AMSC Virtual Event on Additive Manufacturing Standardization to Highlight Inspection, Monitoring to Meet Regulatory Requirements

Registration is now open for a December 8 America Makes and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) virtual event on Inspection/Monitoring to Meet Regulatory Requirements: Additive Manufacturing (AM) Standardization. A draft agenda is also available, with the program featuring a morning session on applied research, industry standards, guidance documents, and/or conformance programs, especially for in-situ process monitoring or nondestructive evaluation (NDE), to meet regulatory requirements of additively manufactured parts. An afternoon panel discussion will focus on issues or gaps that exist related to inspection/ monitoring (in-situ or NDE) to facilitate certification of AM parts. Attendee advance registration is required by December 3. Speakers will be registered automatically.

The December 8 meeting is the latest in a series of events hosted by the America Makes and ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC) to further develop and refine the AMSC Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing, last published in June 2018. The AMSC was established in 2016 to coordinate and accelerate the development of standards and specifications needed to grow the additive manufacturing industry. The group continues to track work by standards developing organizations and others to address the recommendations identified in the roadmap.

“We are pleased to bring together a dynamic group of subject matter experts to talk about cutting edge research and standardization activity for additive manufacturing in different sectors,” said Brandon Ribic, America Makes technology director.

“Together with our partner, America Makes, ANSI has been leveraging the virtual event format to present the latest developments in additive manufacturing standardization and R&D. We look forward to another informative dialogue,” said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO .

For more information, visit www.ansi.org/amsc.

ASTM International Acquires Wohlers Associates

Global standards organization ASTM International announced the acquisition of Wohlers Associates, a global intelligence leader in the additive manufacturing (AM) and 3D printing industry. The announcement coincided with the Standards Forum at Formnext 2021, which serves as the leading trade show for AM and next-generation intelligent manufacturing solutions.

As part of the acquisition, ASTM International acquires the Wohlers Report, the premier publication for the AM industry, along with intelligence briefs, specialized reports, training in design for AM, and consulting services.

“We are thrilled to welcome Wohlers Associates to the ASTM family,” notes Katharine Morgan, ASTM International president. “Wohlers has been a trusted source of intelligence and analysis for the AM community for more than 30 years and I am excited to see what our two trusted and credible brands can accomplish together for this industry.”

Morgan looks forward to combining the Wohlers Report, and the full portfolio of products and services from Wohlers Associates, with the work of ASTM’s members and the AM Center of Excellence (CoE). This alignment will result in new possibilities for business intelligence, advice, and resources in the global AM community.

Moving forward, the Fort Collins, Colorado company will do business as Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International. Terry Wohlers, the organization’s principal consultant and president, will join ASTM International and serve as head of additive manufacturing market intelligence. Also, Noah Mostow of Wohlers Associates will become ASTM’s new manager of AM market intelligence and analytics. Both will serve under ASTM’s AM CoE.

“I could not be more excited about joining the world-class team at ASTM International,” Wohlers said. “Through ASTM, we can now accept more projects than in the past and our advisory services team is now larger than ever. We are glad ASTM has made a commitment to publishing the report for years to come.”

Wohlers adds that he is confident ASTM International will maintain the quality, neutrality, and value customers have come to expect from the Wohlers Report, which has been the undisputed, industry-leading publication on AM for 26 years.

The acquisition supports ASTM’s growth vision and investment to expand its footprint in the AM industry with robust AM programs, services, and product offerings. These offerings now include market intelligence and technical and strategic advisory services on the latest developments and trends in AM. They complement existing ASTM programs and services to support the industrialization of AM technologies. Future editions of the Wohlers Report are expected to be integrated into ASTM’s flagship product Compass, an online subscription platform.

ASTM will leverage the existing Wohlers brand and build on its market influence and access to top AM industry decision-makers worldwide. The acquisition is expected to bring new value to many industries, thus enabling wider adoption of AM products and services.

