AMUG September 2022

President’s report

AMUG Members,

Autumn is approaching quickly and so is registration for our annual AMUG Education and Training Conference in Chicago, March 19-23, 2023. Opening registration is always our first milestone for members, sponsors, and exhibitors, and our goal is to begin registration on October 1, 2022. Registration will be on our website along with links for making hotel reservations. The registration milestone prompts many other programs. You will see updates for scholarship opportunities, technical competition entries, call for presentations, workshops, and much more. So, save the date on your calendar and be ready to reserve your place at AMUG 2023.

This will be our 35^th AMUG Conference. Yes, our conference was the first annual user group to meet with the idea of sharing information for the new technology we refer to as 3D printing or additive manufacturing. While it started with a small group of users, we still maintain the mantra of “For Users, By Users”. As our user base has grown with the industry, it requires a lot more activities to plan and execute our annual conference. Our committees are updating and making those plans as well as implementing changes, many based on survey feedback from our members. Taking time to fill out the previous year’s survey allows us to improve each year.

Did you know that there are over 20 committees that create and support our conference? I have been privileged to attend many of their meetings and listen firsthand as new ideas are generated. With the impressive leadership and individual member commitment I have witnessed… AMUG is secure for the next 35 years.

I am looking forward to seeing you at the 2023 Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference.

Mark Abshire
President
President@amug.com

2023 AMUG Conference registration

AMUG 2023
March 19 – 23, 2023
Hilton Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Attendee registration will open on October 1, 2022. Registration includes access to the AMUG conference sessions with a focus on education and training, AMUGexpo, evening activities, meals and beverages for the week, and much, much more. The AMUG Conference is the best place to network and learn from other users in additive. Registration links will be live on the AMUG website beginning October 1^st.

Sponsor and Exhibitor registration will also open on October 1, 2022. Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Booth Selection (if applicable) will take place in early December and is determined using a Priority Ranking System that is based on several factors, including submission of the required payment and the date and time of registration. To increase your Priority Ranking, be sure to register for your booth ASAP. For details on the Sponsor and Exhibitor packages, you can reference the 2022 Sponsor and Exhibitor Prospectus on the sponsor opportunities page. The updated 2023 Sponsor and Exhibitor Prospectus will be available shortly.

We look forward to seeing you in Chicago!

AMUG Conference hotels

It’s mid-September, and the AMUG Conference is just a little over six months away. On October 1, 2022, the hotel reservation system will open for you to grab rooms at the AMUG rate of $154.00 per night plus tax. Please note that the Hilton Chicago has a 3-night minimum stay. For shorter visits, make a reservation at the Palmer House Hilton, our backup hotel, which doesn’t have a minimum-nights requirement.

For those attending the AMUG Conference for the first time, the indoor pool is open 23 hours a day and heated to 85º F. The pool is a great way to relax after a long day of learning, networking, and meeting new people.

If you book a room and no longer need it, please do not cancel it; instead, let me know (eventmanager@amug.com), and I will reassign it to someone else.

I hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer and also hope to see you in Chicago in March for AMUG 2023.

Thomas A. Sorovetz
Director, Event and Hospitality
EventManager@amug.com

DINO Nominations to Open October 3, 2022

The Distinguished INnovator Operators Award (DINO) is AMUG’s most prestigious honor.  It is bestowed upon those with the highest levels of AM expertise and a willingness to share that knowledge through contributions to AMUG, its members, and the industry it represents.

DINO Selection

The AM industry is filled with innovative, dedicated, and passionate individuals that contribute to the industry and to AMUG. Each year, the DINO Selection Committee reviews submitted nominations and the list of conference registrants to select no more than 10 deserving individuals. The committee FIRSTconsiders contributions to AMUG (speaker, volunteer, etc.). Then it considers contributions to the AM industry; years of hands-on work with AM technology; willingness to share and assist; skill level; and other subjective factors.

Do you or someone you know have what it takes to be named a DINO? For details and a link for submissions of nominations, visit DINO Selection.

Nominations for 2023 elections

The Nominating Committee has a very important duty to identify the next generation of leadership for our users group.  We have solidified this committee and have begun the process of providing you, our members, a ballot for the upcoming officer/director elections. We have many steps to achieve this, but we look forward to the task. It is great to have a strong and seasoned committee to make this a success. The only things we need now are your nominations for future leaders.

The website for submitting nominations is being updated, and it is planned to be ready when conference registration opens (October 1). Efforts have been made to make the duties of the open positions easier to understand. In the coming weeks, we will have more details to share.

To give you insight into the process, nominations will be reviewed by the Nominating Committee. The committee will then reach out to the nominees to confirm their understanding of the position and their willingness (and their companies’) to support the associated duties. We will compile all vetted candidates and submit them to the AMUG Board of Directors for ratification. The ratified list becomes the slate of candidates.

