Zeeland, Mi.—The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) today announced the winners of its annual Technical Competition, which recognizes excellence in additive manufacturing (AM) applications and finishing techniques. A panel of industry veterans selected entries from Point Designs LLC and BuildParts by Cideas, Inc. as Advanced Concepts and Advanced Finishing winners. AMUG members selected the entry by Eaton Corp. for the Members’ Choice Award.
The Technical Competition took place at the annual AMUG Conference in Chicago, Illinois. Bonnie Meyer, chair of the Technical Competition committee, says, “This event showcases the innovations, craftsmanship, and dedication to driving advances in additive manufacturing. The participants range from individuals to team collaborations, but every entry demonstrates ingenuity and highlights projects that are only made possible with the use of additive manufacturing technologies.”
Chris Baschuk, director of clinical services at Point Design LLC, submitted the winning entry in the Advanced Concepts category, “Lightweight Revolution: Ventilated Multi-material Shoulder Disarticulation Prosthesis.” Manufactured with HP’s Multi-Jet Fusion, in rigid PA 12 and flexible TPU, the patient-specific device balances functionality with user comfort by leveraging the capabilities of AM.
Baschuk noted that the prosthesis reduces bulkiness, weight and fabrication complexity associated with conventional approaches. Additionally, advanced design features, such as hexagonal lattices for breathability, heat dissipation and electronics integration, improve the patient’s experience.
“This project epitomizes the potential of additive manufacturing in prosthetic development, offering a highly personalized, functional and comfortable solution for individuals with shoulder disarticulation amputations, setting a new standard in the field,” says Baschuk.
Mike Littrell, president of BuildParts by Cideas Inc. and a previous Technical Competition winner, once again took the top spot in the “Advanced Finishing” category. His entry, titled “Coin-Operated Rides,” displayed scale replicas that pay tribute—in style, materials, colors and functionality—to a bygone era of entertainment and culture.
Littrell noted that each model contained 99% printed parts and that three additive manufacturing technologies were used: digital light projection (DLP), fused deposition modeling (FDM) and stereolithography (SLA). To educate AMUG Members, Littrell displayed the scale models in three states: fully finished, sanded/primed and as printed.
Sam Mills, engineering specialist for Eaton, submitted “Fully AM Luminaire,” a project by the Eaton team that included AM and material science experts. In his entry, Mills cited team members John Hana (senior engineer), Mansura Islam (senior additive engineer), Sabina Kumar (lead engineer), Riyanka Ribble (engineering specialist) and Chris Ring (lighting expert and manager).
The luminaire, which was entered in the Advanced Concepts category, contains additively manufactured parts for 90% of the components. Employing design for additive manufacturing (DFAM) techniques, the luminaire achieves Department of Energy (DOE) manufacturing goals for reshoring, SKU reduction and efficiency. Mills states, “By using DFAM tools for part integration, we cut the assembly time in half and virtually eliminate the need for product-specific tooling.”
For Advanced Finishing, Ed Graham of Prototek took second place for “The Pumpkin King.” Third place was awarded to Olaf Diegel of the University of Auckland for “Darth Vader Reborn.”
In Advanced Concepts, second place was awarded to Rick Pressley of Renaissance Services Inc. for “Cooled Integrally Vaned Stator with ‘Cast-In Cooling Holes.’” Mills, the Members’ Choice award winner, took third place in the Advanced Concepts category.
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