Page 4 - 3DMP Summer 2022

3D EDITORIAL Propelled by Passion
By Louis A. Kren
As we go to press, word comes that David McCullough, who penned a
trove of weighty works on leading figures and seminal events in Ameri-
can history, has died. In a lifetime of unearthing the quotes of others, McCullough deliv- ered one of his own that has particular resonance here: “Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love.”
The passion alluded by McCullough was on full display this past spring at the AMUG 2022 Conference and at RAPID + TCT. I’ve covered various industries over 34 years in publishing, and the fact is, AM just hits differently—a palpable sense of enthusiasm and eagerness to propel technologies and applications. This issue offers numerous examples.
“We bought an Arcam S12 electron beam melting machine in 2006,” said Andy Christensen, founder of Medical Modeling Inc., at AMUG, (see page 13). “(North Carolina State University, which installed the first S12 and enabled the machine’s ability to print titanium) was doing cool work and I thought, ‘gosh, this is amazing!’ We do a lot of personalized things, and here’s a machine that allows us to make a metal part on a one-off basis. This is perfect.”
The buy opened the door for titanium-AM medical applications at Medical Modeling and helped usher in metal AM as a viable commercial technology.
Also propelling the technology: the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology (CCAT)(see page 20). The key services CCAT and its Advanced Technology Center provide help manufactur- ers transform and become early adopters of new technology.
Says Dr. Jackie Garofano, CCAT’s chief technology officer: “Our mission has evolved consider- ably, as we listen to industry and its needs, and respond by helping manufacturers identify tech- nologies that can help them grow.”
Near CCAT, at the University of Connecticut’s Pratt & Whitney Additive Manufacturing Center, director Dr. Rainer Hebert and his team take on many U.S. military projects, including steel-AM work for the U.S. Navy.
“The Navy really has gotten behind AM,” Hebert shares in the same article, “and expects its suppliers to follow suit, and we’re positioned to help them get there.”
Find more examples as the AM community convenes again this fall at IMTS in Chicago, IL (see page 11).
“IMTS visitors will see AM solutions for production and high-volume part applications, tool- ing, workholding and fixturing that improve performance, lower lifecycle costs, and help reshore production,” says Peter R. Eelman, vice president and chief experience officer at AMT, the event organizer. “They’ll also be able to meet people pushing the boundaries of AM.”
Compared with other mature, traditional technologies, 3D printing still is a bit wobbly, look- ing to stand and purposefully stride forward. Braced by the
knowhow and enthusiasm of players such as those above, I
predict a future for AM of stabilization and growth, eventually
© 2022 by PMA Services Inc. 6363 Oak Tree Blvd. Independence, OH 44131 216/901-8800 • www.3DMPmag.com
PMA President
David C. Klotz
dklotz@pma.org
Vice President of Sales/Publisher
Michael C. Vohland
mvohland@pma.org
Editorial Director
Brad F. Kuvin
bkuvin@3DMPmag.com
Senior Editor
Louis A. Kren
lkren@3DMPmag.com
Editorial Manager
Marlene F. O’Brien
mobrien@pma.org
Art Director
Nikki Formica
nformica@pma.org
Production Manager
Susan Cubranich
scubranich@pma.org
Circulation Manager
Melody Berendt
mberendt@pma.org
Marketing Manager
Drew Gutierrez
dgutierrez@pma.org
Sales Staff
Damon Wolf
Sales Manager/Midwest U.S., Western U.S., New England, PA, NY, NJ and Canada 216/901-8800 | 216/357-8534 dwolf@pma.org
Michael C. Vohland
Michigan mvohland@pma.org
Bob West
South Atlantic, South Central 678/377-5749 metalform_bobwest@msn.com
Mark Fortuna
IA, IL, IN, MN, WI 773/531-8780 | mfortuna@pma.org
Ilene Schwartz
Inside SalesI 216/901-8800 | ischwartz@pma.org
All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is strictly prohibited.
An official publication of
into a mainstream technology. And perhaps someday, a future McCullough will chronicle the success enabled by those who found their lifework in the work that they love.
Senior Editor lkren@3DMPmag.com
EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD
Mark Barfoot, Director of AM Programs, EWI
Michael Celardo, VP, Business Development and Engineering, Cumberland Additive
Todd Grimm, founder and president of T. A. Grimm & Associates, Inc.
Sherry Handel, Executive Director, Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association
Cullen Hilkene,
CEO, 3Diligent
Lindsay Lewis,
Marketing Manager, Sintavia
Tim Simpson, Paul Morrow
Professor of Engineering Design and Manufacturing, Penn State University
Shannon VanDeren, president, Layered Manufacturing and Consulting
2 | 3D METAL PRINTING • SUMMER 2022 3DMPmag.com