MT Magazine March/April 2024

THE STORY OF STRATI: 3D PRINTING A CAR AT IMTS 2014, A GROUP FROM INDUSTRY, GOVERNMENT, TECH, AND AMT CAME TOGETHER TO DO SOMETHING THAT HAD NEVER BEEN DONE.

THE OPPORTUNITIES ARE THERE. ARE YOU READY? by Douglas K. Woods | 01 WHAT’S NEXT FOR ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING by Peter Eelman | 21 WHAT A RIDE: INVESTMENT TRENDS IN ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING by Dayton Horvath | 25

by Gary S. Vasilash | 13

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PUBLICATION

MARCH/APRIL 2024 THE ADDITIVE ISSUE VOLUME 3 | ISSUE 2

MFG 2024 APRIL 24-26, 2024 • ORLANDO, FLORIDA MANUFACTURING FOR GROWTH

Join us for The MFG Meeting on April 24-26, 2024, at Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek to grow your network, your business, and your leadership. Grow Your Network The MFG Meeting is the premier gathering of C-suite leaders from the manufacturing technology community. Meet other industry leaders and build partnerships that last. Grow Your Business From key speakers covering a wide range of business topics to best-in-class networking opportunities, find the solutions you need to adapt to change and stay ahead of the market. Grow Your Leadership Learn from industry luminaries and gain firsthand knowledge of proven strategies that will inspire, motivate, and drive success within your organization.

A VIEW FROM THE WOODS

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The Opportunities Are There. Are You Ready?

Although we hear a lot from economists about what’s going to happen – and trust me, we at AMT have an economic staff and have relationships with some of the leading economists in the world – I’ve got to admit that I am probably more bullish about the outlook for manufacturing in the next three to

integration, they still strongly depend on suppliers. But those suppliers must be ready and responsive in ways that are far from the way things have “always been done.” What’s more, given the geopolitical situation that exists, including wars in the Middle East and Central Europe, increasing tensions with China, as well as challenges like shipping because of an insufficiency of water in the Panama Canal and missiles in the Gulf of Aden, there is and will continue to be an increase in the amount of manufacturing once done somewhere else in the world returning to the United States. All of which means there are opportunities for manufacturing companies, but these opportunities don’t come without some costs, as in having the capabilities – in people and technology – necessary to be able to take this work on. There could be a tendency among some manufacturing managers at companies to position themselves in a way that they think might be appealing to the DOD or a new product producer through bringing in cobots or additive equipment or artificial intelligence or something else that sounds “high tech.” Don’t get me wrong: I am wholly supportive of companies adding new manufacturing technology – but only if it makes sense. Only if it solves a specific problem or set of problems. Only if it contributes to productivity – and profitability. Certainly, the top shops in the country have leading-edge technology on their floors. But this equipment was deliberately acquired, installed, and used on a regular basis. It contributes to sales growth and earnings growth. Yes, getting a contract for a new project may require a capability that a company doesn’t have. But unless that new capability is understood and there’s someone on staff who is able to effectively use it, then it may amount to little more than a capital expense unlikely to be recouped. There is a lot of work to be done as the country reclaims production that it has lost and rebuilds capabilities that have aged. There are also the manufacturing technologies that can be used to the advantage of the producer and for the purchaser – if that technology is used to drive productivity and create value. Admittedly, this can be challenging to assess. So, to that end, this is one of the reasons AMT exists: We offer the ways and means to help you make the necessary technical transition through our events like IMTS, Formnext, and SPS; our MFG Meeting and MTForecast conferences; and our researchers and analysts.

10 years than many of the forecasters I’ve heard of late. For example, consider this from the Department of Defense’s “National Defense Industrial Strategy” report that was published late last year: “We need to shift from policies rooted in the 20th century that supported a narrow defense industrial base, capitalized on the DOD as the monopsony power, and promoted either/ or tradeoffs between cost, speed, and scale. We need to build a modernized industrial ecosystem that includes the traditional defense contractors … and also includes innovative new technology developers; academia; research labs; technical centers; manufacturing centers of excellence; service providers; government-owned, contractor-operated (GOCO) facilities; and finance streams, especially private equity and venture capital.” What is clear from that passage is a need for existing U.S. manufacturers – including those who have never done work for the DOD – to become involved in bringing capacities, capabilities, and resources to producing the equipment the country needs in an effective and innovative manner. To put this into some specific context, the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base (SIB) is tasked with building one Columbia-class and two Virginia-class submarines each year for the next decade. The SIB estimates that to accomplish its mission, the two prime shipbuilders and the more than 16,000 suppliers will increase their workload by a factor of five. This means, for one thing, that the suppliers are going to need advanced manufacturing capabilities to accomplish this work. It also means a huge increase in workers to get the job done. This has led to the creation of the BlueForge Alliance (BFA), a nonprofit that is working to help the industrial base get the manufacturing technologies, workers, and other resources needed for this task. Just to get a sense of how things are being done differently by the BFA, know that its recruiting website, BuildSubmarines.com, is using ZipRecruiter to help workers find jobs and employers workers – certainly not an approach that would have been taken even a few years ago. And there are other opportunities that are available for manufacturers that aren’t simply based on DOD needs. Consider the growth in sectors ranging from aerospace (e.g., SpaceX, Blue Origin) to urban aircraft (e.g., Archer Aviation, Joby) to non-traditional autos (e.g., Tesla, Lucid). While some of these companies are returning to a strategy of greater vertical