For more information, visit www.wohlersassociates.com or www.amcoe.org.

NAM: This Moment and the Transformational Change It Will Bring About Has Been Decades in the Making

Following the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, National Association of Manufacturers President and CEO Jay Timmons released this statement:

"This moment and the transformational change it will bring about has been decades in the making. Manufacturers commend Congress for coming together to pass this historic, bipartisan legislation. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act makes America stronger, with a promise to renew and revitalize our nation’s physical infrastructure, improving productivity and quality of life for everybody—and without raising taxes or jeopardizing economic growth and manufacturing jobs.

"Failure to invest has been a drain on America’s economy, costing families and businesses significant time and money. This type of investment will enable us to continue to grow our economy and get started on building the world-class infrastructure that will enable us to lead through this century and into the next."

For more information, visit www.nam.org.

America Makes Announces Winners of Rapid Innovation Call

America Makes announced the winners of the recent Rapid Innovation Call (RIC) for projects worth $500K in total funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Manufacturing and Industrial Base Technology Division, to further advance the maturation of additive manufacturing (AM) technologies.

The topics for the RIC were announced in August during America Makes’ Technical Review and Exchange and represent a concerted effort by the Institute and its members to strategically prioritize investment in technical topics that will best help shape the industry’s direction.

“The America Makes membership community is truly working together to drive the direction we take to mature and advance AM technologies,” said Dr. Brandon Ribic, America Makes technology director. “We are excited to see our membership come forth with projects that will produce outcomes with real impacts addressing critical areas of need, helping to further advance additive technology.”

The projects are expected to be completed in May 2022 with project data made available to America Makes members.  

Below is the list of RIC award winners and related topics:

Understanding Build Interruptions via AM Monitoring Methods

Ohio State University - Quantifying the effects of build interruptions through in-process monitoring and mechanical test

AM Part Families for Product Q&C

ASTM – Best Practices for Additive Manufacturing Part Families Relating to Product Qualification and Certification

Defect Detection and Mitigation via Hybrid AM

Open Additive - Defect Detection and Mitigation via Selective Laser Ablation & Melting (SLAM)

Defect Detection and Mitigation via Hybrid AM

Pennsylvania State University - Hybrid Additive Manufacturing Error Recognition and Resolution (HAMERR)

Advancing Lightweight Design for AM of Thin Walls and Struts

Ohio State University – Metal Lattice Design, Testing, and Application Study

For more information, visit www.americamakes.us.

New Technology, Innovative Exhibits, Education, Networking Featured at 4th Biennial Quality Show

Big Data, Industry 4.0, Robotics, and Machine Learning were the focus of the recent Quality Show that was held October 26-28 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, IL. Thousands of Quality Managers, Quality Engineers, Corporate Management, and Manufacturing Engineers explored the latest in inspection, process improvement, and metrology. The trade show and conference, produced by BNP Media, publishers of Quality Magazine, offered new products from nearly 100 exhibiting companies, an insightful keynote presentation and dozens of education sessions as well as networking on the show floor and at an evening networking reception.  

“We thank our exhibitors, attendees, sponsors, and partners in supporting our efforts to have a safe in-person event for the industry. It was inspiring for the industry to once again be able to gather to see the newest equipment, technology and solutions on the show floor,” said Buck Bicek, publisher of Quality Magazine. “Our exhibitors were happy to have the opportunity to meet with decision makers from leading companies such as Caterpillar Inc., GE Aviation, Honda Development and Manufacturing, Ingersoll Rand, Lockheed Martin, Mitsubishi Chemical, Siemens, and hundreds of others.

Highlights of the event included:

• The exhibit hall floor had 95 exhibitors including Gold Sponsor Zeiss; Silver Sponsor BSI and Bronze Sponsor InnovMetric. 73% of the 2021 show exhibitors renewed their booth space on-site for the 2023 Show scheduled for October 24-26, 2023 in Rosemont, IL.

