AMUG Releases Keynote Speaker List for 2018 Conference

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) announces its featured keynote speakers for the 2018 AMUG Education & Training Conference, which will be held in St. Louis, MO, April 8–12, 2018. Todd Grimm and Dr. Ing. Dominik Rietzel will inform attendees with discussions of additive manufacturing applications, trends and technologies.

Todd Grimm, president of T. A. Grimm & Associates and AMUG’s AM industry advisor, will open the conference on Monday, April 9. Grimm’s presentation, Light at the End of the Tunnel, will blend industry updates with observations of a palpable shift in expectations and attitudes in the AM industry. He hints that while the shift is encouraging, he will share his thoughts on the covert obstacle that must be addressed for AM to proliferate. This will be his eighth appearance as an AMUG keynote speaker.

2018 AMUG Conference keynote presenters Dr. Ing. Dominik Rietzel (left) and Todd Grimm.

Dominik Rietzel, head of BMW Group’s Additive Manufacturing Center (Non-Metal), will take the stage on Thursday, April 12, with his presentation titled, Additive Manufacturing on the Road. A Journey from Prototyping to Production. Currently, in his industry role, he oversees all non-metal AM operations and applications from prototyping to production. The journey represents his own experiences as BMW Group transferred from using additive manufacturing solely for prototype applications to using it as an important technology for their digitalization strategy.

Featured presentations for Tuesday and Wednesday will be the Innovators Showcase and the Global AM Review. The Innovators Showcase is an on-stage, conversational interview that elicits insights and personal stories from AM industry leaders. This year’s guest of honor is Fried Vancraen, founder and CEO of Materialise. Stefan Ritt of SLM Solutions and Graham Tromans of G. P. Tromans Associates will expose attendees to the AM activities around the world in the Global AM Review. The conference will also include over 200 presentations, workshops and hands-on training sessions. A preliminary agenda is available here.

The all-inclusive conference registration fee is $995 through March 10, 2018. For details, visit AMUG.

Sources: Press materials received from the company.