Low-Volume Manufacturers Association

Two High-Powered Executives Bring Z Corp. Employee Count to 161

2008-06-02T20:01:29Z

BOSTON (News Release) -- Z Corporation announced the addition of two new senior executives to build on the company's momentum in the 3D printing and scanning markets.

Technology sales veteran Ed DeArias, most recently of Nokia, has joined Z Corporation as Vice President of Global Sales, responsible for driving all sales programs and revenue for the company, and Olimpio DeMarco, most recently of Autodesk Inc., joined as Director of Business Development, responsible for expanding business in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and education markets.

The company has hired 22 employees since January, bringing employee count to 161. "We warmly welcome Ed, Olimpio and our other new professionals to what we believe is the right company in the right industry at the right time," said John M. Kawola, Chief Executive Officer. "Our 3D printing technology is becoming a standard best practice in product development organizations and is heating up in architecture, GIS, entertainment, arts and medicine. A key success factor for us is having the right people, and these new colleagues are shining examples who will help us drive more expansion going forward."

DeArias reports to Kawola. DeMarco reports to Vice President of Business Development Scott Harmon.

TCT RAPID Manufacturing Conference Set For October 2008 in Coventry, UK

2008-06-02T19:40:36Z

Registration is now open and initial details have been released for the October 2008 TCT Rapid Manufacturing Conference to be held in Coventry, England.

TCT promises an impressive range of presentations covering many aspects of additive fabrication across a broad spectrum of industries. Schedule speakers include: Geoff Hollington, Barron Gould Hollington; Bob Hemmings, Assystem UK; Eric Jones, Stryker; Paul du Plessis, Saab Avitronics; Lionel Dean, Future Factories; and Max Ruffo from the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing.

The full program can be found online at the event website www.tctshow.com.

TCT said that Terry Wohlers is slated to present the conference keynote address entitled “An Outlook to Endless Possibilities”, on the first morning of the conference, which will be held October 21 and October 22 at the Ricoh Arena.

Both days of the show will conclude with a panel review session giving delegates the opportunity to openly discuss pertinent issues that they would like addressed, TCT said.

Stratasys is First Addititive Fabriciation Equipment Maker to Sell 10,000 Machines

2008-06-02T17:47:19Z

NEW YORK (June 2, 2008): There was cause for celebration this afternoon when Stratasys Inc. was honored by the NASDAQ stock exchange as the company heralded the sale of its 10,000th additive fabrication machine.

The Eden Prairie, MN-based Stratasys, founded in 1989 and trading as SSYS, said that PSA Peugeot Citroen of Brazil purchased a high-precision FDM 400mc, making Stratasys the only one of 34 global additive fabrication equipment makers to reach 10,000 installations.

To mark the achievement, Scott Crump, Stratasys CEO and co-founder, rang the ceremonial closing bell at NASDAQ. (See photo.)

Its latest purchase brings the number of Stratasys additive fabrication machines now owned by PSA Peugeot Citroen to 14, including six Dimension 3D printers and eight high-precision FDM systems, Stratasys said in a news release.

The company's news release quoted industry consultant Terry Wohlers, president of Wohlers Associates Inc., saying: "No other company in the business has come close to selling similar volumes in recent years." Stratasys did not indicate whether Wohlers is a paid company consultant.

On the day, Stratasys shares fell 2.62% to close at $21.20 a share.

L-VMA Gets Results: Initial Articles Based Upon L-VMA's Story About Boris Fritz and Utility Fog

2008-06-01T09:52:36Z

The Low-Volume Manufacturers Association can help you and your company spread your message to the world. For free! For more information, contact Dean Rotbart, director, at 1-866-541-RPRM (7776).

Amazing But True: Hold Your Breath for 4 Hours

It seems like science fiction but it's not. Boris Fritz, a ...
6 min -

www.youtube.com/watch?v=--J99VtI034

Amazing But True: Expert Forecasts You Will Hold Your Breath for 4 ...