We are working hard to ensure you have the best candidates to choose from. Hopefully, this process sounds pretty straightforward…as it should be.

Please reach out to the committee (NomCom@amug.com) if you have any questions or suggestions.

AMUG 2023 call for speakers is now open

The AMUG Conference agenda is broken into two sections, AMUG tracks and Diamond/Platinum Sponsor tracks. This call for speakers is specifically for the AMUG tracks where the focus will be on providing training and educational talks, hands-on workshops, and panel discussions.

Sessions within these AMUG tracks are intended to be led by users of AM technology. If you are an OEM, please consider giving one of your users the opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise. Commercial presentations and sales pitches will be rejected.

When responding to the Call for Speakers, we ask interested presenters to contact the Track Leader Committee Co-Chairs, Ed Graham and Nate Schumacher, at trackleader@amug.com. Based on your topic, they will put you in contact with the appropriate track leader, who will continue to work with you to ensure your proposed session will be valuable to the AMUG members.

The tracks for the 2023 program are:

• Aerospace/Transportation/Defense/Military
• AM Metal Technologies
• AM Non-Metal Technologies
• AM Materials
• Casting Metal
• Education and Training
• Healthcare (Medical and Dental)
• Scanning & Metrology
• Software

We are expecting to fill up the speaking slots very quickly, so don’t delay!

SPONSOR NEWS

McLaren Racing — 3D printing to get the edge on and off track

Stratasys’ Neo800 stereolithography 3D printers are enabling McLaren Racing to make up to 9,000 parts per year — from full-size aerodynamic surfaces to high-accuracy embedded sensor housings.

Tim Chapman, head of additive manufacturing at McLaren Racing, states, “The Neo800 is very much at the heart of our vehicle development process – from design to production. We tend to make around four car sets of most components before the next iteration is released…This is why 3D printing is so good for many components; you can make parts extremely quickly and remove the need for tooling and molds. This is vital in Formula One with super tight deadlines to deliver cars to the next race, and the smallest design iteration can make all the difference between winning, losing, or making up positions on the grid.”

Read the full story.

Essentium’s newest white paper outlines the advantages of carbon fiber reinforced composites

Carbon fiber reinforced composites formulated for AM provide the exceptional strength, durability, thermal stability, and stiffness that is customary in carbon fiber materials. The materials are also readily printable with a wide processing window, providing a highly accessible engineering-grade solution.

Download Essentium’s latest whitepaper to gain insights into:

• The material science of fiber-reinforced thermoplastics
• Filament formulation methods and material comparisons
• How carbon fiber reinforced filaments are beneficial for AM applications

For a limited time, download the white paper to retrieve a coupon for 15% off all Essentium carbon fiber-reinforced materials.

Type A530 at Formnext

The fabWeaver type A530, which focuses on a working prototype market, was soft-launched in November 2021 at Formnext. The fabWeaver team will return to Frankfurt to participate in the upcoming Formnext 2022 (November 15-18, Messe Frankfurt, Germany – booth # 12.1 E61).

Stop by the fabWeaver booth to learn more about the 3D prototyping workstation. Also, become a global fabWeaver reseller and you will have an opportunity with demo unit special pricing (limited to one per reseller).

If you are interested in a one-on-one appointment during the event, come to the booth at any time. At the show, you can test the machine and see the various kinds of samples using ASA, ABS, PLA, and RSA (reliable dissolvable material). Also, stop by for some useful giveaways from South Korea and to enjoy a special event that fabWeaver team has prepared for you.

For more information on the fabWeaver and 3D printing, click here.

Efficient, cost-effective 3D printing for aerospace

As 3D printing and AM become more advanced, aerospace companies have learned to view these technologies as essential to keeping their part and prototyping projects moving forward. 3D printing and AM can help resolve complex issues and cost-effectively manufacture highly specialized parts for airlines, satellites, and other aerospace technologies.

Quickparts’ extensive experience with additive and traditional manufacturing techniques, state-of-the-art facilities, and a wide range of materials and finishing options help our aerospace customers find the best choices for their projects. Learn more about our experience in manufacturing for the aerospace industry.

CATI is now GoEngineer

We are pleased to announce Computer Aided Technology has joined the GoEngineer family. “We are excited for CATI to join the GoEngineer organization. We have known the GoEngineer team for a long time and have always been impressed by their dedication to client service and their strong team with deep engineering expertise,” said Rich Werneth, president of CATI. “This combination will allow CATI and GoEngineer to better serve our customers and key technology partners across the U.S.”

GoEngineer has been at the forefront of technical innovation for over 35 years, helping engineering, manufacturing, and product design companies stay competitive. Our solutions portfolio contains products from Dassault Systemes and industry leaders in 3D printing, 3D scanning, and post-processing technology. We look forward to continuing to provide you with local, personalized service and access to thousands of training resources, on-demand support, customer portal access, mentoring sessions, and a unique interactive community for engagement with other engineers—now with a nationwide reach.

