AMUG November 2021

President’s report

My Fellow AMUG Members,

While many of us are getting ready for Thanksgiving, all of us (on the AMUG Team) are ready for giving thanks. I’d like to thank our newly elected board members for their engagement and participation. Changes that facilitate improvements and growth have presented challenges, but amped up with the AMUG spirit, the team continues to pull together and make it happen.

Our committees have opened up a lot of opportunities for participation and interaction. Please watch for those opportunities to contribute on the web, in the newsletters, and on social media. The plans and goals of the committees have made for a larger pie of preparation and action. Yet, we have really managed to slice up these pies into manageable pieces to make great things happen.

Speaking of pie…may you all have some memorable time with family and friends topped off with an enjoyable slice of your favorite pie. I wish you all safe travels and special times with your families. Members of your AMUG family will be forging ahead over this holiday! Okay, okay; maybe a couple of days of well-earned rest will be had by those on the AMUG team.

Be well and safe travels,

Carl Dekker
President
president@amug.com

So many events: Why choose AMUG Conference?

We are reaching that time of the year when management is deciding what conferences and tradeshows to attend in 2022. I would like to take some time to address those that are selecting the events and deciding which employees to send.

I have been in the same position—deciding where to invest those dollars— and one of the big questions in my decision was “Have I attended this conference or tradeshow in the past?” From that knowledge, the determining factor was if this was just another show or if there was more content and value.

The AMUG Conference is not a tradeshow. Yes, there is an expo (the AMUGexpo). However, the conference is built around users exchanging ideas and networking. This is the true value, and a fundamental difference, of the AMUG Conference.

I would like to take this moment to encourage you to send your employees that have not previously attended. If you’re looking for justification, please visit the AMUG website and spend some time going through the dropdown menus. If you have access to the previous years’ conference proceedings (these are for past attendees only), take a look at what has been offered.

As a New Member Committee member, I can tell you that from the time of badge pickup through the conclusion of the conference a “First-time” member will be welcomed by the AMUG community, and the value for the investment will be second to none. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns by reaching out by email email.

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Derek Ellis
New Member Committee Chair
NewMember@amug.com

DINO Award Nominations

Nominations for the 2022 DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator) Awards are now being accepted. From the nominee pool, AMUG will select up to 10 individuals to be named DINOs at the 2022 AMUG Conference. Nominations will be accepted through March 1, 2022.

This award is about so much more than tenure in the AM industry. It rewards actions taken through the years that are in line with AMUG’s credo: information exchange and support that helps others to advance in AM. To learn what an AMUG DINO represents, and to see the minimum requirements, please visit the DINO Selection page. There you will also find the link to the nomination portal.

Please note that AMUG accepts both self-nominations and peer-nominations for the DINO Award.

Jump on in; Get involved

I started my career in AM more than 20 years ago. It has been a great learning experience with AMUG providing me both a network of experienced operators to reach out to as well as a network of great friends. I have had the honor of holding several board positions with AMUG, giving me a chance to give back to this wonderful community. While I am not ready to slow down yet, there is plenty of need for others to support this great association.

If you feel the need to get involved like I did, there are ways you can do just that. If you are new to AMUG, I would suggest volunteering some time at our next conference or joining one of the many very active committees. You can get on the volunteer list here. If you are currently a member and want to serve on the AMUG board, come take a look at the positions here. You can also nominate someone who you feel would be a great fit for the board.

So, go ahead and jump in with both feet; the water is fine. I would be happy to answer your questions about board positions or the process to apply.

Paul Bates
Nominating Committee Chair
NomCom@amug.com

What is the AMUG Technical Competition?

The AMUG Technical Competition is your chance to highlight unique applications or outstanding finishing techniques among your peers.

The competition is judged by a panel of five DINOs, and the winners are announced during the AMUG Conference. Entrants must choose a category, either Advanced Concepts or Advanced Finishing. In addition to evaluating the overall quality of the project, the judges are also looking for creative uses of AM. The Advanced Concepts winners consistently “push the envelope” with their applications and processes. Advanced Finishing winners showcase the creativity and attention to detail that brings a prototype to life. You may enter both categories, but it must be with different projects.

Each year the entries come from various industries, and they use any of the available AM technologies.

Even if you are not in the competition, this is a must-see for all AMUG Conference attendees! Not only will you be impressed by the entries, but you will also learn from the competitors’ expertise and have your imagination sparked for future applications. Check out the 2021 (and previous years’) winners here.