This is not science fiction, according to Boris Fritz, an aerospace engineer, ... A video interview with Fritz is available now on the Low-Volume ...
astrotips.com/index.php?module=MyHeadlines&func=view&myh=user&myh_op=click&cid=304681 - 41k

Future Blogger - May 31

At the recent Low-Volume Manufacturers Association conference, Boris Fritz, a senior engineer technical specialist at Northrop Grumman, said he expects ...
www.memebox.com/futureblogger/show/565 - 31k

manufacturing Videos at MarkaCadey. manufacturing Free Videos

Boris Fritz, a senior engineer technical specialist at Northrop Grumman, tells the . ... Tags: RPM L-VMA low-volume manufacturing additive Redeye rapid ...
markacadey.net/youtube/tag/manufacturing - 83k

Zero Influence Wiki: Manufacturing

Boris Fritz, a senior engineer technical specialist at Northrop Grumman, tells the Low-Volume Manufacturers Association that in our lifetime, we will likely ...
zeroinfluence.wikidot.com/nmc-research:manufacturing - 80k -

L-VMA Investigates: Are Todd A. Grimm and SME Too Cushy for the Organization's Good?

2008-05-31T10:27:22Z

My questions for Todd A. Grimm and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers are simple enough. In short, I want to know given how deeply involved Todd is with the non-profit organization as a for-profit consultant, how do they make certain that Todd avoids any manner of financial conflicts?

The question might never have arisen given that most large trade organizations rely on active, involved, volunteer members to propel them. That these members also achieve exposure and recognition that bolsters their private businesses is almost a given.

But Todd's visceral dismissal of me as a potential 'competitor' such that he did not want to even talk to me when I approached him at the recent RAPID 2008 in Orlando got me thinking: How can someone so integral to SME and its activities wear his own financial interests so openly? And how, really, do I threaten him as a competitor?

And if you are an SME member company, you should be asking yourself what has SME done to help promote me and my company to the world at large?

Take a moment to consider Todd. According to his official bio - the only bio I might add that was printed twice in this year's official RAPID 2008 event directory - he has been an adviser to SME's RAPID conference for eight years.

Among other things, that means he has a say (perhaps not the say) in who serves on SME panels and who gets to keynote SME events. It also means he has a say in who doesn't get invited to serve at these events (His competitors perhaps?).

Since Todd, a keynote speaker this year, was unwilling to even stand still and talk with me face-to-face in Orlando, because as he explained he views me as a potential competitor, it does beg the question/s of whether SME is only a "tool" to promote some of its members. (I, too, am a paid member, but I guess that doesn't impress Todd.)

More than one SME staff member has tried to explain to me that Todd wasn't unwilling to speak to me because I might be a direct competitor to him. Rather, Todd was dismissive of me because he and SME believe I might be a direct competitor to the entire Society.

Funny. The explanation that Todd fears me for my potential competition with all of SME is even scarier for what it represents than that Todd fears me only for my prospective competition with his own prosperous RAPID marketing consultancy.

Is SME that vulnerable that one person - talented as I am -- is a threat to it? And what is/was my threat? That I offered to provide FREE advice during RAPID 2008 on how to raise the media visibility of SME-member companies?

Lord knows that SME, itself, and Todd specifically are not doing the job of generating great press for our industry. SME writes, acts and thinks like a 1960s-era trade association when it comes to public relations and self promotion. I blame it directly for the fact that its member-companies are as invisible to the world as they are. (And if you are a member company, you should be asking yourself what has SME done to help promote me and my company to the world at large?)

Lisa and SME were not done with me, yet. They monitored me as I walked the exhibition space at RAPID 2008 as if I were an interloper who at any moment might 'steal' an SME member and stopped me a second time to ask me to produce proof on the spot that I am, indeed, a journalist. (If I'm not, I sure do a good imitation).

Rather than compete with SME, I paid to join the group and offered my services for free to it and its members. Let me work from within, I requested.

But SME rejected that idea. In fact, SME's Lisa Dodge, to whom I made the offer to provide SME members free media relations training during RAPID 2008, asked me a bunch of snippy questions about my intent, then never responded to my offer.

SME's Lisa Dodge: 'Stop the Interview!'

While Todd was walking away from me at SME, Lisa and her colleagues were doing everything possible to obstruct my efforts to promote the RAPID industry. In fact, at one point when I was in the middle of interviewing Northrup Grumman's Boris Fritz on camera about his remarks at RAPID 2008, Lisa actually cut into the interview to stop it (see photo at left), questioning my journalistic credentials.