Douglas K. Woods President AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology

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Editorial Team Kristin Bartschi Director, Marketing & Communications kbartschi@AMTonline.org

Executive Team Douglas K. Woods President dwoods@AMTonline.org Travis Egan Chief Revenue Officer tegan@AMTonline.org Peter Eelman Chief Experience Officer peelman@AMTonline.org Becky Stahl Chief Financial Officer bstahl@AMTonline.org

Membership & Sales Bill Herman VP, Sales & Membership bherman@AMTonline.org Technology Benjamin Moses Senior Director, Technology bmoses@AMTonline.org Intelligence Ian Stringer VP, Data Strategy istringer@AMTonline.org Smartforce Catherine Ross Director, Community Engagement cross@AMTonline.org

Mary Cecile Neville Director, Content mcneville@AMTonline.org

Chris Downs Director, Audience Development cmdowns@AMTonline.org

Kathy Webster Managing Editor, Content kwebster@AMTonline.org Dan Hong Writer/Editor dhong@AMTonline.org

Elissa Davis Writer/Digital Community Specialist edavis@AMTonline.org

Advocacy Amber Thomas VP, Advocacy athomas@AMTonline.org International Ed Christopher VP, Global Services echristopher@AMTonline.org

Jacob McCloskey Senior Graphic Designer jmccloskey@AMTonline.org

Tiffany Kim Graphic Designer tkim@AMTonline.org

Hailey Sarnecki Graphic Designer hsarnecki@AMTonline.org

IMTS Peter R. Eelman

Chief Experience Officer peelman@AMTonline.org

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Michelle Edmonson VP, Exhibitions medmonson@AMTonline.org

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Table of Contents

Click See what’s trending on AMTonline.org

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Manufacturing Matters Get details on the latest industry news

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AMT Upcoming Events Important manufacturing technology dates and events to bookmark

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The Story of Strati: 3D Printing a Car by Gary S. Vasilash

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The Big Picture Highlights From the Last Decade in Additive Manufacturing

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What’s Next for Additive Manufacturing by Peter Eelman

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‘Moving On, Moving Up,’ a New IMTS+ Original Series! by B0nnie Gurney What a Ride: Investment Trends in Additive Manufacturing by Dayton Horvath

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My Beef With Apple

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by Stephen LaMarca

The Dollars and Sense of Additive Investment by Chris Chidzik

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COVER DESIGN Jacob McCloskey | Senior Graphic Designer

INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN Highlights From the Last Decade in Additive Manufacturing Hailey Sarnecki | Graphic Designer

MT Manufacturing Technology (ISSN # 2836-2896), March/April 2024, Issue 2, is published bi-monthly by AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology, 7901 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 900, McLean VA 22102. Periodicals Postage Paid at Merrifield, VA and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to MT Manufacturing Technology at 7901 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 900, McLean VA 22102.

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Click MT Magazine is more than just paper pulp and ink. Explore our content on AMTonline.org and engage with discussions on a wide array of topics affecting manufacturing technology now.

Manufacturing Opportunities for the Blind Big problems bring creative solutions. Many manufacturers are facing workforce issues, and IFB Solutions in North Carolina is tapping into an underused workforce of the blind and visually impaired. With some great training and open minds, a whole new workforce is possible for the industry. AMTonline.org/article/manufacturing-opportunities-for-the-blind

Learn From Manufacturing Leaders Describe the world of manufacturing in one word – go! Manufacturing leaders from Mazak, SMW Autoblok, JKEKT Machinery, and Okuma think of “exciting,” “continuous,” “speed,” and “change." Discover how they see our evolving industry in the new IMTS+ Original Series “The World According To…” IMTS.com/world-according-to/

Fundamentals of Manufacturing: What Are Machining Centers?

