AMUG Names Winners, Awards, Board

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG; Milwaukee, WI) announced the winners of their annual Technical Competition that was held during their 30th annual conference in St. Louis, MO. A panel of industry veterans selected Andrew Sliwa of Custom Prototypes and Ed Graham of ProtoCam as winners of the competition. Each received a complimentary admission to the 2019 AMUG Conference and a commemorative award.

Sliwa’s winning entry in the Advanced Finishing category was a stunning recreation of a Praetorian Guard helmet that, according to legend, Cleopatra gave to Mark Antony. Lost to time, his team built on research to create a digital model that fueled metal and polymer additive manufacturing processes. The metal pieces were painstakingly polished and plated in copper, nickel and gold. The jewels, which were printed in clear photopolymer, were dyed and painted to present the grains of precious stones. Showing prowess in additive manufacturing as well as finishing, Custom Prototypes printed each individual strand of the helmet’s crest and then dyed, plasticized and coated the plume before shaping it with hot air.

“The craftsmanship and attention to detail for all of the entries was outstanding,” said Mark Barfoot of Cimetrix Solutions, Inc., AMUG’s past president and overseer of the Technical Competition. “In the end, the judges named Andrew’s entry a winner because of the mix of processes, range of finishing methods and creativity in making the helmet’s crest.”

Ed Graham’s winning entry in the Advanced Concepts category was titled “Old world engineering gets an additive makeover.” That makeover solved a decade-old problem for Langhorne Carpets, which could not acquire replacements for the carpet loom drive assembly from circa-1930s machines. His team applied DFAM (design for additive manufacturing) practices to reduce weight and replicate 1,000 pilot holes while creating a modular assembly that allows replacement of individual components. The five-piece assemblies were then printed with HP’s Multi Jet Fusion and put into service. “The entries in the Advanced Concepts category addressed current, real-world challenges by leveraging additive manufacturing capabilities,” noted Barfoot. “Ed’s entry rose above all others because of the reverse engineering and redesign that improved on the 1930s design in ways unique to AM.”

For Advanced Concepts, Brain Douglass of DI Labs, Inc. took second place with a creative gasket installation tool. For third place, there was a tie between Austin Feathers of Barber-Nichols Inc., and Madeline Frank of UW-Milwaukee Prototyping Center. Feathers’ entry used a printed core structure for compression molding of a composite fan blade. Frank’s entry addressed a common problem with her one-piece-construction router chip vacuum. In the Advanced Finishing category, Dhemerae Ford of LaGuardia Studio (NYU IT Research) was awarded second place for “Thor: Goddess of Thunder Helmet.” Chris Keidl of Midwest Composite Technologies took third place with a scale model of the Simplicity Lawn Tractor. Judges for the Advanced Finishing category were Todd Reece, Jason Lopes, Bill Braun, Kim Killoran and Graham Tromans. Advanced Concepts judges included Kevin Zaras, Peter Liacouras, Ted Anderson, Gideon Levy and Jim Harrison.

During their annual Awards Banquet, AMUG presented eight DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator)  Awards that recognized industry veterans for years of experience, contributions to the additive manufacturing industry, and active support of the users group. The newly named DINOs are:

• Andy Christensen, Somaden LLC
• Rey Chu, PADT, Inc.
• Douglas Greenwood, Fleet Readiness Center East
• Steve Hanna, 3D Systems
• Rick Pressley, Renaissance Services, Inc.
• Andrew Sliwa, Custom Prototypes, Inc.
• Fried Vancraen, Materialise
• Pat Warner, Renault Sport Formula One

“There were many candidates that had the tenure suited for this coveted award. However, that is just one criteria. To be a DINO, one must also give back to the industry and support AMUG,” explained Paul Bates, the manager of UL’s Additive Manufacturing Competency Center. “These eight individuals rose above all others because of what they have done and what they have achieved.” The new DINOs have been advocates and early adopters of AM in the medical, aerospace, motorsports and defense industries, among others. Their efforts behind the scenes and from the public stage have advanced the technology and the applications that leverage its capabilities. Through direct contributions and corporate support, all have had a hand in making the conference a positive experience for those seeking insights and information. Over its 30-year history, the organization has awarded only 149 DINOs. Although there are many deserving of the recognition, they limit this prestigious award to no more than ten individuals each year.

In related news, the 2018-2019 board was selected during the annual business meeting held at the conference. Bates was re-elected as the group’s president. He has six years of service with AMUG and has previously held the positions of the deputy vice president and vice president. “The impact of these individuals on the AM industry and on the success of the users group is awe-inspiring,” he said. “It was my honor to share the stage with this incredible group of individuals that have worked towards a common cause: success with additive manufacturing.” Recognizing Bate’s second term, members supported the continuation of Barfoot’s position as past president. In the role of vice president, members re-elected Jamie Cone of BD and Carl Dekker of Met-L-Flo. Tom Sorovetz of FCA was re-elected to the position of event manager.

Secretary Kim Killoran opted to step down after filling this position for five years. To replace her, members elected Leslie Frost of GE Additive. Killoran noted that she will continue to work with the board in a supporting role. Candidates for the appointed positions of chairman, treasurer, and AM industry advisor were proposed and accepted by the incoming board. With these appointments, the 2018- 2019 board members are:

• President: Paul Bates, UL
• Past President: Mark Barfoot, Cimetrix Solutions
• Vice President: Carl Dekker, Met-L-Flo
• Vice President: Jamie Cone, BD
• Event Manager: Tom Sorovetz, FCA
• Secretary: Leslie Frost, GE Additive
• Chairman: Gary Rabinovitz, Reebok
• Treasurer: Vince Anewenter, Milwaukee School of Engineering
• AM Industry Advisor: Todd Grimm, T. A. Grimm & Associates

The board’s responsibilities will include building the program for the 2019 conference, soliciting support from businesses in the AM industry, and overseeing the event’s day-to-day activities. The five-day conference will include a two-night exhibitor expo, hands-on workshops, instructional sessions, technical presentations, and an awards banquet gala. The 2019 conference will be held in Chicago, IL, from March 31-April 4.

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