What I was able to save of the interview with Boris is now posted on the L-VMA web site and on YouTube, where it has already been viewed more than 50 times.

How many video clips from the conference did SME post on YouTube to promote our industry to newcomers? Do the folks at SME even know what YouTube is: A customized conduit, perhaps, made on an additive fabrication machine?

Lisa and SME were not done with me, yet. They monitored me as I walked the exhibition space at RAPID 2008 as if I were an interloper who at any moment might 'steal' an SME member and stopped me a second time to ask me to produce proof on the spot that I am, indeed, a journalist. (If I'm not, I sure do a good imitation).

Then when I returned from the conference, SME's own PR person, Lori Dick, told me she wants "independent" proof that I actually worked at one time for The Wall Street Journal as a columnist and investigative reporter.

SME and Todd Grimm won't begin answering any uncomfortable questions until other SME members begin posing them or until an independent auditor - such as the IRS, comes knocking at their door...

Lori's questioning of my bona fides tells me how awful she is at understanding and working with the media. How simple for her to enter my name in a Google search and after dismissing all of my references to myself, see how many other news organizations, such as The New York Times, refer to me as a former WSJ reporter - not to mention that many of my WSJ articles still appear on the Internet. (Major PR Hint: Don't question the legitimacy of a journalist unless you've first thoroughly researched his/her background yourself. Journalists don't like that.)

To get back to the point, both SME and Todd Grimm feel threatened by me and L-VMA, the volunteer organization I launched to promote the Additive Fabrication industry.

My investigative reporter's instinct tells me that both SME and Grimm have grown very cushy with the arrangements that are in place and they don't want some 'outsider' putting their activities under a microscope.

Leave well enough alone.

But 'well enough' at SME is not good enough.

Who decided that Todd Grimm, who is scheduled to become the 2009 Chair of SME's RTAM Community Steering Committee, should be a keynote speaker for this year's conference and exhibition? Doesn't this group already know Todd and what he has to say?

How about some fresh blood and fresh ideas?

Moreover, I'd like to know who else who spoke at this year's RAPID conference is a client of Todd's? Does SME load its panels with friends and clients of its steering committee members? Both SME and Todd are mum on this issue.

Even as I was preparing this post the mailman came and delivered to my house a flyer for SME's bookstore. The book that is most visible on the cover is Todd Grimm's User's Guide to Rapid Prototyping (black cover, center).

Flyer for Todd's 'Rapid' Book

Now clearly, Todd makes money when SME sells copies of his book, doesn't he? And is it ethically correct for SME to use its non-profit postage rate to promote Todd's for-profit book, given Todd's deep role and influence in the organization?

I will be asking the IRS these and other questions about SME in the coming days and weeks. So far, the written questions I've asked to Todd and most of the written and verbal questions I've asked to SME have been ignored.

As a veteran journalist, that comes as no surprise.

SME and Todd Grimm won't begin answering any uncomfortable questions until other SME members begin posing them or until an independent auditor - such as the IRS, comes knocking at their door and says, 'Gee, L-VMA has a point, what steps do you take to prevent SME from functioning as the tax-advantaged marketing arm of T.A. Grimm & Associates, Inc.?"

Be patient. We will get to the bottom of all this together.

What's Wrong With This News Release from SME? Just About Everything!

2008-05-29T20:34:50Z

The news release that follows was issued by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers last week to promote the fact that a professor at the University of Oklahoma won an award from SME for a paper she wrote on the innovative use of rapid prototyping in the field of skull reconstruction.

If I were the professor, I'd ask for my money back.

The release by SME, which aims to promote the additive fabrication industry among its various goals, is guilty of almost all variety of poor writing. Sad to say, however, the SME news release is typical of news releases being written in our industry: 1.) Boring 2.) Self-Serving 3.) Of interest to few people, if anyone. 4.) Laden with jargon. 5.) Boring.

Okay, so I mentioned boring twice. It is worth emphasizing.

If we are ever going to grow this industry into the global powerhouse that it can be, we've got to do a much, much better job telling our story -- especially to the mainstream news media.

For tips on writing a good RAPID industry news release, please see my earlier post here.

To be as clear as possible, I will once again comment in blue after providing you the exact text of the SME news release.