ABCs, 1-2-3, do-re-mi – all basic principles, all important for understanding large concepts. Manufacturing is no different. No one should be afraid to ask questions, but in case they are, this series will help answer them. This is perfect for newcomers or those who work on the non-technical side of manufacturing. We start with machining centers, but who knows where we’ll end? AMTonline.org/article/fundamentals-of-manufacturing-what-are-machining-centers

A Spectrum of Opportunity Differently abled, completely capable. Diversity is more than skin deep, and Allis Manufacturing is proving that by embracing people from neurodiverse backgrounds. No two brains are alike, and having one that thinks outside the box can solve all sorts of problems. Diverse and different is dynamite! IMTS.com/read/article-details/A-Spectrum-of-Opportunity/1879/ type/Read/1/

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MANUFACTURING MATTERS

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Manufacturing Matters Check in for the highlights, headlines, and hijinks that matter to manufacturing. These lean news items keep you updated on the latest developments.

TECHNOLOGY

Additive Is Disruptive, but … By using additive manufacturing for part design and production, certain benefits have emerged which have proved valuable to the end user – including lighter weight, increased efficiency, less material, and increased robustness. If we take a step back and look at the full life-cycle, we notice our underestimation of the importance of software in these processes. Each phase faces disjointed applications that often require intermediate files to export, import, and interrupt. The biggest strength of additive manufacturing is the ability to iterate quickly. This poses a problem for disconnected application and manufacturing processes; if we add internal and external variations that change a part’s design throughout the process, the scope of this problem scales quickly as disconnected applications hurry to “catch up.” This highlights additive’s major weakness: its lack of standards. Preexisting standards are being used as bandaids, but this is not scalable for the entire industry and supply chain. No, creating industry-wide standards is not the sexy solution, but it is likely the one answer to rule them all. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same Some of the over 389,000 machinists in the United States are grappling with manufacturing's transformative leap into additive manufacturing (AM). This echoes a similar scenario of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when machinists shifted their thinking from linear to asynchronous processes to get the most out of new, flexible automation technologies. Today, manufacturers ready to maximize AM will need to upskill their workforce to learn design fundamentals for additive, where parts are built layer by layer, allowing for complex geometries, reduced material waste, and the potential for customization and rapid prototyping. This evolutionary parallel underscores a perennial narrative within the sector: the vital need for continuing education and adjustment. The adoption of AM will continue and accentuates the need for training in digital skills and the incorporation of novel technologies – all positioned against the backdrop of a looming skills gap that threatens to leave 2.1 million manufacturing positions unfilled by 2030. This scenario amplifies the urgency for upskilling the workforce in emergent manufacturing techniques, highlighting the need to bridge this divide to preserve the nation's industrial competitiveness. INTELLIGENCE SMARTFORCE The Secret Is Out: You Belong at the Student Summit Spread the word about the 2024 Smartforce Student Summit at IMTS to your local schools, STEM and robotics clubs, scout troops, and everyone you know: Registration is open and free to students and educators of all levels. This isn’t just building talent pools. We're inspiring students, schools, families, and whole communities to learn, grow, and seize the opportunity our jobs present, all through one-of-a-kind hands-on experiences, career insights, and a chance to connect with awesome folks in our industry – and if you’re reading this, that’s you!

So, tell your friends, call your schools, and let's make this summit a big deal together. Your shoutout can make a real impact on both our industry and community. For more information, visit IMTS.com/smartforce.

MANUFACTURING MATTERS

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ADVOCACY

DOD Releases First-Ever Defense Industrial Base Strategy In January, the Department of Defense (DOD) released the National Defense Industrial Strategy (NDIS). A first of its kind, the 59-page NDIS focuses on creating a road map for how the DOD prioritizes and modernizes the U.S. industrial base to meet the challenging and changing global landscape. The strategy lays out four key areas critical to building a modernized defense: resilient supply chains, workforce readiness, flexible acquisition, and economic deterrence. The NDIS, which began in March 2023, is the product of months of meetings with stakeholders from across industry and government. A key component of the strategy is to continue this public-private collaboration. The DOD is expected to release the implementation plan before the end of March.

Advanced manufacturing, including additive technology, figures prominently in the NDIS. The DOD released its National Defense Strategy in 2002 and its Additive Manufacturing Strategy in 2021.