Read the full statement: Welcome Computer Aided Technology | GoEngineer

Tekna and Uniformity Labs sign agreement for the supply of titanium for laser powder bed fusion

Tekna will supply Ti64 -25/+5 and Ti64 -105/+45 to Uniformity Labs to produce its highly advanced titanium powders. This agreement will make available a critical North American supply source for Uniformity Labs and increase Tekna’s output capacity and efficiency.

“This agreement opens a critical North American material resource for us. The complementary nature of our businesses produces an economic benefit for our customers who gain through higher printer throughput and repeatability, and a supply chain security benefit from the use of materials produced entirely in North America.”, said Adam Hopkins, founder and CEO of Uniformity Labs.

The collaboration enables Tekna to optimize the use of its production yield, which Uniformity will process to produce its advanced titanium powder for L-PBF (laser powder bed fusion). Uniformity Labs’ technology helps customers realize substantial quality and efficiency improvements in additive and conventional manufacturing at scale. Their engineered powders and processes enable faster production of repeatable parts at higher density with no compromise in quality. Tekna powder atomization technology uses hydro-energy, and all process gasses are recycled in closed loops, achieving greener production. Together the companies will help industrial customers produce greener, more sustainable parts.

Furthermore, this supply agreement leverages both companies’ complimentary offers to the industry and clears the way for a growing collaboration between the two leaders.

Attend the HxGN LIVE Smart Simulation Summit

Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division will host its first HxGN LIVE Smart Simulation Summit on November 9 – 10, 2022. Hexagon thought leaders and domain specialists will reunite with customers, guests, and CAE industry experts to discover the latest developments in the design and engineering fields. Summit programming is inspired by the “shift to zero” prototypes movement and includes a keynote speaker, high-level plenary sessions, and user workshops. Five conference tracks cover top trends and applications in the simulation arena. The event will be held at The Management Education Center, Michigan State University, in Troy, Michigan.

This forum will present approaches to revolutionize product development through the convergence of software, workflows, and methodologies driven by performance-enabled simulation technology. MSC’s current software offerings for engineers will be discussed and demonstrated at sessions such as Dr. Kirk Roger’s presentation on process simulation and machine learning for AM.

For more information or to register for zero cost, visit here.

Visit EOS at IMTS 2022

Join EOS in Chicago for the largest and longest-running industry tradeshow in the western hemisphere, IMTS 2022. We will showcase our AM automation technology, the industrial AMCM M 290-2 1KW metal 3D printer, tooling applications leveraging AM, and our Additive Minds consulting & training portfolio.

Visit our booth #432302 to chat with EOS AM experts about your next application design, 3D printing material capabilities, and more. Whether you are just beginning your industrial 3D printing journey or looking to accelerate your AM program, EOS is ready to bring your production to the next level. If you would like to connect 1:1 at the show, schedule a meeting with our team to explore your AM possibilities.

Join us at the most influential manufacturing event of the year and visit booth #432302. We look forward to seeing you there.

Biocompatible material for easy printing of soft parts requiring very high rebound

Soft, rubber-like polymer materials are used across different industries. They can, however, be a challenge to print. With Addigy® P3001 for SLS, Covestro managed to overcome this: it prints easily on commonly available printers without typical side effects like odors. It can be post-processed using automated processes such as AMT PostPro3D. Re-use rate is at least 50%, with potential for further improvements.

Soft, flexible, and rubber-like, the TPC powder demonstrates 76% rebound resilience, one of the highest in AM, ideal for printing parts that should bounce and resist high-velocity impact or vibration. Applications include seals and gaskets, grips and handles, insulation, protective gear such as mouthguards, and footwear.

The SLS powder complies with the European Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC, as well as cytotoxicity (ISO 10993-5) and skin irritation and sensitization (ISO 10995-10) certification. It remains dimensionally stable under higher temperatures – ideal for parts that need to be cleaned in hot water.

Download Addigy P3001 product information.

Dyndrite’s Accelerated Computational Engine explained

The heart of any engine is its power. Unfortunately, most AM software sits on technology developed decades ago. As such, manufacturers don’t have the  power, freedom, and control to meet 21st-century challenges.

The Dyndrite Accelerated Computation Engine (ACE) changes that. As the world’s first GPU-powered geometry engine,  it opens up new computational geometry possibilities, such as generating geometry, rastering images, and computing spline operations at breakneck speed.

Hear more in this short clip.

More September news:

Sigma Additive Solutions, a leading provider of in-process quality assurance solutions to the AM industry, joined Dyndrite’s Development Council this month. The relationship aims to develop powerful new data tools for real-time in-process inspection to reduce costs and improve quality. Read press release.

