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AMUG June 2020

By June 18, 2020July 15th, 2020
 

June 2020

President’s Report

Distancing from the AMUG community is getting old, as is the compulsion to offer hopes that you are doing well and staying safe. I’d really like to be able to reach out and give you all a great big AMUG hug! But, I guess it will have to be a virtual connection for a bit longer. Please hang in there and make the best of the hand we’ve been dealt!  We’ll get back to those high fives, bumps, and hugs at some time soon.  Really soon!

You’d think that postponing the AMUG Conference would have removed some of the usual burdens, but the opposite is true. For your AMUG board, there has been an extreme amount to deal with as this is a year like no other. What would have been simple (but not easy) and routine has taken on new dimensions. Regardless, we have managed to get through this crazy situation while working hard to make sure our next conference will be the AMUG caliber you expect.

As you all know, the key to our group is YOU!  AMUG exists to provide you value, and in return, your contributions are what makes us great. Contributions take on many forms…through your recommendations, nominations, and direct participation. And whatever you can offer, we want it!  Please reach out to me or anyone on our board to share your comments and ideas or discover how to get more engaged. Engaging activity is at the core of our group.

Thank you for your past/future participation and support.

Carl Dekker
President

DINO Awards

AMUG will install the 2020 class of DINOs (Distinguished INnovator Operator). While the conference has been postponed to 2021, the AMUG Board believes that recognition of contributions to the AM industry and the organization can’t wait.

Later in June (the date has yet to be finalized), we will broadcast the presentation of DINO Awards. Up to 10 individuals will be recognized with this coveted honor. Who will be named DINOs? You will have to wait for the release of the recorded presentation to find out.

AMUG will record the awards ceremony and make it available on demand. Members will be notified, via email, when the recording is available.

Strategy Meeting: Leadership

The AMUG Board has completed the first virtual strategy meeting. The focus of the discussion was on the organization’s leadership in the coming years. Your AMUG leaders craft, oversee, and execute the plans that steer the organization towards future success and growth, which includes establishing a vision for the AMUG Conference.

We discussed at length:

  • What attributes make good AMUG leaders
  • What AMUG leaders, and the companies they represent, gain through their contributions
  • How to find, develop, and support the next generation of leaders

A key attribute for AMUG leaders is a strong desire (passion) to support and advance the AM industry coupled with a willingness to invest the time to do the job right. While recognition comes with AMUG positions, AMUG leaders view this recognition as a nice perk rather than a prime motivator to take on the role.

For what AMUG leaders get in return, we believe the primary benefits are the development of business and leadership skills coupled with first-hand experience of all the facets of operations. As an AMUG leader, you are at the table discussing, making decisions, and taking actions on functions that span finance, marketing, event management, organizational structure, and beyond. This adds to your skill set, which you then bring back to your place of work.

Finding our next leaders takes a community that is on the lookout for the right stuff. Yes, you can nominate yourself, and we encourage that. But we also believe that effective leaders that don’t think they are ready for such a role are out there. To be asked to lead because someone sees the right stuff in another member is a powerful thing. If you see that in someone else, nominate them for a role in the AMUG organization. Our Nominating Committee will review nominees’ credentials and confirm that they are willing to be considered for a leadership position.

Nominations for officers/directors will open in the coming months. For all other roles, visit our volunteers page  to offer your time and talents or recommend another individual.

Sponsor and Exhibitor Support

In light of the postponement of the AMUG Conference, sponsors and exhibitors had the option to cancel their support and receive a full refund. In an amazing show of support for AMUG (and the industry), over 75% opted to remain sponsors or exhibitors.

Each of these companies will participate in the 2021 conference while supporting AMUG over the next 10 months. For that, AMUG is grateful.

You can view the list of sponsors here and the list of exhibitors here.

Companies will be able to register as sponsors or exhibitors when registration opens (planned for this summer). AMUG expects to sell out of these spots quickly, as we have in the past few years, so interested parties should act fast.

Virtual Networking Tools

The pandemic has prompted AMUG to consider the need for alternatives to face-to-face meetings. While we are committed to hosting the AMUG Conference in Chicago (March 14-18, 2021), the past few months have shown us that we need alternatives and that AMUG Members want to engage throughout the year.

Our challenge is in replicating the informal conversations and social engagement that makes AMUG unique. Like many of you, AMUG representatives have participated in virtual events that promise networking opportunities only to find that they are inadequate for impromptu, face-to-face conversations.