INTERNATIONAL

Speed Bumps to Global Adoption of Additive Additive manufacturing has seen nice global growth, primarily in the aerospace, automotive, medical, and defense industries. Prototyping, tooling, and part production have all been positively affected in certain applications. Yet some obstacles remain to accelerated global adoption, not the least of which is regulatory and standards compliance. Here we refer to industry-specific regulations, quality standards, certifications, and international trade and export controls. International collaboration and harmonization of regulatory frameworks and standards are needed if the global adoption of 3D printing technology is to reach its potential. Industry stakeholders, regulatory agencies, standardization bodies, and policymakers must work together on a global level to develop clear guidelines, streamline certification processes, and promote best practices for the responsible use of additive manufacturing technology. Innovation and adoption will be throttled by the lack of these frameworks. Let’s not let that happen and keep our foot on the gas.

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AMT Upcoming Events Learn more or register at AMTonline.org/events. Your datebook will thank you.

MFG 2024 April 24-26, 2024 | Orlando, Florida TECHNOLOGY

MFG 2025 February 19-21, 2025 | San Antonio, Texas TECHNOLOGY

The Manufacturing For Growth (MFG) Meeting is the ultimate gathering of manufacturing technology minds, bringing together a community of solutions and solvers. Learn how to keep pace with growing demand, make lifelong connections, and see what opportunities lie on the horizon.

Remember the manufacturing in San Antonio, Texas! At MFG 2025, visionaries, experts, and leaders from across the world of manufacturing technology blow into the Alamo City for exclusive networking opportunities, educational sessions, and a whole lot of fun. See you there, pardner!

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IMTS 2024 September 9-14, 2024 | Chicago, Illinois IMTS

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The Story of Strati: 3D Printing a Car Today there are stereolithography and selective laser sintering technologies. Fused deposition modeling and laser powder bed fusion. And more. People use additive to make tooling and eyewear, nozzles for SpaceX rockets, and fuel system valves for John Deere tractors. And more. But at IMTS 2014, a group from industry, a government national laboratory, tech, and AMT got together to do something that had never been done: print a drivable car at IMTS.

BY GARY S. VASILASH CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

On Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014, in Chicago, something started before the opening of IMTS – The International Manufacturing Technology Show in the Emerging Technology Center (ETC) that has reverberated through our industry ever since.

FEATURE STORY

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The official poster for the Strati, the world’s first 3D printed car, which was created at IMTS 2014. (Image courtesy of Rick Neff)

It was the day before IMTS 2014 officially started. Forklifts zoomed around the floor. Carpet was still being laid. Workers hurried to get exhibits in place. It was also media day, when journalists from around the world got to walk the floor – albeit a floor that was still taking shape – and, if they took AMT up on its invitation, they had the opportunity to see something that had never happened before – not just at IMTS but at any trade show or event, anywhere: A car was being printed in the AMT ETC at McCormick Place. Bonnie Gurney, AMT vice president, strategic content and partnerships now; AMT director of communications then: “We were absolutely confident, or maybe 95%, it was going to happen.” Jay Rogers, CEO of Haddy Inc. now; co-founder and CEO of Local Motors then: “It was like a moon shot. And until you land on the moon, you haven’t done it.” Rick Neff, CEO of Rick Neff LLC now; manager of market development for Cincinnati Inc. then: “That Sunday morning, when we started the machine, no one could look you in the eye and say that it would work.” But when all was said and done, the team accomplished what had previously been unthinkable: They built the first 3D printed car in the world, the Strati. The Strati was a remarkable success, even going on to appear on the “Today Show.” It has since helped drive the entire additive industry to where it is today. Not Bits and Pieces. The Whole Thing. In 2005, Rogers visited Craig Bramscher, who had started Brammo, a vehicle manufacturing company in Ashland,

Oregon. That’s when Rogers began to understand that a car could be 3D printed. Rogers says Bramscher showed him the printing of a vehicle-like structure with a urethane paste that came out looking like a marshmallow. It set for about an hour, then a spinning blade was used to cut away material so that it looked like a car. Rogers says he began querying an array of composite companies about whether they had a material that could be extruded, quickly set, and then machined. In 2007, after a couple years without gaining any traction, he pretty much gave up and put the thought on hold. That same year, Rogers founded Local Motors, a company that took a revolutionary approach to the design (leveraging crowdsourcing) and building (at microfactories) of vehicles. And the idea of printing a car stayed with him. It’s important to note that when Rogers uses the phrase “printing a car,” he means essentially the whole thing, structure and chassis, not individual sections that are subsequently assembled into a vehicle. Where It Began As Lonnie Love, the then-corporate fellow at the Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the current national security programs fellow at Sandia National Laboratories, recalls: In 2013, he and his colleagues worked on what was to become known as the Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM) machine, based on work that had been done at Lockheed Martin by Slade Gardner and his colleagues. The intent of the Lockheed Martin machine was to print aerospace tooling. “They decided not to invest in the technology and asked us