Nexa3D launches QLS 820 thermoplastic AM platform

With the highest part throughput in its class, the QLS 820 thermoplastic 3D printer is designed for higher volume production manufacturing. The QLS 820 offers print speeds of up to 8L per hour and an average packing density of up to 20%, delivering, on average, up to 4X productivity gains over other powder-based polymer 3D printing systems.

The QLS 820 offers a wide temperature processing window, enabling the use of higher temperature plastics like PA 6 and PBT. With its large build volume of 350 x 350 x 400 mm, 50-200 micron Z resolution, and four 100 W CO₂ lasers, it is more powerful than any SLS system on the market.

Nexa3D is excited to partner with a major foundational customer, Quickparts, a global leader in on-demand manufacturing services.

The company will have its QLS 820 3D printer on display at IMTS 2022 in the  Additive Manufacturing Pavilion, Booth 432504.

Learn More

MEDIA SPONSOR NEWS

Report: AM plastic parts on track for $26b in revenues by 2030

SmarTech Analysis has released its first report detailing polymer 3D printed parts. Dubbed the Polymer Parts Produced: AM Applications Market Analysis, the study estimates the production volumes and resulting market values of polymer components made with AM. Due to the adoption of 3D printing for manufacturing across several verticals, SmarTech believes that polymer AM parts will represent $26 billion in revenues over the next ten years.

Read the news release.

Design & Engineering Summit

Digital Engineering presents its second virtual Design & Engineering Summit on October 6, 2022. Ryan McClelland, research engineer at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, will be on hand to discuss NASA’s digital manufacturing efforts, including the use of 3D printing and generative design, which enabled improvements in weight and stiffness for manufactured parts. The virtual conference will also feature a keynote on digital twins and Metaverse, as well as sessions on design sustainability, system-level simulation modeling, and engineering workstation recommendations. You can learn more and register here.

Turn to Make Parts Fast for news, education, and examples

Make Parts Fast covers the 3D printing/AM industry, delivering educational features, examples of how 3DP/AM solves various design challenges, and news of the industry for the professional mechanical and electrical design engineer.  The use of 3DP/AM is focused on the aerospace, automotive, industrial, and medical markets.

Get insights at www.makepartsfast.com.

AMUG, RAPID + TCT technology recap

The Summer 2022 issue of 3D Metal Printing, along with its editors, will be at FABTECH and IMTS. While doing the same at AMUG and RAPID + TCT earlier this year, our editors spied new MES (manufacturing execution system) and workflow software specifically for AM, new powder-metal formulations, and much more. 3DMP recaps these technology finds in the summer issue and online at 3DMPmag.com.

Expect more finds at IMTS and FABTECH, which 3DMP will highlight online and in our Fall 2022 issue, out in time for Formnext in November. See you at IMTS and FABTECH!

Have you checked out our Advertisers’ & Buyer’s Guide?

We can help you identify your next AM supplier! Every issue of Metal Additive Manufacturing magazine has a fully interactive Advertisers’ & Buyer’s Guide that lists products and services based on the following categories:

1. AM Machines
2. Process Monitoring & Calibration
3. Heat Treatment & Sintering
4. HIP Systems & Services
5. Pre & Post-Processing Technology
6. Powders, Powder Production and Analysis
7. Part Manufacturers
8. Consulting, Training & Market Data
9. Events & Courses

Want to know how you can become a part of this list? Send an email to Jon Craxford. For more unparalleled insight into the world of metal AM, sign up to our twice-weekly newsletter.

Additive and subtractive manufacturing: Complementary or rivals?

While more and more companies are opting for AM, subtractive manufacturing is still the most widely used method in industry. Meanwhile, 3D printing is currently mainly used to complement subtractive manufacturing methods. However, as the name suggests, unlike AM, these techniques remove material to produce a part of the desired size. They are now deployed in many industries, such as aeronautics, automotive, metallurgy, and more.

To explore, 3Dnatives took a closer look at the differences between subtractive and additive manufacturing as well as how they can be used to complement each other in this article.

RAPID + TCT call for papers now open

For over 30 years, RAPID + TCT has brought together many of the most influential industry figures to share their expert knowledge on the latest in design-to-manufacturing innovation.

This year’s edition will take place May 2-4, 2023, at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois, and organizers are now accepting conference abstracts focusing on case studies, research findings, and technical analysis.

Submissions are reviewed by RAPID + TCT event advisors and scored on originality, impartiality, aims of presentation, target audience, technical level, and takeaways. While all commercial presentations will be rejected, customer applications are encouraged and should be submitted by the end user.

We are calling on the entire AM community to ensure we have full representation and a diversity of voices for the program this year.

Submit your abstract by October 14, 2022.