Make sure you are registered for the AMUG Conference so you can be a part of the 2022 Technical Competition and stay tuned for more details!

AMUG 2022: The Workshops on Thursday

As you are making your plans for AMUG 2022, be sure to include Thursday, April 7, on your schedule. The Agenda and Track Leaders Committees have shifted many workshops to that day with the title of “The Workshops on Thursday.”

While Thursday will also host presentations and panels, the agenda will be heavy on the hands-on workshops. Planning is in the works for workshops on software, inspection, and post processing, as well as returning favorites like Foundry in a Box and silicone mold making/urethane casting. Get ready to roll up your sleeves and have some interactive fun with our industry experts.

The team was thinking of you when they made these plans. By the end of the AMUG Conference, you will be in information-overload mode (and a bit exhausted), so it brings you The Workshops on Thursday for a different kind of learning experience.

To join in the hands-on experiences, you must be a registered attendee for the full AMUG Conference (single-day passes are not offered).

Formnext 2021

There are still two days before Formnext ends. While AMUG doesn’t have an official presence this year, representatives are roaming the halls.

Members of AMUG’s International Committee, including Stefan Ritt, Dror Danai, and Andrew Allshorn, would be happy to talk with you. Also present, and open to conversation, are Paul Bates, Tim Bell, and others.

If you have questions about AMUG, the conference, and the team, feel free to introduce yourself and ask for a moment of their time.

SPONSOR NEWS

What’s new from CATI and our partners

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Download Hexagon’s new additive manufacturing whitepaper

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EOS M 300-4 wins the 2021 LEAP award

The EOS M 300-4 metal 3D printer was selected as the 2021 Silver Leadership in Engineering Achievement Program (LEAP) award winner. The awards were announced during a digital ceremony with competition coming from a variety of products across multiple categories, including AM.

LEAP’s involvement in the engineering community allows the program to survey continuously growing manufacturing verticals, including AM, industrial automation, software, and several other categories. WTWH Media assembled a panel of 14 independent judges for the award process, comprised of a cross section of OEM design engineers and academics.

The EOS M 300-4 system was selected for its exceptional productivity, digital enhancement, and optimized workflow. Designed for high productivity, the EOS M 300-4 offers multiple configuration options combined with safety and security features enabling true serial production.

Desktop Metal triples manufacturing capacity for Production System P-50

Desktop Metal announced the opening of a new in-house manufacturing facility that will more than triple the final assembly space currently dedicated to the Production System™ platform to meet robust demand for the world’s fastest metal 3D printing technology. This new facility is part of a strategic plan to accelerate the production ramp of Desktop Metal’s flagship Production System P-50 printer, for which the company is engaged in component procurement and assembly of initial builds targeted for shipment in the fourth quarter of 2021.

Created by the inventors of binder jetting and single-pass inkjet technology, the Production System is an industrial manufacturing platform powered by Desktop Metal’s Single Pass Jetting™ technology. It is designed to achieve speeds up to 100 times those of legacy powder bed fusion AM technologies and enable production quantities of up to millions of parts per year at costs competitive with conventional mass production techniques. The P-50 printer is paving the way for the mass production of end-use parts—unlocking throughput, repeatability, and competitive part costs.

DMG MORI Advanced Solutions, Inc. wins Best Production Part Award

Congratulations to the DMG MORI Advanced Solutions, Inc. Additive Intelligence team!

Last month, the team’s AKZ FDS adapter was crowned Best Production Part, at Additive Manufacturing Media’s The Cool Parts Showcase, the company’s first ever contest highlighting innovation in 3D printing. The AKZ FDS adapter was built in under 50 hours on a LASERTEC 30 DUAL SLM using a twin laser.

The AKZ FDS adapter delivers cooling lubricant and oil-air mixture to the cutting tool on our machine tools to improve fluid flow and weighs half of the original version. The conventional assembly had 71 parts and weighed 34 pounds. The redesigned 3D printed version requires only five parts, reducing sealing points and risk for leakage by over 90%, and reduces weight and material use by half.

DMG MORI and the AKZ FDS adapter will be featured in an upcoming episode of The Cool Parts Show, airing early next year, stay tuned!

Watch the video to learn more about the AKZ FDS adapter and the rest of the finalists of the The Cool Parts Showcase or watch the announcement video.