FEATURE STORY

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if we’d like to take over,” Love says. So, the equipment moved east to Oak Ridge. Neff, in his role as market development for Cincinnati Inc. (CI), a company involved in sheet metal laser cutting systems and other tech, visited ORNL in 2013 and saw the machine. He talked to Love about commercializing the technology. The two organizations began working on developing the tech. Love and one of his colleagues visited CI and saw one of the company’s laser cutting gantry systems. Love says they determined that they could replace the laser with an extruder and turn the cutter into an additive machine. (And there were also some other non-trivial things, like developing a heated bed for the machine, developing the control strategy, determining process parameters, increasing the capability of the extrusion

etc. And in the 2014 trade show world, IMTS was leading the way in experiential exhibits. It was a real car that was assembled live at IMTS.” After his visit to ORNL, Rogers met with AMT staff members– President Doug Woods; then-Vice President of Exhibitions and Communications Peter Eelman (who is now AMT’s chief experience officer); and Gurney – and told them that he wanted to 3D print a car at IMTS 2014. Gurney says that they were all-in on the idea. It would help them with their mission of “educating people and showing them the awesomeness of manufacturing.” To be sure, the visitors at IMTS are well-versed in what manufacturing is all about, but in 2014, the idea of additive manufacturing was, for many of them, pretty much just that: an idea – if it was thought of at all for their shop floors. Rogers wasn’t pitching just building a car at IMTS – he was committed to a car that would drive out of the Emerging Technology Center. “There were a lot of people along the way who said to just have it roll. I said, ‘Are you kidding?’ We said we would print this thing and drive it off the show floor.” They got the green light from AMT. Achieving the Design Local Motors went to its community and launched the 3D Printed Car Design Challenge. It ran for six weeks. During that time, there were more than 200 entries from designers in more than 30 countries. The winner was Michele Anoé of Italy. He designed what he called “Strati,” or “layers” in Italian. Rogers notes two things about Anoé’s design: 1. By naming it Strati, it helped provide focus as to how it would be built: layers. 2. The winning design is reflective of the international nature of IMTS. “Michele said that only in America could you get an Italian to come to design a 3D printed car.” And one thing that Neff points out about the Strati design: “It doesn’t have any doors.” Doors are hard to print. (Doors are also hard to stamp, weld, and accurately fit on vehicles, even today.) The design was selected in June 2014, three months before the show. To put that into context regarding the monumental task the team was taking on, Love says that in 2014, a large, commercially available printer had a deposition rate of about five cubic inches per hour and a built volume of less than 20 cubic feet. “It would have taken over a year to print the Strati using conventional 3D printing,” Love points out. “However, even going at 10 pounds per hour – about 250 cubic inches per hour – wasn’t fast enough. Our models showed that this was about four times too slow.” So, they needed to find a means to deposit the material more Achieving the Process The Strati weighs some 1,400 pounds.

system ...) That CI machine became the unit deployed in Chicago for the Strati. (It also became the basis of a product line that CI had for some years.) And then there was another important encounter. “I ran into a guy at a conference in Boston, Rick Neff, who said that I needed to meet Lonnie Love,” Rogers recalls. Neff could see that what Love and his colleagues were doing at ORNL was aligned with Local Motors’ different approach to vehicle manufacturing. Love says, “Jay Rogers visited, saw the technology, and asked if I thought we could print a car.” The key elements were coming into alignment. AMT Involvement At IMTS 2012, the Local Motors booth in the Emerging Technology Center raised eyebrows. It built a car there on the show floor: the Rally Fighter. While the Rally Fighter wasn’t 3D printed, this was the first time that AMT featured an attraction that was built in real time on the show floor. As Gurney remembers: “This generated a new energy for the show ... People came back each day to see the progress of the project. What's new, what’s different, what were the challenges, The original gantry printer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Through a series of meetings, the idea was born to create a gantry-style extruder that would be capable of printing an object the size of a car with carbon fiber-reinforced ABS plastic. (Image courtesy of Rick Neff)

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rapidly.

