The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has just announced that it has opened up its online registration for its 2015 Education & Training Conference. Next year’s event will see it return to Jacksonville, Florida where it will take place April 19 – 23. As the 3D printing event with the greatest longevity — the 2015 edition will see the conference celebrated its 27th year — the AMUG has evolved from its original narrow remit (3DS users only) to be all-inclusive and open to owners and operators of all additive manufacturing (3D printing) technologies. It is invariably well-attended and much loved for the vast quantities of food consumed and invaluable networking opportunities, however what makes this event stand out on the 3D printing calendar is that it is organized by 3D printer users for 3D printer users.
Of the 2015 edition, Mark Barfoot, AMUG president, said: “I am excited to be building an agenda that continues to deliver a wealth of hands-on experiences and extremely practical sessions where users gain real insight into techniques or tips that they can take back to the office and start using right away.”
And therein lies the key to this event’s continued success — it’s all about hands-on learning, with people that use the machines in their every day working lives. AMUG brings together engineers, designers, managers, and educators from around the world to share expertise, best practices, challenges, and application developments in additive manufacturing. The AMUG Conference will include technical sessions and hands-on workshops designed to help users get more from, and do more with, their systems.
But it’s not all serious — I have it on very good authority that it’s lots of fun too — and through technical competitions and the annual Awards Banquet, excellence in applying AM and contributions to the industry will be recognized. The five-day event also includes the two-night AMUGexpo, networking receptions and catered meals.
Barfoot said, “What distinguishes AMUG’s conference from all others are the continuous opportunities provided each day for networking and growing your knowledge base. You can easily justify your trip based on the hands-on sessions, but I guarantee that if you actively participate, you will generate more contacts and learn more from casual conversations than you will in the structured conference activities.”
“For the first time, we will have a business track that will help those that are now involved in the business aspects of overseeing a department. Participants will walk away with a better understanding about financing options, investor inquiries and patent concerns, to name a few of the topics. This will be extremely valuable for career growth, and it will provide key points to bring back to management teams,” Barfoot added.
The advanced, all-inclusive conference registration fee is $695.00. For details and a link to registration, visit www.am-ug.com.