========================================================================

HEADLINE: Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy Accepts Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award

[This headline sucks! I hate to be that blunt, but it's true. Who, especially among journalists, has any idea in the world who Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy is? Moreover, who other than SME and Dick Aubin's family have any idea what is a 'Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award'? It is like a Pulitzer Prize or a Nobel Prize?

Try this headline I crafted instead:

Professor Honored For Her Study Of Innovative Ways To Help Rebuild Shattered Skulls

Oh my! My version doesn't name the professor, the award, the group that is honoring her, or even the industry that is sponsoring the award.

Exactly.

Read SME's headline again and read mine. Then pretend you are a normal human being, not an SME insider. Which headline makes you want to read on?]

SUBHEAD: Award-Winning Paper Focuses on Rapid Technology Used in Skull Reconstruction

[Not scintillating prose, but I can live with it. At least I don't need to be an SME-insider to understand it.]

DEARBORN, Mich., May 22, 2008 — Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy, B.D.S., M.S. of the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering accepted the Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award for 2008. Dr. Parthasarathy was honored during the plenary session at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers’ (SME) RAPID 2008 Conference and Exposition on May 20.

[Oh, vomit! We start with Dr. Parthasarathy's name again, then we're forced to suffer through her academic degrees? Who cares that it was the 'plenary' session and who cares it was at RAPID 2008? No self-respecting journalist would read past this first paragraph.

Save the details for the bottom of the release, if they are necessary at all. Screw her titles and affiliations. What we really want to say here is that a great professor wrote a great paper that could help those who need to have their skulls rebuilt and she was honored for it. After we've explained that, we can fill in the details.

Remember, a journalist needs to know the "so what" first. Then tell the reporter the who, what, where, and when.]

The award recognizes innovative applications of rapid prototyping processes and techniques and honors the author for his/her contribution of ideas and information to the rapid technology and additive manufacturing industry. It is named in memory of Richard F. Aubin, a founding member of the Rapid Prototyping Association of SME Advisory Board and member of the editorial review board for the Rapid Prototyping Journal. Aubin was a pioneer in the international intelligent manufacturing systems (IMS) effort with his work in the rapid product development feasibility study.

[The SME release hasn't really explained yet what Dr. Parthasarathy did that was newsworthy, but SME wants me to wade through an explanation first of why the award is named for Dick Aubin? Please! Save this for the very last paragraph of the news release, so if we get bored by it, at least we will have already read the truly important content of the news release.]

Dr. Parthasarathy was this year’s recipient for her paper on the innovative application of rapid prototyping to the field of skull reconstruction for use in correcting defects, also known as cranioplasty. She and co-authors, Dr. Shivakumar Raman and Dr. Binil Starly, both of the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering, detailed the surgical reconstruction procedures required of both form and function and the recent introduction of Electron Beam Melting (EBM) that has opened a new horizon for the possibility of direct fabrication of patient-specific titanium prosthesis from CT scan data. This design strategy gives a feasible, repeatable, and predictable solution to designing custom craniofacial implants.

[The above SME sentence has 58 words in it: "She and co-authors, Dr. Shivakumar Raman and Dr. Binil Starly, both of the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering, detailed the surgical reconstruction procedures required of both form and function and the recent introduction of Electron Beam Melting (EBM) that has opened a new horizon for the possibility of direct fabrication of patient-specific titanium prosthesis from CT scan data."

From this we can conclude one of two things: 1. The person who wrote this for SME is paid by the word. 2. The person who wrote this for SME doesn't have to read what he/she writes.

Here is a great rule of thumb for sentence writing. If you can't read it out loud in one breath, it is way too long. And no, folks, you don't get extra credit for weighing down a sentence with jargon. Who really thinks there isn't a better way to explain "a new horizon for the possibility of direct fabrication of patent-specific titanium proesthesis from CT scan data?" Hold the presses on that amazing piece of news!]

“Advances in computer technology in the rapid industry have created new avenues in surgery which the previous generation could only have imagined,” says Todd A. Grimm, vice chair of SME’s Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing (RTAM) Community. “The Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award acknowledges such ground-breaking innovation.”

[Todd tells me companies in our industry actually pay him to help them communicate more clearly. But Todd needs lessons himself. Engineers may understand Todd's quote. They may even nod their heads in agreement. But the rest of the world won't view this as articulate. "...which the previous generation could only have imagined" -- Does he mean our parents? If so, why not just say so? Or does Todd mean surgeons? Or does he mean computer programmers?