A Cautionary Tale Remember the 20% carbon fiber loading of the material? “We needed at least 20% to give us the stiffness needed to constrain the residual stress and prevent distortion,” Love says. But, he recalls, about an hour into the build, two ORNL colleagues came to him and said the car “was curling up on us.” They determined that the problem was that someone had changed the loading from 20% to 15% carbon fiber-reinforced ABS because they could get it for free. Apparently, the engineer who made the decision thought that a 5% difference wouldn’t be that much, but as Love points out, “In reality, that’s 25% less reinforcement.” They continued to deposit the material. “We decided to forge ahead, believing that if we could get far enough along in the print, the structure would increase in stiffness and stop distorting.” It did. But it made machining the structure more difficult. Being economical doesn’t necessarily result in savings. The machine ran around the clock. In the early hours of Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2014, the 3D printing was complete. Making It Move — and Then Not Not everything in the Strati was 3D printed, including things like the seats, steering wheel, instrumentation, tires, and windshield. And not the propulsion system. Rogers says that he and his colleagues looked around the global auto industry to find an electric propulsion system that could be used for the Strati. They concluded that the Renault Twizy, which is categorized in Europe as a “quadracycle” rather than “automobile,” had a 13-kW motor and 6.1-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that would fit the requirements. So they set about to get a Twizy that they would deconstruct to get the necessary components. Renault, of course, is based in France. However, as Rogers and his colleagues soon discovered, European vehicle manufacturers build for the European market to meet European standards set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe – and build for the U.S. market to meet the standards set by the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. That meant they couldn’t go to Paris, buy a Twizy, and ship it back to Local Motors in Phoenix, Arizona. They thought about going to Europe to buy the propulsion system. They couldn’t do that, either. Eventually they were able to work with U.S. government regulators to buy two Twizys (Rogers said they didn’t want to be in a situation where something didn’t work on one of them without a backup). But it came with a hitch: Once they had used the Twizy system for the Strati, they had to destroy it as well as the two vehicles – and prove it to the

And as for the material they were using, they sourced an

ABS material from chemical manufacturer SABIC* that was reinforced with 20% chopped carbon

fiber. Neff says that not only does the carbon fiber contribute strength to the structure, but because of the way the fibers orient as a result of extrusion, “When it cools down, it lowers the coefficient of thermal expansion along the length of the extrusion by about an order of magnitude, so it lowers the stresses in the part and helps keep the part from warping.” What they didn’t want was delamination. “We discovered a ‘Goldilocks’ effect,” Love says of the process. “For a given flow rate on the extruder, if you went too fast, the part got too hot and wouldn’t hold its shape. If you went too slow, it got too cold and would crack.” Two of his ORNL colleagues, Vlastimil Kunc and Brett Compton, developed the models that would help get the printing “just right.” But there was still the question of the deposition rate. Love says they worked with Tim Womer, who at the time was with Xaloy, a developer of screws, barrels, and other components for extruders and injection molding machines. They developed a new screw for the extruder that would increase throughput to 40 pounds per hour. “We took delivery of the screw at ORNL the week before IMTS,” Love says. They put it on the ORNL machine on the Thursday of that week and verified its performance. On Friday, they flew the screw to Chicago. “Saturday, ORNL had a team install the screw and calibrate the system, then started printing Sunday morning at 7 a.m.,” Love says. In Addition to Additive While the Strati structure was printed, some areas still required machining, such as assembly points for the electric drivetrain. Neff notes that the machining was tricky because the structure was still hot when it was being milled and was consequently shrinking as it cooled, so they had to chase the tolerances – literally. The machining was done on a machine from Thermwood Corp., a company that sold mainly into the wood and plastics industries at the time. (Thermwood would go on to add the Large Scale Additive Manufacturing (LSAM) line of equipment to its offerings.)

*Cincinnati Inc. had sold the machine to SABIC, which recognized that additive manufacturing had a solid future. The gantry machine made its stop at IMTS 2014 before being sent on to a SABIC facility.

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government. Which explains why Rick Neff currently has the original Strati, minus its means of propulsion, on jack stands in his parents’ garage. It can roll but not drive. But at IMTS 2014, it was powered, and Rogers and Woods took it out for its initial spin. The two men drove the Strati on a red carpet out of the ETC and down the Grand Concourse of McCormick Place toward the East Building. From there, they entered McCormick Place Square, where the police and media greeted them with much fanfare. “It was an exhilarating experience,” says Woods. “The team had dedicated tremendous effort to come up with new solutions for the project, and its execution shows the inspiration and innovative spirit of IMTS. It’s what we strive to bring to every show.” For the second run, Gurney got in. “It was an unbelievable feeling,” she remembers fondly. “But what kept going on through my mind was: ‘Now what do we do – how do we top this?’” People Power While the creation of the Strati was a technological tour de force, everyone involved stressed one aspect of the project that allowed it to succeed: Teamwork. As Love recalls, for example: “In 2013, we had a cobbled together prototype system at ORNL. But working in a team changed the pace we could move.” And one of the lessons that Neff says that the Strati project taught him beyond any doubt: “The way to accelerate innovation is through collaboration of diverse people – backgrounds, education, job experience.”

