AMUG Newsletter September 2014

President’s Report

Mark Barfoot
President

Conference registration opened last week, and we’re excited to see that attendees, exhibitors and sponsors are already confirming their 2015 participation. We’re also thankful for our longtime supporter Charlie Norton from NCP Leasing who was the first sponsor to complete a registration.

While conference registration is going smoothly, we did have a hiccup with hotel reservations. Some of you may have experienced issues if you tried to book a hotel room when registration first opened. This was a hotel error. If you have already completed your hotel reservation, please make sure to read Tom Sorovetz’s article for information on the issues and how to correct them.

The board is now engaged in recruiting and promotion activities for the AMUG Conference. Board members will be making several trips over the next few months to raise awareness of AMUG and to engage our sponsors and exhibitors. I will be at the first ever Rapid Canada event next week in Toronto (see details below). Drop by the AMUG booth and say hello. The next week Gary Rabinovitz and Todd Grimm will be at the TCT Show in the UK. Both Gary & Todd are speaking and will be available at our booth. In November, we’ll have several people at Euromold. Our booth is located within SLM’s booth — make sure to stop by if you are attending.

We have started to layout the agenda and are continuing to work on all of the other details that are crucial to make the event a success. As always, if anyone has any suggestions, feel free to contact one of the board members.

Best regards,

Mark Barfoot
President
president@am-ug.com

Our Mission: Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) educates and advances the uses and applications of additive manufacturing technologies.

Vice President’s Report

Dana Foster
Vice President

With registration opening last week, we are thrilled with the number of attendees, as well as confirmed exhibitors and sponsors, that have already committed to the 2015 conference. We are very excited to welcome back Stratasys as a Diamond sponsor and NCP Leasing as a Titanium sponsor, and we welcome Aristo-Cast as a Gold sponsor.

Within the next couple of weeks, the team will be making AMUGexpo booth selection live via the web, and we will contact those who have already signed up as sponsors and exhibitors so that they can choose their space. It is a first-come, first-serve basis – so do not wait to register! As always, if you have any questions do not hesitate to call or email the VPs, Steve Deak or Dana Foster, at vicepresident@am-ug.com.

Best regards,

Dana Foster

Sponsor News – Somos

Spyder Grips Manufactured with NanoTool

Todd Herremans, a NFL offensive guard for the Philadelphia Eagles, trains rigorously to maintain top physical form and is always looking for ways to improve his work-outs. For hand strength and dexterity, he started squeezing softballs and found that he was also developing muscles in his arms. He then added these softballs to a weightlifting bar and noticed an even more effective way to gain muscle mass.

Pleased with the results achieved from the softballs, Todd decided he needed a more permanent solution with better grip. He contacted Eagle Design and asked for its help with what he now calls Spyder Grips, which have a complex spider-web pattern.

Eagle Design determined that stereolithography combined with injection molding would produce the best results with the quickest turn-around time. Knowing this, the team at Eagle Design recommended Somos® NanoTool for its high strength and detail.

“A lot of time was saved using Somos® NanoTool. Traditionally, we would have had to create the inserts with our 5-axis CNC machine, which would have taken twice as long,” says Don Portenga, engineer at Eagle Design. “We were even able to injection mold 50 sets on our 200 ton Niigata Press from just one mold of Somos® NanoTool.”

Eagle quickly prototyped the silicone balls and sent them to Todd to be tested in the gym. He loved them and ordered 50 more sets. Spyder Grips are now in Todd’s health clubs, and many of the NFL players are using them to get a competitive edge by developing different muscles in their arms.

Spyder Grip in Somos® NanoTool injection mold.

Sponsor News – Stratasys

ASA – A UV Stable FDM Prototyping Material

The newest FDM thermoplastic, ASA, provides the UV resistance customers have been calling for. ASA is especially useful in outdoor prototyping for automotive, sporting goods and outdoor tools designers, as well as commercial equipment such as telecom infrastructure.

Combining excellent mechanical properties and aesthetics with ease of use and reliability, ASA stands to become a favorite all-purpose prototyping material for all Stratasys Production Series Performance 3D Printers. The mechanical strength and UV stability of ASA matches or exceeds many ABS-M30 properties. As with ABS material, ASA works with soluble support material for easy, hands-free removal.

For more information, please visit www.stratasys.com.

UV resistant car mirror printed in ASA

RAPID Canada

AMUG will be at the first-ever RAPID Canada Conference & Exposition in Mississauga, Ontario, in booth #206. The event runs September 23rd and 24th and will be held in the International Centre.

RAPID Canada is running in conjunction with the Advance Manufacturing Expo, which provides a platform for decision makers, production and quality engineers to interact with the latest technology and gain a competitive edge by applying high-productivity solutions to enhance manufacturing performance.

Secretary’s Report

Kim Killoran
Secretary

If you missed the big announcement last week, registration is now open for the 2015 conference! Whether you’re looking to attend, exhibit, or sponsor, confirm your participation today.

The early attendee registration fee is $695, which includes access to:

• Conference (4 days), including Keynote presentations, general & technical sessions, and workshops
• AMUGexpo (2 nights)
• AMUG Awards Banquet
• Technical Competition
• Networking Lunches
• All Meals and Beverages

NOTE: Conference cost excludes travel, lodging and incidentals.

For those that can’t spend 2015 budget money quite yet, there is a ‘Save & Return Later’ option that lets you register now and pay later. Select this option under the payment method on the registration checkout page.

Register early! The attendee price increases to $795 on March 15.

The Sorovetz Report

Tom Sorovetz
Event Manager

If you have already made your room reservation, please check your confirmation email and verify that you are receiving the $137.00 per night room rate. The hotel registration page had upgrade options listed at $162.00, $172.00 and $182.00 per night, and this has caused a slight confusion with some of you who have registered. I have asked the Hyatt to remove these options from our registration page. If you did not register for these upgrades or accidentally selected one of the above rates, please contact the Hyatt directly at (904) 588 1234 and have them correct your registration to reflect the $137.00 room rate. If you have any trouble or questions, please feel free to contact me.

NOTICE:

As I stated in last month’s newsletter, due to an oversight on my part, the room rate on the registration website was incorrect. The rate is $137.00 per night, not the $135.00 that was shown. I am working with the Hyatt to correct this error. For those who have already registered at the $135.00 rate, I apologize. However, you will be receiving an updated confirmation showing the correct rate. Please DO NOT contact the Hyatt and complain, this was my error, not theirs, and I hope everyone understands. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me.

See you in sunny Jacksonville,

Thomas A. Sorovetz
Event Manager
EventManager@am-ug.com