Skip to main content

AMUG Newsletter October 2019

By October 17, 2019April 30th, 2020
 

October 2019

Note from Editor

This issue of the AMUG newsletter covers news from the AMUG team. In the November edition, sponsor and media partner news and insights will return.

President’s Report

It has been an intense few months, and I’m normally a man of few words, so I’ll keep it that way. I’ll touch on the new bylaws, a reception at Formnext, the committee structure, and AMUGexpo space selling out fast. The core theme is change; working to refine and implement items for the betterment of AM users.

To start, you have ratified the new AMUG bylaws (thank you!), and we are now putting the changes into action. The new bylaws allow AMUG to engage a growing number of volunteers, to strengthen year-to-year role transitions, and build the foundation for continued growth.

You’ve asked us to be more than the conference so that there is engagement throughout the year. Our first step in this direction was working with Formnext to host a reception at their event. They have kindly provided a code for our current members to use for complimentary admission.

As many of you have seen, the revamped committee structure is now taking shape (see committee members here). We’ve had tremendous early support, but more volunteers are needed. Also, the committees want your input, so please reach out.

Your vice presidents have been doing an excellent job on event sponsorshp and AMUGexpo participation. In less than three weeks, we have had an amazing outpouring of support. For example, 80% of our Diamond and Platinum sponsorships (the top two levels) have been assigned. This is just one sign that the 2020 AMUG Conference is shaping up to be yet another fantastic user gathering.

Carl Dekker
President

Conference Registration

Registration for the 2020 AMUG Conference opened on October 1, and there was a flurry of activity. The response was simply overwhelming.

On our registration page, individuals can secure a spot as a conference attendee (which will make them a AMUG members), and companies can sign up as sponsors and exhibitors. The early-bird rate for attendees is $895.

2020 Conference Agenda

We know everyone is busy and want to make sure you didn’t miss out on a few announcements regarding the agenda.

NEW! We’ve Extended the AMUGexpo Hours

We received many requests to extend the AMUGexpo hours. With the expanded floor plan and increased sponsor and exhibitor spaces available, we have increased the duration of the exposition.

  • Sunday, March 22 – 4:00pm to 10:00pm
  • Monday, March 23 –10:00am to 2:30pm and 6:00pm to 10:00pm

Additionally, Diamond and Platinum Sponsors will continue to exhibit Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Call for Speakers

The 2020 AMUG Call for Speakers is now open. The AMUG agenda is broken into two sections, AMUG tracks and Diamond/Platinum Sponsor tracks.  This call for speakers is specifically for the AMUG tracks.

The tracks for the 2020 program are:

  • Aerospace/Transportation/Defense/Military (Ted Anderson, GE)
  • AM Metal Technologies (Matthew Duffey, Buffalo Manufacturing Works)
  • AM Technologies Non-Metal (Colton Rooney, EMI Corp)
  • Casting (Thomas Sorovetz, FCA US LLC; Edward Graham, ProtoCAM; Jack Ziemba, Aristo-Cast)
  • Education and Training (Jordan Weston, MSOE)
  • Materials (Nate Schumacher, Midwest Prototyping)
  • Medical and Dental (Shannon VanDeren, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting)
  • Scanning & Metrology (Giles Gaskell, Wenzel America)
  • Software (Jordan Weston, MSOE)

We have a great team of track leaders working on developing their programs for 2020. They work very closely with the speakers, panelist, and workshop leaders to ensure the sessions are valuable to the members. However, when responding to the Call for Speakers, we ask interested presenters to contact the Track Leader Committee Chair, Jordan Weston, at trackleader@amug.com. Based on your topic, Jordan will put you in contact with the appropriate track leader.

The track leaders will be looking for training and educational talks, hands-on training sessions, and panel discussions. Note that these presentations and training sessions cannot be sales pitches…these will be rejected.

Thank you all in advance for your interest in being a presenter at AMUG 2020.

Scholarship Applications

Are you a student or a professor pushing the limits of additive manufacturing?

The Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship and Randy Stevens Scholarship are now open for applications until January 27, 2020. These scholarships celebrate the achievements of highly motivated students, high school teachers, and college/university professors in additive manufacturing. Scholarship winners will receive a fully paid AMUG 2020 conference package, including airline ticket and hotel accommodation.

Visit Guy E. Bourdeau Scholarship to learn more about the student scholarship and access the submission link. Educators, details and submission link are on the Randy Stevens Scholarship page.

2019 scholarship winners Victoria Sears and Dr. Wenchao Zhou.

DINO Award Nominations

Nominations are now being accepted for 2020 DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator) Awards. From the nominee pool, AMUG will select up to 10 individuals to be named DINOs at the 2020 AMUG Conference. Nominations will be accepted through March 1, 2020.

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 creedo: 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.

AMUG accepts both self-nominations and peer-nominations.

2019 DINO Award recipients.

Formnext

Formnext, November 19- 22 in Frankfurt, Germany, is welcoming AMUG members. As an incentive, it is offering free show passes to AMUG members ($100 value). Information on how to secure a pass was sent via email last week to all 2019 AMUG Conference attendees. If you missed the notice, please send an email to info@amug.com to request that the email be resent.

As a further incentive, Formnext has announced a reception on Wednesday, November 20, that is jointly hosted by AMUG and Messago (the organization behind Formnext).

Come to Formnext, enjoy the reception and visit AMUG in the U.S. Pavillion. We hope to see your there.

AMUG members get free access to Formnext.

What is Industrial AM?

If you’ve been to past AMUG Conferences, you know the level and depth of conversations and the intent to serve those that have career-oriented needs in AM. To build this dynamic, AMUG notes that attendees must be professionals that use AM in an industrial environment, and it selects sponsors and exhibitors that have products that these members use.

But, how do you define industrial? That is a simple question that has no easy answer. To solicit input, Andrew Allshorn, AMUG vice president, has opened a LinkedIn discussion. Please take a few moments to review the comments and share your thoughts.