How about: "Surgeons today, thanks to advances in the rapid industry, can work 'miracles' that were only dreams even a decade ago?" Do we really need or gain from all of Todd's verbiage?]

For further information about the Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award or to learn more about the RTAM Community, visit www.sme.org/rtam.

[Anyone who is inspired by the original SME news release to want more information needs to get serious psychiatric help.]

5,000-Year-Old Iraqi Artifacts Are Object of Major 3D Scanning and Rapid Prototyping Project

2008-05-29T21:23:24Z

A multi-national effort to preserve the historical significance of thousands of ancient Iraqi cuneiform clay models is pinning its hopes on state-of-the-art 3D scanners and additive fabrication systems.

As reported by Discovery News, a team of scientists aims to gain access to the early Iraqi writing artifacts now housed at the National Museum in Badgad but no longer available for public viewing due to security concerns. Among the items to be scanned and reproduced are some of the earliest known written documents in existence.

Those behind the project say that they favor the additive fabrication technology over silicon or latex casts because AF allows them to make perfect replicas of the original cuneiforms without ever coming into direct physical contact with the fragile clay writings.

"The tablets were written on the front, back and sides, thus you need to rotate them to properly read the text," according to Paola Negri, an Italian engineer working on the project. "It is something not so easy to do with two-dimensional photography," he told Discovery News.

The work, itself, is reminiscent of the kind of work that Owings Mills, MD-based Direct Dimensions has undertaken for other significant preservation projects in the United States. Michael Raphael, president and chief engineer of Direct Dimensions, is an active member in the Society of Manufacturing Engineers rapid prototyping community.

How to Write an Effective RAPID Industry News Release

2008-05-28T09:46:13Z

The additive fabrication industry has a great story to tell the world and yet is one of the worst storytellers imaginable. News release after news release issued by members of this industry read as if they were written by engineers -- which they probably were.

But while engineers can design systems and parts that wow the imagination -- i.e. 'build a better mousetrap' -- the world will not beat a path to our doors unless we do a better job of telling our story.

Writing news releases is an art -- not a science. So my guidelines herein are intended as just that -- guides. In general, the most important insights that RAPID owners and executives can take away from this lesson are these.

Write a Grabbing Headline for Your News Release, Even if that Means Leaving Your Company's Name/Product Out of the Headline.
In the first paragraph or two, get immediately to the 'so what' of your announcement -- leaving the details (who, what, when, where) for further down. If readers don't know the import of your announcement upfront, they likely won't bother reading deep into your news release to discover it.
Write as if you are telling a story to your neighbor or a member of your church. Your audience needs to be enticed.

If you'd like to see specifically what I mean, let's take a look at a news release I issued this week highlighting the speech given by Northrup Grumman's Boris Fritz at RAPID 2008. What follows is the actual release with my comments highlighted in blue.

Amazing But True: Expert Forecasts You Will Hold Your Breath for 4 Hours

[Headline is intended to get journalists and others to read further. Take note that I don't mention any name or company in the headline, so as not to bog it down. If you see this headline, it is hard not to read on -- don't you think?]

Orlando, Fl. (May 30, 2008) -- An expert in nanomanufacturing says that researchers are developing molecular-sized machines that in our lifetimes will allow humans to live without a fresh intake of oxygen for as much as four hours.

[I don't say who the expert is yet because until the readers care about this news release, they won't care who the expert is or where he works. I also don't weigh down this first sentence with technical jargon -- such as respirocytes. Instead, I refer to them as 'molecular-sized' machines. Even your neighbor can picture that.]

That means that underwater swimmers will need no special equipment to stay down for hours on end and that heart attack victims will be able to leisurely make their way to a hospital to receive treatment.

[I state the significance of all this long before I attempt to explain what "it" is I'm talking about. Try asking yourself, "What Does This Mean?" for readers and then make sure you answer that in the first two or three paragraphs of your news release.]

This is not science fiction, according to Boris Fritz, an aerospace engineer, who outlined the potential uses of these so-called "respirocytes" during his remarks at RAPID 2008, a conference and exhibition sponsored by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME).