So we are seeking your help to find a virtual platform that works. If you participate in a virtual event that does networking well, please make a note of the meeting tool that was used and let us know what it is (contact us at agenda@amug.com). With thousands on the hunt for a good virtual-networking tool, we have a better chance of locating a platform that can bring the AMUG experience to you.

SPONSOR NEWS

Material Handling Guidance for Additive Manufacturers from Essentium

Today’s industrial 3D printing manufacturers demand the freedom and flexibility to operate their AM  equipment in the same way they operate their injection molding and CNC machining equipment. With that freedom, however, come the challenges of proper material handling that is paramount for consistent results from printed parts.

For example, the moisture content in thermoplastic filaments is a significant driver of part quality and consistency. Some polymers are more susceptible than others, but most engineering-grade thermoplastics should be dried appropriately for best results. If a spool of filament does pick up moisture, it can cause both visible and invisible defects in the material and part.

Challenges such as these stem from a lack of education and knowledge transfer from the plastics processing community to the 3D printing community, as well as the lack of specialized equipment that specifically addresses the material handling needs of filament-based material extrusion 3D printers.

Essentium is addressing this issue with a new guide that provides users with best practices for material handling and advice on the proper equipment to implement a material handling workflow at their facility.

For more information, visit essentium3d.com.

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

Renishaw, Inc.www.renishaw.com/am

Join Us for a Webinar: Flexible Material Development on Renishaw Multi-Laser Systems

Our experts will take you through a stable and consistent machine platform as the foundation of a predictable manufacturing process. Building from that, flexible tools are needed to extract the best quality parts and highest productivity possible. QuantAM is Renishaw’s build preparation software, developed specifically for use with Renishaw Additive Manufacturing machines. Within QuantAM, engineers have a collection of powerful tools for streamlining the development of new metal alloys for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) as well as bringing to bear the full power of our RenAM 500Q four laser system. In this webinar, Renishaw will demonstrate its working practices and requirements when developing new alloys and pushing the limits of machine throughput.

What can you expect?

  • Summarize the features of the RenAM 500Q that provide the foundation of a stable process
  • Overview of the range of configurable laser parameters accessible to a user of Renishaw systems
  • Demonstrate the power of QuantAM as a material development tool
  • Reflect the implications of multi-laser utilization & how validation underpins confidence in the solution

The webinar will take place on Tuesday, June 23, at 1:00 pm (CDT). Register here to join us!

QuantAM build preparation software for Renishaw AM.

GE Additivewww.ge.com/additive

Join Us for Our Next Webinar: Understanding AM Economics – A Critical Piece to the Additive Business Case

Register for our next edition of Webinar Wednesday on July 1, 2020, and discover how to build a successful additive business. Building a winning business case with AM can be tricky. Machine behavior and architecture play a key role in productivity and overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). One of the biggest challenges in building a good business case for AM is in the way productivity is reported, and general knowledge of the process is limited.

In this webinar, you’ll learn how to better understand the technical language of AM and identify which machine behaviors correspond to measurable economic indicators. With this knowledge, you’ll be able to put together more accurate business cases that have less variability and allow for easier updating for future technology changes.

Click here to register for this free session.

For more information about GE Additive, visit us at ge.com/additive.

Join our webinar to discover how to build a successful AM business.

DMG MORIwww.dmgmori.com

LASERTEC 125 3D Hybrid

DMG MORI’s world premiere LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid combines laser deposition welding and 5-axis milling of large 3D metal parts up to ø 1.250 mm, 730 mm in Z, and up to 2.0 kg table load.

Learn more here.

LASERTEC 125 3D hybrid.

Computer Aided Technology (CATI)www.cati.com

The Creaform MaxSHOT Next Elite

The Creaform MaxSHOT lineup is a game-changer for product development, manufacturing, quality control, and inspection teams that need the highest measurement accuracy and repeatability. If you consistently work on large-scale measurement projects, the MaxShot is your go-to solution to slash mistakes, improve product quality, increase efficiency, and minimize overall operating costs.

The MaxSHOT optical CMM is a complementary photogrammetry product that can add to the accuracy of other Creaform products as well as take standalone measurements.