But One More Element Looking back, Lonnie Love says that there was something else needed to create the Strati on the floor of McCormick Place in 2014, to do something that had never been done before with a technology that we now take as a given but which then simply wasn’t ready for prime time: “It was an amazing team of industry and government working together. But we needed that stress of IMTS. We needed a hard deadline, failure not an option, high profile ... If we fail, we look like idiots – which we probably were, but it was a hell of a lot of fun.” In the decade since that remarkable IMTS, the AMT Emerging Technology Center has continued pushing the boundaries of manufacturing technology. It has featured such moon shots as a carbon-fiber printed house; an automated cell linking a Hurco CNC, a Universal Robot arm, and a Hexagon CMM using the MTConnect™ standard; technologies underpinning the Giant Magellan telescope; and a space habitat designed as a living and work environment for astronauts and researchers living on the moon and Mars. Still, among such exciting exhibitions and achievements, the Strati stands tall. At IMTS 2024, to celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Gurney, Love, Neff, and Rogers will reunite on stage. Make sure to visit IMTS.com to register to catch up with the Strati crew and see what future technologies will be unveiled in the ETC this year.

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Gary at vasilash@gmail.com.

THE BIG PICTURE

It's been 10 years since the Strati was printed at IMTS 2014. Going into IMTS 2024, let's take a look at some additive manufacturing highlights from each year for the last decade!

GE Aviation announces the shipment of their 100,000th 3D printed fuel nozzle GE sh shi

The Strati car is 3D printed at IMTS

First 3D printed brake caliper created

The FDA releases draft guidance for printed medical devices

UMaine Composites Center receives Guinness World Records award for largest solid 3D printed object

The ISO/ASTM 52900:2015 standard defines seven additive manufacturing families

America Makes celebrates its five-year anniversery

President Joe Biden announces AM Forward, an additive manufacturing initiative

Researchers 3D print multimaterial solenoid electromagnets

FDA-registered, 3D printed, nasopharyngeal test swab designs at scale for COVID-19

IMTS 2024, occurring Sept. 9-14 in Chicago, will feature the Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext

SEPTEMBER 9 – 14, 2024 • MCCORMICK PLACE, CHICAGO

First metal 3D printed replacement part completed at sea aboard USS Bataan

The Perseverance rover lands on Mars with 3D printed instruments

Formnext Chicago brings the premier additive manufacturing show to the United States

The NFL's safest helmets absorb impact with 3D printing instead of foam

NASA STD 6030: Requirements for AM parts used in crewed spaceflight systems

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MARCH/APRIL 2024

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What’s Next for Additive Manufacturing BY PETER EELMAN CHIEF EXPERIENCE OFFICER

• Metal Removal: 10 machining centers from Haas (booth #338100), six wire EDMs from Mitsubishi (booth #338129), and a Mazak (booth #338300) i700 Variaxis machining center with a Palletech system for unattended operation. The Mazak system was purchased as a result of vendor evaluation conducted at IMTS 2022. • Quality Assurance: A Zeiss (booth #134302) Contura CMM and Comet 3D blue light vision system. “We visit more areas of IMTS than ever before,” says Hockey, who has attended the show since the early 2000s. “At IMTS 2024, we plan to explore AI and more robotics to elevate our internal processes.”

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) has experienced widespread growth in our understanding and curiosity. It has reached an inflection point that will be on full display in the Additive Manufacturing Sector, accelerated by Formnext, at IMTS 2024, held Sept. 9-14 at McCormick Place in Chicago. In its early phases, metal AM focused on prototyping and low-volume, high-value production. With technology available now, AM implementation has expanded to include mainstream, medium-volume, cost-effective production. As engineers design for AM, they open more applications in the medical, aerospace, and defense industries, which are core markets for IMTS attendees. “AM technology providers are driving industrialization, process reliability, output, consistency, and ease of use,” says Glynn Fletcher, president of EOS North America (booth #432302), the leading provider of laser powder bed fusion technology. “We are also driving down cost per part through improved process speed and material costs.” With the shift from specialization to production, AM has become a fully integrated process, and that makes IMTS 2024 a must-attend event for OEMs and job shops that want to expand or explore how to integrate AM into their machining operations.

