AMUG 2019: recap of all the reveals at the event!

AMUG 2019, also called Additive Manufacturing Users Group, took place this week from March 31st to April 4th in Chicago, Illinois. The conference has its roots in the early 1990s when the founders of the Users Group were still called 3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group and focused solely on the SLA technology. Today, AMUG supports users of all additive manufacturing technologies for rapid prototyping and rapid manufacturing. AMUG 2019 had nearly 100 different sponsors from all over the world and big names such as Stratasys, Carbon, Desktop Metal, HP, and GE Additive, among many others were sure to attend.

Presentations at AMUG 2019

The “largest and best AMUG” to date had a supporting programme filled with various presentations, workshops and competitions. One of the keynote speakers was Brad Keselowski, a NASCAR driver and founder of Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing (KAM), where he presented “Winning the Manufacturing Race”. On Wednesday, the most important presentation was the Innovators Showcase, which consisted of a stage interview giving deeper insights into the personal stories of leading AM players. Yesterday, LAIKA’s Director of Rapid Prototype, Brian McLean, talked about how plastic 3D printing helped produce stop-motion animation in his “The Art and Science behind LAIKA’s Oscar Award Winning 3D Printing Process” presentation.

BigRep revealed its new BigRep PRO machine

At AMUG 2019, the German manufacturer of large-format FDM machines, BigRep took the opportunity to present its new fully automated and IoT-integrated, 5G networked 3D printer: the BigRep PRO. The PRO printer was inspired by the manufacturer’s previous well-known models, the ONE and STUDIO 3D printers. As BigRep explained at the show the PRO is an expert machine, engineered to equip companies with advanced technology to print large objects with industrial-grade materials.