Paul Bates will lead the elected and appointed officers of the users group in preparing for the 2018 AMUG Conference.

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) today announced its 2017—2018 board. Elected by AMUG members during the annual business meeting held at the 2017 AMUG Conference in Chicago, Illinois, the boards primary responsibility will be to build and oversee the 2018 conference. Assuming the role of president, Paul Bates will lead AMUG as of July 1, 2017.

Bates, who is manager of ULs Additive Manufacturing Competency Center, has previously served as deputy vice president and, most recently, as vice president. He will replace Steve Deak of GE Aviation, who was ineligible for re-election due to his companys ownership stake in Arcam AB and Concept Laser. Deak will continue to support AMUG as its past president.
Bates said, "I want to recognize Steve Deak for the exceptional job that he did as president. He led our all-volunteer group to a record-breaking year for conference attendance and sponsor support."
In the role of vice president, AMUG members elected two first-time officers, Jamie Cone of BD and Carl Dekker of Met-L-Flo. Tom Sorovetz of FCA and Kim Killoran of Stratasys were re-elected to the positions of event manager and secretary, respectively.
Bates said, "I am excited to work with this team that blends experience with fresh insights. Having just completed the largest, most successful AMUG Conference, I have tremendous confidence in the returning board members. At the same time, my personal experience with our new officers gives me the same level of confidence as well as expectations of a renewed vitality."
The year-over-year growth and projected increase prompted the board to expand its ranks with the addition of three deputy vice president positions. Candidates for these appointed positions and those for chairman, treasurer, AM industry advisor, deputy secretary, and registrar were proposed by the outgoing board and accepted by the incoming board. With these appointments, the 2017- 2018 AMUG Board members are:
President: Paul Pates, UL
Past President: Steve Deak, GE Aviation
Vice President: Carl Dekker, Met-L-Flo
Vice President: Jamie Cone, BD
Event Manager: Tom Sorovetz, FCA
Secretary: Kim Killoran, Stratasys
Chairman: Gary Rabinovitz, Reebok
Treasurer: Vince Anewenter, Milwaukee School of Engineering
AM Industry Advisor: Todd Grimm, T. A. Grimm & Associates
Deputy Vice President: Derek Ellis, Computer Aided Technology, Inc.
Deputy Vice President: Mark Wynn, Yazaki North America
Deputy Vice President: Dana McCallum, Carbon
Deputy Vice President: Mark Barfoot, University of Waterloo
Deputy Vice President: Jay Dinsmore, Dinsmore & Associates
Deputy Secretary: Leslie Frost, Arcam
Registrar: Kevin Zaras, DSM Functional Materials
The incoming board also reappointed four AMUG global ambassadors:
Ambassador: Graham Tromans, GP Tromans Associates
Ambassador: Stefan Ritt, SLM Solutions
Ambassador: Nora Cibula, Concept Laser
Ambassador: Andrew Allshorn, At 3D-Squared Ltd
The boards responsibilities will include building the program for the 2018 conference, soliciting support from businesses in the additive manufacturing industry, and overseeing the event's day-to-day activities. The five-day event will include a two-night exhibitor expo, hands-on workshops, instructional sessions, technical presentations, and an Awards Banquet gala. The conferences dates and location will be announced in the coming months.
ABOUT ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING USERS GROUP (AMUG)
AMUG is an organization that educates and advances the uses and applications of additive manufacturing technologies. AMUG members include users of all commercial additive manufacturing/3D printing technologies used in professional capacities from companies such as Stratasys, 3D Systems, ExOne, Renishaw, Carbon, HP Inc., SLM Solutions, EOS, Concept Laser, and Prodways. AMUG meets annually to provide education and training through technical presentations on processes and new technologies. This information addresses operation of additive manufacturing equipment and the applications that use the parts they make. Online at http://www.am-ug.com.