• Charlie Mitchell, manufacturing engineer, Andretti Autosport delivered the keynote presentation and discussed continuous improvement and speed of manufacturing parts from concept to reality while maintaining quality, inspection, and traceability of critical components in the racing world.
• Prior to the keynote address Quality Magazine presented Navin S. Dedhia, retired quality management professional with 40 years of industry experience with IBM and Hitachi GST with the Professional of the Year Award, recognizing his outstanding contributions to the quality profession. The editors also presented Electromed with the Plant of the Year Award, for their world-class quality technology, equipment, services, and techniques that improve quality standards.
• Over a dozen exhibitors demonstrated their company's expertise related to the latest technological advances in Quality in the Learning Theaters in the Exhibit Hall. Subject matter experts from ASQ Inspection Division, BSI, Coordinate Metrology Society, Digital Metrology Standards Consortium (DMSC), Discus Software Company, ETQ, IDS Imaging Development Systems Inc., Integro Technologies, Mahr Inc., Management & Performance Systems, Met-L-Flo, Parsons Corporation, PolyWorks USA, The Starrett Company, Tooling U-SME, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Veeva Systems, and ZEISS Industrial Quality Solutions shared their knowledge with the attendees.
• The Measurement Zone, a new feature to the floor, hosted by the Coordinate Metrology Society, offered attendees hands-on engagement with the latest cutting-edge coordinate metrology measuring equipment. Attendees has an opportunity to work with applications engineers to explore and learn the functionality, methodology, and best practices of each tool.
• Attendees and exhibitors enjoyed two networking receptions including the Welcome Reception in the exhibit hall and the Pub Night Reception, which was shared with the participants of the ASSEMBLY Show and sponsored by ASG.

The Quality Show is produced by Quality (www.qualitymag.com), the leading resource for manufacturing professionals focused on quality assurance and process improvement. Quality’s cutting-edge multi-media platform includes an eMagazine, eNewsletters, webinars, social media, video, and more. The Quality Show is produced by BNP Media (www.bnpmedia.com), one of the country's leading business-to-business media companies serving industry professionals across 60+ industries through magazines, custom media, e-newsletters, webinars, events, and market research. For more information, visit www.qualityshow.com.

The Vision Show Returns to Boston in 2022

The Vision Show from the Association for Advancing Automation (A3) returns to Boston October 11-13, 2022, for the first time since 2018. The Vision Show is North America’s leading machine vision and imaging showcase, featuring the latest advancements in vision, imaging, sensing, machine learning, and embedded technologies, while offering real-world solutions to manufacturing and automation challenges.

The Vision Show will be collocated with the Autonomous Mobile Robot & Logistics Conference, also presented by A3, at the Hynes Convention Center. A3’s most recent event on this topic was held in Memphis, TN, in October and was sponsored by FedEx.

“Vision and imaging systems are essential to helping companies solve challenges in manufacturing, logistics, food & beverage, the medical field, agriculture, and a range of other industries,” said Jeff Burnstein, A3 president. “The Vision Show is where attendees will find solutions for using the latest vision and imaging technologies to boost productivity, improve product quality, and reduce manufacturing costs.”

The Vision Show conference agenda will feature the new Certified Vision Professional (CVP) courses.  Both the CVP-Basic and CVP-Advanced courses have refreshed material presented by experienced industry professionals and culminate in the basic and advanced certification exams. Other conference sessions will focus on:

• How to get started with vision
• How to work with system integrators
• Global standards
• Advances in vision cameras
• Machine learning and artificial intelligence applications

Major keynotes will be announced soon.

The Vision Show draws over 3,000 attendees from more than 45 countries, ranging from users of vision, sensing, and imaging technologies to system integrators and manufacturers of mobile and collaborative robots, artificial intelligence programs, augmented reality systems, and more.

More than 140 exhibitors are expected to participate, allowing attendees to meet with key suppliers, learn about the newest technology innovations, and find practical solutions that can be implemented immediately.

