AMUG Newsletter July 2019

President’s Report

Back in October, AMUG announced a restructuring plan that would offer members more options in the way they choose to support the efforts of the organization and allow AMUG to reach its full growth potential. Well, that didn’t transpire, mostly due to the time pressures from the runup to the 2019 conference. But it is for the best since we have received wise advice from those that have experience with strong non-profit operations.

We will still be restructuring the board, officers, and committees, and we will still be working towards the same goals (growth with the available resources and easy paths for members to assist). However, the fundamental structure will be quite different—so different that it will require a member vote to approve changes to our bylaws. With a goal of opening AMUG leadership positions to more members, the changes seek to minimize the time that is demanded for individual positions (no more having to take on a second, nearly full-time job to be part of the leadership team). There are still details to be worked out, but we hope to have them completed in a few weeks’ time.

While all of this work is transpiring, we have also started to work on the 2020 conference. To all that have offered their assistance for the event, and for non-event-related AMUG activities, thank you. Once the new plan is in place, we will be reaching out to you.

Information on the 2020 AMUG Conference will be coming out over the next few months. One date to keep in mind is October 1, 2019. That is the day that conference registration will open. I urge attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors to set a reminder on your calendars for two reasons. One, we have a conference plan that allows attendance numbers to grow, but we use early attendance numbers to fine-tune our plans. Two, we will have a shorter early-bird discount period for attendees.

We all look forward to seeing the 2020 conference come together and to participating in another amazing event!!

A Taste of Home

Ah, summer—the season for some rest, relaxation, and time spent with family and friends. While your AMUG family won’t be gathering for another eight months, we ask that you give some thought to passing on the culinary traditions of one family to the other.

As you spend time with your family this summer, please consider the appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts that are a staple in your gatherings. Then take a moment to share them with AMUG. All recipes will be considered for the AMUG Conferences’ Thursday evening Family Night Dinner. With attendees expected to come from over 40 countries, this is a great way to share the tastes of home to those from around the world.

Please forward your recipes, accompanied by a description that also names its source (e.g. grandmother, mother, uncle, or father) and history. Selected recipes will be the highlight of the Family Night Dinner, and they will be presented alongside the description and name of who submitted them.

Send the recipes to Tom Sorovetz, eventmanager@amug.com, who is looking forward to reviewing (and tasting) a whole lot of delicious contenders.

Family recipes wanted for AMUG Conference 2020.

Honored to be on the Team

The AMUG Conference has always been a very important part of my year for as long as I can remember, and I have enjoyed every second. Getting involved with the group is something that I have enjoyed immensely, whether it was bag stuffing, being a track leader, or being a Global Ambassador, and now it is my great honor to be a vice president. Giving back to our industry has been, and will continue to be, one of the most rewarding parts of my career.

Joining the AMUG Board is taking the next step in volunteerism, and being the new guy on the team gives me the opportunity to work even closer with AMUG leadership. I relish the challenge of helping take this great organization into the next decade.

I have always known of the selfless passion and drive that the board has for the conference and for providing practical value to AM users. Now I’m involved at the board level, and I get to see this in greater detail from a first-hand perspective. It has only been 18 days since I officially stepped into the vice president role, but I have already witnessed the passion, drive, and dedication.

I truly am honored to be the first international vice president, and I will strive to keep up the wonderful spirit and commitment of all involved.

See you all in Chicago in 2020.

Kind regards,

Andrew Allshorn
Vice President
VicePresident@amug.com

Aluminum Robotic Stabilizer Mount Produced on Farsoon’s FS271M System

Farsoon Technologies, in partnership with South China University of Technology and Autodesk, printed a fully optimized aluminum stabilizer mount. This mount was generatively re-designed using Autodesk Fusion 360 software. The re-design consisted of merging 27 parts into 1, which provides a 42% weight reduction while maintaining the desired strength. This also accelerated the design flow from development to manufacturing, reducing the cost by 80%.

Produced on the Farsoon FS271M metal laser sintering system, the robotic stabilizer was entered in the RoboMaster Contest 2019 (South-China area), hosted by DJI, which provides young engineers experience in the field of robotics while incorporating the most recent technologies. The optimized design and improved performance enabled the South China University team to win the intense competition for this prize.

The FS271M system is part of Farsoon’s line of metal laser sintering systems that includes the FS121M and the FS421M.

Aluminum robotic stabilizer mount produced on Farsoon’s FS271M system.