A few key features of the MaxSHOT Next Elite:

  • Accuracy – Metrology-grade measurements 0.015 mm/m (0.00018 in/ft)
  • Can be combined with laser scanners to improve overall accuracy
  • Automatic feedback – Laser projected frame with GO/NO GO feedback on measurements
  • Portable – The MaxSHOT and accessories fit into one portable carrying case
  • Easy – Step-by-step software guided workflow

To see our entire scanner lineup, visit our website. To learn more about photogrammetry, view our post.

Creaform MaxSHOT Next Elite.

A Global R&D Event:  Cutting-Edge Research in Binder Jet 3D Printing

ExOne recently hosted a special event showcasing the R&D being done with the Innovent+ binder jet 3D printer. The session is now available on-demand at the link below, and it explores a variety of ways ExOne Innovent owners are developing new materials, software, processes, applications, and more for binder jet 3D printing. You’ll also learn why binder jet AM is poised to become the leading production AM process for metals and ceramic products.

Presenters:

  • Amy Elliott – Oak Ridge National Laboratory
  • Tom Takahashi – Pacific Sowa
  • Chris Williams, Ph.D. – Virginia Tech
  • Magnus Bostrom – Sandvik
  • Markus Chmielus – University of Pittsburgh
  • Patrick Dougherty, Ph.D. – The ExOne Company

Watch the on-demand webinar.

Webinar on R&D with Innovent+.

DSM Additive Manufacturingwww.dsm.com/additive-manufacturing

Learn How PBT Can Deliver Industrial Production 3D Printing, Sustainably

Webinar: Thursday, July 16, 2020, 10:00 am CDT

Adoption of 3D printing in industrial production requires the availability of a stable and repeatable production process and materials that deliver the required properties to the parts. That process and material are available—and the material is highly recyclable and sustainable.

Join us on Thursday, July 16, for a webinar on PBT laser sintering. Material scientists at DSM and production experts at Jabil will explain how they came up with the best combination of a repeatable production process and highly reusable material for laser sintering of production parts. A live Q&A session will follow the presentation.

Click here to register.

Register for DSM’s upcoming webinar on PBT laser sintering.

SLM Solutionswww.slm-solutions.us

SLM Solutions Prints Plastic Injection Molds for Face Shields

As part of its Additive Alliance Against Corona initiative, SLM Solutions has metal 3D printed plastic injection tooling molds that help produce face shield headbands for the Manufacturing & Advocacy Growth Network (MAGNET), a manufacturing consulting firm in Ohio. SLM Solutions 3D printed the molds in its Wixom, Michigan facility enabling MAGNET to save time and money in additively manufacturing the tooling needed to produce the face shields quickly. Read the full story here.

3D printed injection mold cavity for face shield headband.

Join Us at Dyndrite Digital Manufacturing Investor Day

While manufacturers are looking to rapidly transform their operations and supply chains for greater resiliency and agility, funding for startups and emerging companies in digital manufacturing remains a critical need. With events and trade shows getting postponed, it is becoming more difficult for startups and investors to connect. In response, Dyndrite is holding its inaugural virtual Digital Manufacturing Investor Day (DMID) on June 30, 2020, along with event advisors Gradient Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, the House Fund, and dozens of investors from across the globe.

Qualified startups, investors, press, and industry experts are welcome to attend, but space is limited. Register now to see the future of digital manufacturing technology.

Read More.

Inaugural virtual Digital Manufacturing Investor Day (DMID).

Enabling Better Detailed Design With 3D Printing

Last month we introduced you to the Stratasys J55™, the small-footprint, big-impact 3D printer that breaks the traditional design process paradigm. But what does that process really look like, and how does 3D printing help? For starters, the conventional approach is typically slow, too expensive, and idea-limiting. That’s particularly true in the detailed design phase, when ideas need to be culled down to a select few and modeled in high fidelity for stakeholder review.

In our latest blog post, we uncover how the detailed design cycle currently works. Then we follow up with how PolyJet™ 3D printing technology transforms that process with greater speed, creativity, and realism. Find out more at the Stratasys blog.

PolyJet 3D printing technology transforms the design process.

MEDIA PARTNER NEWS

The Additive Reportwww.theadditivereport.com

New Issue of The Additive Report

The latest edition of The Additive Report  brings readers stories about the ways 3D printing companies responded to the COVID-19 pandemic and:

  • The effects of online service bureaus on shops.
  • Examples of the ways wire-arc AM is used to make large structures.
  • AM applications for lightweighting automobiles.
  • How generative design software and 3D printing complement one another.
  • Thoughts about the “existential challenge” AM engineers and designers face.