The Vision Show Startup competition highlights the industry’s most innovative young companies in machine vision who are competing for the spotlight and a cash award. Additionally, the International Vision Standards booth contains hardware demonstrations of global vision standards and offers the opportunity to talk with experts about how these standards improve their systems.

For more information, visit https://www.visionshow.org/.

America Makes, ANSI Standardization Announce Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing

America Makes and the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the availability of a Gaps Progress Report tracking efforts by standards developing organizations (SDOs) and others to address the gaps identified in the Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing (version 2.0, June 2018), published by the America Makes and ANSI Additive Manufacturing Standardization Collaborative (AMSC).

The AMSC is a cross-sector coordinating body established in 2016 whose objective is to accelerate the development of industry-wide additive manufacturing standards and specifications consistent with stakeholder needs. The Standardization Roadmap for Additive Manufacturing, developed with contributions from more than 300 individuals from 175 public- and private-sector organizations, lists published standards, those being developed, and others that are needed to help grow the additive manufacturing industry. It identifies 93 gaps where no published standard or specification currently exists to respond to a particular industry need. The roadmap also flags 65 of these gaps as requiring pre-standardization research and development (R&D).

The gaps progress report was compiled by ANSI staff based on inputs from SDOs, subject matter experts, alert mechanisms, and independent research. It lists newly published standards and new standards projects, alongside suggestions for future roadmap modifications. The report is not a consensus document but rather is intended to serve as a “living document” that will be maintained and periodically re-published as standards development work continues or until such time as the AMSC undertakes to develop a next version of its standardization roadmap.

For more information, email amsc@ansi.org.

Autonomous Mobile Robots & Logistics Conference Shatters Record

The Association for Advancing Automation (A3) returned to live events in October, hosting the Autonomous Mobile Robots & Logistics Conference, in Memphis, TN. More than 650 people attended, 50% higher than the number that attended the 2019 pre-pandemic AMR event, demonstrating the surging interest in mobile robotics, distribution, material handling, and e-commerce automation technologies.

A3 also announced it will host an in-person Autonomous Mobile Robots & Logistics Conference in Boston October 11-13, 2022.

The conference exhibit hall featured 60 exhibitors, doubling the 2019 exhibit numbers. The show floor was buzzing with connections between attendees and prominent suppliers of AMR and logistics automation technology. FedEx, the Memphis-based, global transportation and technology leader, was the title sponsor of this conference.

“The demand for mobile robots has clearly been on the rise, but the growth and potential for widespread success across all industries was never more evident than at last week’s conference,” said Ed Mullen, VP of sales, Americas, Mobile Industrial Robots (MiR). “Being back in person for the first time--interacting with hundreds of potential customers, fellow vendors and other industry influencers--was both exciting and motivating. A3 organized a fantastic show resulting in valuable leads, and we look forward to coming together again for the next one.”

Leaders in the industry shared their insights across more than 25 educational sessions, and attendees had the opportunity to see and interact with Spot, the agile, dog-like mobile robot from Boston Dynamics.

The Autonomous Mobile Robot & Logistics Digital Hub, virtual access to conference content featured at the event, is open now. Registrants can view sessions and roundtable discussions, see interviews with leading AMR and automation suppliers, learn about the latest technologies, and experience virtual demonstrations.

“It’s abundantly clear the demand for AMRs in automation is growing,” said Jeff Burnstein, A3 president . “The attendance numbers and the success of this conference demonstrated how much the automation industry is hungry for this growing technology. We’re launching the Digital Hub to make as much of the critical information presented in Memphis available to the widest audience possible. We’re excited to deliver another powerful resource to the automation community.”

Registration information will be coming soon. The Automate Show & Conference in Detroit June 6-9 will also feature AMR technologies and vendors.

For information on speaking, exhibiting, sponsoring or attending, contact A3 at events@automate.org.