Making Waves in Aerospace

Interested in traveling faster than the speed of sound? While possible, it’s not something many people have experienced. With the help of 3D printing, airplane manufacturer Boom Supersonic is changing that. It plans to bring faster-than-sound technology to commercial air travel.

But innovative change requires advanced technology, so Boom acquired several Stratasys 3D printers. They’ve allowed the team to save critical manufacturing time and create truly custom parts for their aircraft. Boom has been using FDM technology for two years and has plans to expand its application.

For a closer look at how Stratasys is helping Boom Supersonic “take off,” see this blog post. To learn more about the 3D printers Boom uses to develop these aircraft, visit the 3D printer page at the Stratasys website.

Boom Supersonic’s Mach 2.2 demonstrator.

Additive Manufacturing Cuts Lead Times for Knust-Godwin

Global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, has supplied four RenAM 500Q metal additive manufacturing machines to Knust-Godwin, a precision machining company located in Katy, Texas, USA. These high-productivity systems, designed for serialized industrial manufacturing, have enabled Knust-Godwin to drastically reduce lead times for their customers.

Knust-Godwin has been in business for over 50 years and has a long history of machining large, complex parts for oilfield instrumentation. The company first introduced additive manufacturing as a new technology to help its customers develop new tooling designs and improve the efficiency and productivity of tools in the oil and gas industry. The company has now chosen to expand its additive manufacturing (AM) capacity to handle serial production, purchasing four RenAM 500Q machines.

Check out the full story here.

One example of Knust-Godwin’s 3D printed oilfield instrumentation parts.

F1 Team of Alfa Romeo Racing Becomes the Largest Customer of Additive Industries in Europe

In June, at the opening of the Rapid.Tech Conference on industrial 3D Printing in Germany, Additive Industries announced the strengthening of the Technology Partnership with the F1 team of Alfa Romeo Racing. Sauber Engineering, on behalf of Alfa Romeo Racing, has ordered its fourth multi-module, 4-laser MetalFAB1 Productivity system, only two years after the first announcement of the Technology Partnership. With this, Sauber Engineering becomes the largest European customer of Additive Industries with high productivity metal 3D printing capacity in stainless steel, aluminum, and titanium.

This year we successfully presented during multiple events on how you can Start Small and Grow with our MetalFAB1 system, the only modular and scalable industrial AM system with an integrated software platform for monitoring and connectivity. The MetalFAB1 system can be configured to meet any available floor space and includes several optional modules that automate post processing, such as heat treatment, and extend productivity. Find out how it can fit at your facility and what it can mean for your productivity.

Alpha Romeo Racing adds fourth MetalFAB1 in Technology Partnership.

€1.3 Million Investment to Enhance 3YOURMIND Software with AI

The investment bank of Berlin awarded €1.3 million in funding to 3YOURMIND to extend machine learning applications in their Agile MES, Order Management and AM Part Identifier. This will transform the AM workflow into a connected Agile Software Suite – a key step towards process automation and scaling AM applications.

3YOURMIND will use the Pro FIT funding to add artificial neural networks (ANNs) into their software. ANNs are the leading approach for programming challenges which have little or no explicit, systematic knowledge available. As a relatively young industry, additive manufacturing is still developing process documentation and best practice techniques for industrial-scale production. This is especially true when looking at serial additive manufacturing.

Adding machine learning to these processes will push additive manufacturing towards the level of the automation promised in industry 4.0 and will help to bridge the current shortage of skilled labor in this highly specialized market niche until more specifically-educated people graduate from universities.

Read the release.

Funding will bring machine learning to the AM workflow.

GE Additive Powders: You Can’t Build Anything Out of Just Anything

Powder that fits your process — that’s our motto at GE Additive. We offer our customers a one-stop shop and a 360-degree solution for their additive journey. And, as part of GE, we offer over 20 years of experience in additive manufacturing. Our powders are rigorously sourced and tested specifically for GE Additive machines—ensuring you have the best performance from the machine and the powder. We offer:

• A consistent, repeatable product
• Full parameter sets for our machines
• Material characteristics controlled and optimized for the part build, post-process, and the highest quality performance
• Test data and certificates so you know the powder quality, processability, and performance in production and,
• Machine and application expertise

So, let’s build anything together isn’t just a slogan, it’s an invitation to partner with us for all your additive needs. Additive manufacturing is rewriting the rules of manufacturing and GE Additive is leading the charge.

Let’s build anything together. For more information visit us at ge.com/additive.