If you don’t receive the magazine, please subscribe on our website.

Covid-19 response, and more, in the latest edition.

Engineering.comwww.engineering.com
TCT Magazinewww.tctmagazine.com

The Latest Issue of TCT Magazine is Here

As this newsletter goes out, the latest issue of TCT Magazine North American edition will be at the printers, ready to land on your desks or doormats the following week.

In our aerospace focus, we report from two aerospace events attended by the TCT editorial team shortly before lockdown and take a look at applications both inside and outside the aircraft cabin. We also begin our series of spotlights on the various sectors of the additive machinery market, starting with expert commentary from CONTEXT and an interview with an industry newcomer formed under the mentorship of Structured Polymers and the late Carl Deckard, Haute Fabrication.

This issue also features our annual U.S. service provider pull-out map ready for you to stick on your office wall and find a service bureau that can help bring your next idea to life.

Read the digital version here and subscribe to receive all future print editions for free.

3D Metal Printing Magazinewww.3dmpmag.com

Virtual 3D Metal Printing Experience Set for July 22-23

3D Metal Printing’s virtual event, the 5th Annual 3D Metal Printing Experience, July 22-23, serves up 10 information-packed presentations, as well as unique networking opportunities and a virtual tour of Cumberland Additive, a full-service AM company in Pflugerville, TX. Cumberland supplies the aerospace, oil and gas, defense, and other industries with metal parts and offers a variety of production capabilities including design-engineering support, CNC machining, metal finishing and heat treating, quality inspection, and program management. The tour also includes a Q&A session with Cumberland Additive management.

The latest conference agenda addition: Penn State’s Tim Simpson, offering Design for AM, a three-part mini-course. Other confirmed speakers: Mark Barfoot, director of AM programs at EWI; Travis Hanson, manufacturing engineer at Stratasys Direct; Cullen Hilkene, CEO of 3Diligent; Francisco Medina, associate professor and director of technology and engagement at UTEP/W.M. Keck Center for 3D Innovation; Mark Norfolk, president of Fabrisonic; and Shannon Van Deren, president of Layered Manufacturing and Consulting.

Also on tap: the Summer 2020 issue of 3D Metal Printing—set to mail in July and to post at 3dmpmag.com. Look for the latest metal-AM machine developments, case studies, and articles on AM workflow for part qualification and AM automotive tooling.

www.3dmpmag.com

5th Annual 3D Metal Printing Experience presents developments that enable high-quality part production, such as shown in this cutaway of an aerospace component produced on an EOS machine.

Make Parts Fastwww.makepartsfast.com

What’s New in AM

The AM industry is continuously changing. We asked Justin McCurnin, vice president of marketing at Stratasys, what trends and developments he sees today. Stratasys was one of the founders of this industry, and not only have the engineers witnessed a number of developments, they have created many of them as well.

One of the biggest trends is the additive community’s response to the COVID pandemic. It is highlighting a little recognized capability of AM – the importance of a near and quickly responsive supply chain.

Hear (and read) Justin’s thoughts here.

Metal AM Magazine www.metal-am.com

Keep in Touch with Metal AM

We can’t meet in person right now, but you can keep in touch with Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine and the developing world of metal 3D printing by signing up to our weekly newsletter.

Our newsletter subscribers get the latest in metal AM technology and business developments delivered to their inboxes every Friday, and each quarter they’re the first to hear when the latest issue of Metal AM magazine is available to read online.

Sign up now to keep in touch with the industry and be the first to receive your digital copy of Metal AM Summer 2020, coming soon.

Additive Manufacturing Mediawww.additivemanufacturing.media

Is AM Recession-Proof?

Will the perception that AM is “experimental” drive companies to retreat from it in the next major recession? Or will its potential for design consolidation and time and cost savings provide cover during an economic downturn?

Indiana-based 3rd Dimension Industrial 3D Printing certainly sees the promise of industrial 3D printing, but it also has a hedge against a potential retreat from it: a full machine shop with enough CNC equipment to handle standalone machining orders plus the finishing work on its metal AM parts. Learn how these technologies complement each other and allow the company to both consolidate and diversify its business in this article, the cover story of our May/June issue.

Bob Markley, founder of 3rd Dimension Industrial 3D Printing, peers inside an Additive Industries MetalFab1 at his company’s facility.

Note: AM is the abbreviation for additive manufacturing.