In 2014 ASME, a global professional organization, launched a unique four day “Advanced Design and Manufacturing Impact Forum” initiative to share the latest developments in design and manufacturing.
This year ASME is offering two conferences promoting advanced manufacturing: North American Additive Manufacturing + 3D Printing Conference (AM3D) to be held in Boston, MassachusettsUSA, August 2-5, 2015 and the Additive Manufacturing + 3D Printing Conference & Exposition to be held in India, April 2015.
We caught up with Timothy W. Simpson, Ph.D., professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Penn State University and the co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D), to learn more about the upcoming AM3D conference in Boston in an exclusive AMazing® Q&A conversation.
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AMazing®: Dr. Simpson, thank you for your participation. Last year’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Impact Forum centered on communicating breakthroughs in design and manufacturing, particularly with respect to additive manufacturing (AM). As the additive manufacturing industry is rapidly evolving, how will this year’s Additive Manufacturing + 3D Printing Conference & Expo (AM3D) differ from last year’s Advanced Design and Manufacturing Impact Forum?
Dr. Simpson: This year’s conference is going to be more focused on the engineering behind additive manufacturing and how it is helping advance manufacturing in the United States. There’s a lot of hype out there about 3D printing and additive manufacturing, and we are assembling a wide ranging list of speakers that will help inform the audience so that they have a better sense of what additive manufacturing can really do – and cannot do.
Thanks to our Executive Advisory Committee and great partnership with America Makes, we’ve assembled an impressive line-up of speakers from big name companies such as Autodesk, GE, Honeywell, Schlumberger, and Zeiss as well as new firms and start-ups helping companies determine when AM is right for them.
AMazing®: As we understand the poster committee for AM3D Boston is currently accepting poster abstracts from individuals interested in sharing their research and innovations. What types of abstract topics are encouraged? When is the submission deadline?
Dr. Simpson: We are using the poster session to provide an alternate venue at the conference for companies to share their experiences with additive manufacturing (AM). We are encouraging submissions that deal with Design for AM, AM product qualification, AM process breakthroughs and material advancements, and of course, new applications of AM, including new business models for AM. Currently, the deadline is April 1, but that is likely to slide closer to the end of April so that we have more time to spread the word and get good posters for the session.
AMazing®: With regard to the conference’s technical sessions, what issues will be addressed? Will there be any special sessions like last year’s innovation or entrepreneurship to help businesses with commercialization of additive technologies?
Dr. Simpson: We took a “what does it mean to me?” approach and organized the program around the product development process to highlight issues and challenges associated with AM at each step along the way – making the business case, selecting parts for AM, designing for AM, material considerations, process advancements, and inspection/quality control issues.
We then sprinkled case studies and applications throughout the program, mixing presentations and panel discussions to encourage audience participation. And yes, we’ll touch on innovations and new business models that enable entrepreneurship and lead to commercialization of AM. In fact, we’ll be hearing from start-ups like FormLabs about their experiences commercializing a new low-cost stereolithography system for 3D printing applications.
AMazing®: Technical advances are always fascinating and a critical aspect for a thriving industry. Are there any technical advances generating pre-conference buzz?
Dr. Simpson: Every day seems to bring a new advancement in 3D printing that generates new buzz for AM, whether it be low-cost prostheses or high-end aerospace components. GE and Local Motors keep making waves in AM, and people are still talking about the 3D printed car that was made at IMTS last year. We aren’t planning anything that spectacular at AM3D this first year, but we are certainly engaging folks at AMT (the Association for Manufacturing Technology) and reaching out to contacts at Local Motors and Oak Ridge National Laboratory to start similar discussions.
In the meantime, we hope that ASME’s IAM3D Challenge (https://www.asme.org/events/competitions/iam3d-challenge) will attract a lot of attention from the participants and provide as much excitement as it did last year.
AMazing®: What opportunities are available for individuals that are unable to attend the Additive Manufacturing + 3D Printing Conference & Expoto learn about the conference sessions and technical abstracts?
Dr. Simpson: ASME is currently looking into video-recording every session so that it can be available to individuals that are unable to attend AM3D. The AM3D website is also a good source of information (https://www.asme.org/events/am3d/), and I encourage everyone to check it regularly for the latest updates on speakers, presentations, and exhibitors.
AMazing®: Many industry insiders expect the global additive manufacturing market to grow significantly in the next few years. How will ASME’s advanced manufacturing initiatives evolve to meet the growing needs of the professional market? What do you hope to see?
Dr. Simpson: Additive manufacturing is changing every aspect of product development—how we design products, how we make them, and how we qualify them—and ASME is a recognized leader in nearly all of these areas. Their advanced manufacturing initiatives, like AM3D, will bring leading experts, researchers, and practitioners together to help engineers and designers better understand what these technologies mean to them and how they will impact not only their day-to-day work but also their job and their career. Additive manufacturing is leading the revival of manufacturing, but other technologies (e.g., robotics, smart factories, the Internet of Things) will continue to advance and transform the landscape of manufacturing, and ASME is well positioned to help people navigate this rapidly changing landscape.
This concludes our interview. Thank you very much Dr. Simpson for your participation. We are inspired and very appreciative of the opportunity to learn about ASME’s Additive Manufacturing + 3D Printing initiatives.
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Bio About Dr. Timothy W. Simpson
Timothy W. Simpson, Ph.D. is a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering at Penn State University and the co-director of the Center for Innovative Materials Processing through Direct Digital Deposition (CIMP-3D), a DARPA-funded manufacturing demonstration facility for additive manufacturing (www.cimp-3d.org). His research and teaching interests include product family and product platform design, design innovation and entrepreneurship, and additive manufacturing, and he has authored more than 250 technical publications and edited 2 textbooks in these areas.
Dr. Simpson has received over $25M in funding to support his research from the National Science Foundation, Office of Naval Research, National Institute of Standards & Technology, and DARPA among others, and he has collaborated on projects with a variety of companies, including Bayer Material Science, Boeing, GE, GM, LG, Proctor & Gamble, Schlumberger, United Launch Alliance, United Technologies, and Volvo. He is a Fellow of ASME and an Associate Fellow in AIAA, and he has been honored by the 2014 ASME Ben C. Sparks Award and the 2011 ASEE Fred Merryfield Design Award. He serves on ASME’s Design Engineering Division Executive Committee and ASME’s Design, Manufacturing, and Materials Segment Leadership Team.
In 2014, Dr. Simpson helped established ASME’s new 3D Printing Design Challenge (IAM3D), which drew 60 international participants in its first year. He also served on the Executive Advisory Committee for ASME’s Advanced Design & Manufacturing Impact Forum in 2014, and he is currently the Chair for the Executive Advisory Committee for AM3D. He received his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Georgia Tech, and his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University.
About ASME
ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. www.asme.org
ASME Event Program Management Contact:
Israr Kabir
Tel: 1.212.591-8374
kabirI@asme.org
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