GE Additive—powder that fits your process.

3D Systems Releases New Nylon 11 Material for SLS

The DuraForm^® ProX EX NAT nylon 11 material for 3D Systems SLS platforms has been released. With a high tensile strength in the XY of 51 ± 1 MPa (ASTM D638), and an elongation at break of 61 ± 5 % (ASTM D638; 5 mm/min), this new Nylon 11 material delivers on durability, chemical resistance and flexibility to promote a long part life.

DuraForm ProX EX NAT is already being used by customers for prosthetics, automotive, and aerospace applications. It passes UL 94B flammability tests and has an electrical volume resistivity test of 1.4 x 10¹⁵ ohm-cm under ASTM D25.

Parts produced with DuraForm ProX EX NAT with Selective Laser Sintering have the ability to outperform comparable injection molded plastics but with the added ability for mass-custom production not available with injection molding processes.

For material specs, please visit the company’s website.

Part produced in DuraForm ProX EX NAT—a tough, impact-resistant, natural-color PA 11 nylon that handles the rigors of repeated cycling and use, even in harsh environments.

Essentium TPUs Deliver 3D Printing Strength and Flexibility at Scale

A recent survey commissioned by Essentium highlighted the limitations of available materials for manufacturing companies with 35% of respondents reporting materials are too expensive and 31% saying 3D printed parts are unreliable for large-scale production.

Essentium has applied its materials expertise and knowledge to address this challenge and make it possible to consistently 3D print flexible, yet durable, objects at speed and scale. One exciting material is TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane), which appears rubber-like and can be extremely flexible, durable and smooth to the touch. TPUs also offer exceptional wear and tear resistance, with resistance to oil, grease and abrasion.

At Essentium we offer a range of TPU filament from Essentium TPU 80A LF, which is the most flexible filament on the market and is able to print on any open platform, to Essentium TPU 74D, which has excellent impact strength, tear strength, and abrasion resistance, and is especially effective as an ABS replacement material.

TPU is great for printing parts that are likely to be smashed, banged, dropped and stretched in industries like automotive, electronics and aerospace. We’ve seen use cases for automotive parts like gaskets, plugs and grommets, and another great use is printing customer protective case inserts for drone parts or tools.

Find out more at essentium3d.com.

BASF 3D Printing Solutions and Origin Collaborate with Footwear Manufacturer ECCO

With our strategic partner Origin, an open-platform additive manufacturing printer provider, we continue collaborating with ECCO to develop a wholly new approach to footwear production. The Danish ECCO Group, an innovative global manufacturer of high-quality footwear, is using the Origin platform with BASF’s Ultracur3D material at its R&D Center in Denmark. Initial results show outstanding detail accuracy and mechanical stability with Origin’s unique programmable polymerization process (P3).

Origin’s newly developed printing system and our Ultracur3D photopolymer series enable end-users to achieve high processing speeds and superb surface finish that can reproduce the finest textures while ensuring outstanding mechanical stability.

We will continue to partner and work with customers to find solutions that meet their application needs. Walking the walk has never felt so comfortable…

For more information, check out our new photopolymer website or contact us at 3d-printing@basf-3dps.com.

BASF and Origin develop unique solutions for printing Class A finish parts (video).

New HP Multi Jet Fusion Resources and Workshops

Engineers, industrial designers, production managers – you can now expand your knowledge of HP Multi Jet Fusion further with the new HP Multi Jet Fusion Handbook, a comprehensive guide to all things HP MJF that includes chapters covering design for MJF, material selection, tuning MJF to the design and more!

Download HP MJF Handbook chapters here.

Join one of HPs free DfAM workshops to meet with HP MJF technical experts and learn the fundamentals for effective Design for MJF.

Deepen your knowledge of HP MJF.

Rolls-Royce Selects SLM Solutions’ SLM®500 Quad-laser Machine for Next Stage Additive Manufacturing Industrialization

SLM®500 quad-laser machines have been selected by Rolls-Royce to help develop its additive layer manufacturing capability. The machines will play an important role in helping Rolls-Royce in the competitive adoption of additive layer manufacturing for aerospace components.

Neil Mantle, head of Additive Layer Manufacturing at Rolls-Royce said: “We are delighted to be working with SLM Solutions and using their quad-laser machines. Rolls-Royce continues to develop our additive layer manufacturing capability to ensure we are at the forefront of advanced manufacturing.  We knew that transferring our expertise and knowledge gained from single-laser machines to multi-laser platforms would require a close working relationship, and SLM Solutions has provided this.”