Looking Around the Corner Formnext Chicago, which will be held at McCormick Place on April 8-10, 2025, encompasses the AM technologies at IMTS, and exhibitors will also showcase a broader view of the end-to-end production process of AM, from materials and machinery to software and service bureaus. As an indicator of the show’s scope, consider the Formnext Chicago Founders Club, a veritable who’s who of AM industry leaders who have committed to exhibiting. “Companies face challenges in cost-effective manufacturing, scaling production, and a gap in innovation expertise,” says Emily Elpes, chief of staff and vice president of marketing for 3DEO, a Founders Club member, IMTS exhibitor (booth #433149), and inventor of the Intelligent Layering® metal AM process. “Formnext Chicago is the place where OEMs and contract manufacturers can go to close their knowledge, production, and cost gaps to move their businesses forward.” Between the expertise and resources available at IMTS 2024 and Formnext Chicago, the integration of AM into mainstream manufacturing will continue to accelerate.

“IMTS is a complete manufacturing show,” says Jim Hockey, director of business development at Incodema3D, a contract manufacturer producing metal AM components. “We have blended additive and conventional machining methodologies for repeatable, dependable production.” A tour of Incodema3D’s facility in Freeville, New York, is a microcosm of IMTS. A short list of capabilities includes: • Additive Manufacturing: 23 laser powder bed fusion systems from EOS and metal powders from EOS, 6K Additive (booth #433024), and GE Additive (booth #433200).

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Peter at peelman@IMTS.com.

THE ADDITIVE ISSUE

IMTS+

22

‘Moving On, Moving Up,’ a New IMTS+ Original Series!

BY BONNIE GURNEY VICE PRESIDENT, STRATEGIC CONTENT & PARTNERSHIPS

I’m pleased to introduce a preview of the new IMTS+ Original Series “Moving On, Moving Up,” where we interview emerging leaders in manufacturing technology and

Ziemba’s conversation focused on the following areas: • Memorable Moments From Formnext Forum Austin See how the event fostered networking and collaboration. • Career Paths Each has a unique journey with some unexpected twists and turns. • Game-Changing Innovations Each panelist discussed groundbreaking technologies and processes as well as some pending patents. • Educational Outreach and Industry Advocacy Panelists shared ideas to nurture talent and foster a diverse workforce. • Industry Challenges The discussion touched on the service technician shortage, data collection, standardization, and the circularity and sustainability of materials. Explore along with Ziemba and gain insight into the pioneering work of these AM leaders on IMTS+ at IMTS.com/ MovingUp.

present highlights on IMTS.com/Watch; each episode will be accompanied by an article on IMTS.com/Read. In this first entry, IMTS+ contributing writer and manufacturing influencer Meaghan Ziemba interviews some of the rising stars in additive manufacturing (AM) who are shaping its trajectory. I invite you to watch and listen as they explore the forefront of innovation in industrial 3D printing.

“Moving On, Moving Up” promises to be an enlightening journey into the lives of those influencing the dynamic landscape of advanced manufacturing and the many opportunities it offers. Here’s a glimpse into the article to provide insight into what the new series entails. In her video and article, “Who’s Who Shaping Additive Manufacturing?” Meaghan Ziemba shares her exclusive discussion with leaders at Formnext Forum Austin: • Stephanie Bonfiglio, director of integration and

If you have any questions about this information, please contact Bonnie at bgurney@IMTS.com.

client relations at i3DMFG, is excited to see improvements allowing serial production at a higher volume and lower cost. Bonfiglio finds additive really exciting because of its potential to create interesting and complex metal parts. • Ali Forsyth, Ph.D., co-founder and CEO at Alloy Enterprises Inc., is well-versed in engineering science and is working to streamline the production of strong yet lightweight aluminum parts. • Noah Mostow, business development manager at Phase 3D, studied powder metallurgy at the Colorado School of Mines and began working in the 3D printing lab at Burton Snowboards. It wasn’t until he started at Phase 3D that he began to understand additive manufacturing. • Jacob Nuechterlein, Ph.D., president and founder of Elementum 3D, is a material scientist and metallurgist. He looks forward to making larger parts and in-process monitoring because it offers internal inspection of the part as it’s being printed.

Shape the Future of Industrial 3D Printing

Join the conversation at upcoming Formnext events, a brand that needs no introduction in the additive manufacturing (AM) community. Mesago Messe Frankfurt has produced Formnext for years, growing the show to be the largest industrial AM event in the world. Now, with the help of AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and Gardner Business Media, the event has a presence in the United States: • The Additive Manufacturing Sector , accelerated by Formnext, at IMTS 2024 , Sept. 9-14 • Formnext Chicago , April 8-10, 2025 • Formnext Forum Austin , Spring 2026

ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU PROMISING • OPTIMISTIC • DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION ECHNOLOGY • TRAINING • CREDIBILITY • INTEGRITY HANGE • SPEED • INCREDIBLE • EXCITING • CONTINUOU