quality in metal powder bed fusion. Besides the basic 3D printing process, additional modules for post processing and automated handling can be integrated to extend the solution to a full industrial production system.

MetalFAB1™ entry-level system.

Smarter and Easier Prototyping on the Stratasys F123 Series

The Stratasys F123 Series family of professional rapid prototyping printers is easy to operate and maintain for all levels of experience while delivering consistent, quality parts every time. It’s adept at every rapid prototyping stage, from concept verification to design validation to functional performance.

3D printing is a mainstay of rapid prototyping, but finding a powerful, dependable, easy-to-use solution can be a challenge. Enter the Stratasys F123 Series: the easiest, most reliable prototyping platform available, designed for the way you work.

Watch the video to see how the Stratasys F123 Series 3D Printers make rapid prototyping easier, faster and smarter.

Reserve an F123 Today.

Stratasys F123 Series 3D Printers make rapid prototyping easier, faster and smarter.

Ringing in the New Year with DSM Additive Manufacturing

“Somos® has provided us with a deep understanding of the additive manufacturing space. DSM will continue to introduce major innovations in stereolithography (SLA) and DLP materials while growing in the Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) technology with the Novamid® polyamide and Arnitel® thermoplastic elastomers. We will also explore new and emerging technologies in AM as they graduate from research, to provide you the industry’s broadest solutions portfolio. We look forward to partnering with you to develop solutions for the future of manufacturing.” – Hugo da Silva, VP of additive manufacturing-3D printing for DSM.

Follow DSM Additive Manufacturing on LinkedIn for the latest updates.

Hugo da Silva, VP of additive manufacturing-3D printing for DSM.

TCT has got AMUG Covered

We are just weeks into 2018, and work on the first two issues of TCT Magazine is well underway. In our North American edition magazine, that means looking ahead to this year’s Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference in our annual AMUG Preview.

AMUG always guarantees great conversations with real users of AM technologies – from the people who invented them to the engineers using them day in and day out—and that’s exactly what we’re on the lookout for again this year. So, to be included in our AMUG feature, drop us an email about any interesting applications or new products you’re bringing to this year’s event and don’t forget to subscribe to receive your free copy by mail.

3D Printing Predictions for 2018: Industry Leaders Weigh In

To better understand the changing world of additive manufacturing, Engineering.com reached out to a number of experts in the field. Representatives of HP, 3D Systems, Stratasys, Materialise and more weighed in on some of the big trends they see shaping the industry over the next year and beyond.

Read their insights in the full story.

Automation is just one of many predictions for 2018.

3D in 360° – Showcasing Advanced 3D Technology from Every Perspective

Registration is now open for RAPID + TCT 2018, an influential additive manufacturing event that showcases product innovations and offers collaborative learning opportunities to ultimately accelerate the adoption and advancement of the technology. The event will be held April 23-26, 2018, in Fort Worth, TX.

RAPID + TCT provides attendees with hands-on exhibits, groundbreaking product announcements, education from the industry’s most respected experts, and several networking activities.

At the RAPID + TCT conference, attendees have the opportunity to hear additive manufacturing industry leaders speak on the latest processes, applications, materials, and research. Over 200 speakers will go beyond the hype to discuss real-world solutions to revolutionize product designs, cut costs, reduce time to market, produce stronger and lighter parts, and more.

Register for RAPID + TCT 2018.

Predictions for 2018

Happy New Year to all AMUG newsletter readers. At 3D Printing Industry (3DPI), we ended our 5th year reporting on the industry with over 13 million page views, a remarkable number.

The year got underway on 3DPI as 30 CEOs, CTOs and other additive manufacturing leaders gave us predictions for 2018. We also looked at patent data showing AM was the one of the fastest growing technologies of 2017.

Who took the number one spot? Read 3DPI to find out!

3DPI’s formnext 2017 opening night party hosted by 3YOURMIND, TÜV SÜD, DyeMansion and 3D Printing Industry. (Photo by Michael Petch)

How HP Inc. Sees the Transformation of Manufacturing with 3D Printing

In a recent webinar with Design World at WTWH Media, presenter Dr. Stephen Rudisill, R&D scientist with HP Inc. 3D materials, discussed HP’s decision to enter the 3D printing industry and potentially transform manufacturing.

Noted Rudisill, during the time prior to the Industrial Revolution, while individuals had maximum control over the making of an item, there were limitations, such as the length of time it took to produce items and the effort required.

With mass manufacturing, the tooling has become more advanced. It’s easier to produce things, and there’s been innovation around the creation of things, whether it’s presses or looms, and so on. Production has become faster and better but there are still many design constraints.

Read the full story here.

New article on HP’s view on manufacturing transformation.

Latest Issue: How Machine Learning Enables AM

Compared to conventional manufacturing, additive lacks the years—even centuries—of the kind of knowledge-building that makes machining, casting or molding predictable. And it’s not just age; AM also has a greater number of variables affecting outcomes.

The diversity of variables and difficulty mastering them through trial-and-error alone makes AM a match for another emerging technology: machine learning, or the application of advanced computing to identify patterns in data. It is already clear that machine learning will accelerate AM’s advance.

The latest issue of Additive Manufacturing focuses on machine learning. Staff-written articles explore how machine learning is developing a predictive model of AM process parameters; identifying metal powders for AM; and building a library of AM parameters within GE’s Predix Cloud. Read the digital edition.

Our Free Guide to 2018 Workstation Technology

You might be ready for the new year, but is your creaking old computer ready for everything about to be hurled at it?

Find out which workstation, laptop, GPU and more will suit your workflow with 36 pages of expert advice and reviews. Get it free in the Winter edition of DEVELOP3D.