Read the full press release here.

Carbon Raises $260+ Million in Growth Funding Round

On June 25, CEO and co-founder Joseph DeSimone announced on Bloomberg that Carbon has raised over $260 million in its latest growth funding round. This round, co-led by Madrone Capital Partners and Baillie Gifford, brings the company’s total investment to $620 million and a valuation of over $2.4 billion.

With this new investment, Carbon plans to scale up and expand internationally, specifically growing their presence in the European and Asian markets. As Carbon grows its customer base, the company will also increase its software capabilities while accelerating the development of recyclable and biocompatible materials. Finally, Carbon also intends to make significant investments in research and development, including the establishment of an Advanced Development Facility.

Learn more about how Carbon continues to disrupt the manufacturing industry at carbon3d.com.

Carbon CEO Joseph DeSimone announced the company’s latest funding round on Bloomberg.

ExOne Showcases New Initiatives and Product Launch at GIFA 2019

In June, ExOne exhibited at the GIFA International Foundry Trade Fair in Dusseldorf, Germany, excited to share the news on their newest initiatives and product launch. Highlights included:

• Reveal of the newest industrial 3D sand printer, the S-Max Pro^TM, which brings great speed, reliability and precision to the market. The S-Max Pro is a great solution for both prototyping and production of complex parts.
• Launch of a new marketing initiative that will emphasize ExOne’s leadership position and focus on helping industrial customers solve problems. A new tagline—Innovate. Accelerate.—highlights the positive relationships ExOne has with its loyal and growing community of customers. The marketing initiative includes a new website to improve visibility of ExOne’s growing lineup of sand and metal 3D printers using binder jetting technology.
• Announcement of a new, compelling partnership with Siemens forits Digital Enterprise Portfolio of software and automation technology to leverage the benefits of Industry 4.0 for ExOne’s industrial customers.

Watch the ExOne GIFA summary video here.

EOS Webinar On-Demand: Additive Manufacturing Production Qualification

Want to implement additive manufacturing (AM) as a production technology? Unsure how to tackle the qualification of your AM production line? Join EOS Additive Minds Consultant Michael Kowal for the on-demand webinar “AM Production Qualification – No Risks and Lots of Fun.”

Gain insights into the general approach of how to validate AM technology, explore the differences between AM and other production qualifications, and discover best practices from successful medical device qualifications during this comprehensive on-demand webinar. In addition, attendees will get a closer look at the validation methods and powder aging/recycling aspects of lattice structures for metal AM.

Watch on-demand.

On-demand webinar: AM Production Qualification – No Risks and Lots of Fun.

Formlabs Powers New Balance’s New 3D Printing Platform

In late June, New Balance announced a new platform, TripleCell, created with 3D printing technology from Formlabs that delivers components that are closer to traditional performance cushioning than ever before. TripleCell further establishes New Balance as a leader in advanced manufacturing with its U.S. based manufacturing. Small-scale manufacturing is already underway in New Balance’s Lawrence, MA, facility, and the first TripleCell product, the limited edition 990S TripleCell shoe, is now shipping. The FuelCell Echo with TripleCell forefoot will follow in fall 2019, and the first full-length high-performance running product will be available in 2020.

Through this relationship, a new proprietary photopolymer resin was created called Rebound Resin. Rebound Resin is designed to create springy, resilient lattice structures with the durability, reliability, and longevity expected from an injection molded thermoplastic.

Read the press release here.

New Balance 990 Sport features TripleCell, which was made possible by Formlabs.

New BigRep Guide to Large-Format Additive

In BigRep’s ‘Guide to Large-Format Additive’, learn how industry leading companies like Ford, Steelcase and others are putting 3D printing to use to increase productivity, reduce leads times and improve time to market.

By increasing build volume, innovative companies are increasing their potential. With large-format, users can remove the constraints of smaller machines by printing 1:1 scale parts, functional prototypes, and strong end-use parts. 3D printing a large part all at once means spending less time designing around multiple print jobs and assembling multiple parts, as well as more time getting those parts to work for you.

Discover the difference size can make and how to get started with BigRep’s ‘Guide to Large-Format Additive’. Download  your Guide today.

New ‘Guide to Large-Format Additive’ available for download.

RAPID + TCT 2019 Digital Package Now Available

Didn’t have a chance to attend RAPID + TCT 2019? The Digital Recording Package is now available for purchase to get you caught up to speed. The package is also a great option for those that attended the event and would like to revisit the content covered. The package includes recordings of:

• Select conference presentations (27 total)
• AM Technical Insights Forum presentations
• SME Zone theater presentations and panel discussions
• Keynote presentations and thought leadership panels
• Smart Manufacturing Hub presentations
• Technology Launchpad presentations
• Grand ballroom product presentations

Learn more here.

Mark your calendars for RAPID + TCT 2020: April 20-23 in Anaheim, CA. Sign up to receive event updates here.

Countdown to August 3D Metal Printing Conference and Tours

Want to see how Ford Motor Co. is leveraging additive manufacturing in a big way to help propel its manufacturing prowess? Interested in Linear AMS’s design and metal printing efforts to meet customer prototype and volume needs? Feel the need to interact with industry experts as they detail AM technology and trends? Then you’ll want to attend the 3D Metal Printing Conference and Tech Tour, August 6-7 in Detroit, MI. Visit 3D Metal Printing’s website for details, and stay tuned for the Summer issue of 3DMP, which ships at the end of July. The issue recaps RAPID + TCT, previews formnext, and provides info-packed content on innovation at HP, a machine shop’s transition to metal printing, Lincoln Electric’s new wire-arc additive business and much more.

www.3dmpmag.com

Tour Ford’s Advanced Manufacturing Center during 3DMP’s Conference. (3D printed metal transmission tool shown).

Attend the Additive Manufacturing Conference

Presented by Additive Manufacturing Media, the Additive Manufacturing Conference + Expo takes place next month, August 27-29. Join us in Austin, Texas, for this three-day technical conference, exhibit hall and business networking event focused on the industrial use of AM technologies for production. Registration includes access to all sessions as well as the opportunity to tour EOS North America’s headquarters and the Essentium metal and polymer AM labs.

Complete agenda and registration information is available at additiveconference.com.

Join us in Austin, Texas, one of the nation’s most tech-forward cities, for the annual Additive Manufacturing Conference.

Read the Summer 2019 Issue of Metal AM Magazine Now!

Read the latest issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine for free today! The 172-page Summer 2019 issue is available to read for free in your browser, as a pdf download or via our Metal AM app for iOS and Android, and it includes the following exclusive features:

• United Technologies: Pioneering new possibilities for AM in aerospace
• Additive manufacturing at HP
• Powder removal: The Achilles heel of powder bed-based metal AM
• Defining your digital future: The path to industrial digitalization
• DfAM insight: How to choose candidate products for AM production applications
• VBN Components: AM delivers a new generation of wear-resistant carbide parts
• Developing an effective metal powder specification for Binder Jetting
• Rapid qualification of new AM alloys through a holistic process chain

View online or download your free copy, or get the app today

www.metal-am.com

The 172-page Summer 2019 issue is now available.

The 3D Printing Industry is in the Pink

Two pieces of news this past month point to ongoing confidence in the 3D printing industry. In late June, GE Aviation revealed the purchase of 27 EBM systems from subsidiary company Arcam. Announced during the Paris Air show, the additive manufacturing systems will be put to use in the production of the GE9X engine. Further validation of the industry came from a $260m investment in Carbon, taking the Digital Light Synthesis company’s valuation north of $2.4 billion.

3D Printing Industry is also set to expand, albeit at a slightly smaller scale. After seven years online, we are making the move into 2D printing. Our first quarterly magazine will be published in September and available at trade shows.

Let us know what you think of the cover.

3D Printing Industry goes 2D this September.

Introducing the TCT Summit

This year, the TCT Group will raise the bar on the annual design-to-manufacturing TCT Show with the launch of TCT Summit, a new user-led conference packed full of fascinating talks and panel sessions on the latest cutting-edge applications, materials, and processes.

Following rapid growth, this new three-day knowledge exchange will feature more than 20 educational, CPD-certified presentations from innovators, facilitators, and champions across aerospace, automotive, healthcare and more including Historic Royal Palaces, Mayo Clinic, DB ESG (part of Deutsche Bahn) and Angel Trains.

Complementing TCT Summit is TCT Connect sponsored by HP, a new feature which will enable participants to maximize their time at the show with pre-arranged 1-2-1 meetings, in addition to a new networking event on the first night and dedicated VIP lounge.

TCT Summit and TCT Connect will take place on 24-26 September 2019 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK. Access the program and book your tickets here.

TCT Show launches new user-led TCT Summit for 2019.