[Okay, so now for the first time I put a name to my expert and also introduce the technical term 'respirocytes.' But I don't yet give more details about Boris nor do I burden this sentence with details about RAPID 2008 or SME.]

Fritz believes that respirocytes - which function as artificial red blood cells capable of transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide throughout the body - could replace 10% of actual human blood cells to provide the extra four hours of intake-free, life-sustaining oxygen.

A video interview with Fritz is available now on the Low-Volume Manufacturers Association site at www.l-vma.org.

[This is my real sales pitch. I want to attract readers to the L-VMA web site and to view my interview with Boris. But I was very patient in making sure that readers would want to hear more about Boris before I introduced this link.]

Fritz is a senior engineer technical specialist in the Materials & Processes Laboratory at Northrop Grumman Corp. He is also founder and a past chairman of SME's Nanomanufacturing Technical Group.

[Look how long I've waited to give Boris's specific title and affiliation! Most companies try to crowd this information up high in their news releases. To do so is a mistake. Until you make the readers truly interested, they don't give a twit about titles and affiliations. Remember that!]

When the technology for respirocytes is ready, the nanomachines are likely to be "printed" using the type of additive fabrication systems currently deployed to produce non-mold prototypes and low-volume direct digital manufactured parts.

Fritz told RAPID 2008 and L-VMA that he also is excited about the ability to use additive fabrication systems to produce programmable material - sometimes called utility fog or foglets - that can change shape, feel and bond based upon a user's needs.

As Fritz explained, in the future - perhaps as soon as 20 years hence -- billions of volumetric pixels (voxals) will be simply manufactured and programmed to conform to users' needs: a bed that can be used at night that then reforms itself to be a desk or kitchen table during the day.

Likewise, Fritz envisions a more distant future in which programmable material is used to build homes that can be 'remodeled' at will and holodeck-like rooms where the interiors can reshape themselves to match almost any desired scenery - including to-the-touch accurate human models.

[To keep the readers reading, the news release must keep being interesting. I try to achieve this by transitioning from respirocytes to volumetric pixels. My use of the word 'holodeck' is a deliberate effort to appeal to the science fiction fan in all of us.]

"This isn't virtual reality," Fritz notes. "It is more like real, reality, because it is made of foglets," he says.

Dean Rotbart, founder and director of L-VMA, says that Fritz highlights the fact that the additive fabrication industry - which most people think of as dealing with industrial prototypes and parts - is on the cutting edge of 21st Century technological advances. "Talk about undiscovered potential, the additive fabrication industry has the potential to make the Internet look so 'yesterday'," Rotbart says. "Investors, entrepreneurs and journalists who want to see tomorrow today should be talking to RAPID industry leaders such as Boris Fritz," he adds.

[This is my release. Although it may seem to be about Boris and his speech, it is really about the L-VMA. Yet look where I chose to insert myself into this narrative! By now, if I still have an audience, I feel the audience is ready to know me and my interests. Until now, the release has been designed for the readers' benefit alone -- as any good release should be.]

The Low-Volume Manufacturers Association is a volunteer organization dedicated to showcasing the benefits of rapid-prototyping, rapid-manufacturing and other emerging additive fabrication technologies. Membership in the group is free and open to all bona fide additive fabrication companies.

[If I've done my job well, readers have read most, if not all, of this release and don't feel 'sold' when they are done. In fact, I kinda hope they'll actually talk about the release with their colleagues and perhaps even email a copy of the release to friends. Remember, a release is not about you, as silly as that seems. It is about your intended reader and making sure that reader gets repaid for his/her investment in reading your release.]

Voxals, Utility Fog and Other RAPID Wonders: A Conversation with Boris Fritz of Northrup Grumman

2008-05-27T19:06:54Z

The future holds the promise of allowing heart attack victims to take their sweet time in getting to a hospital; underwater divers swimming for hours without any equipment whatsoever; and homes that pack themselves up when you go on vacation and serve as a park until your return.

All that might seem like pure bunk if it weren't coming from the mouth of Boris Fritz, a senior engineer technical specialist in the material and process laboratory of Northrop Grumman Corp. Boris, who also served as a RAPID 2008 conference advisor, regaled this year's SME gathering with a peek into what may become a reality in our lifetimes.

Following his remarks to the entire assembly, Dean Rotbart, director of the Low-Volume Manufacturers Association, had the opportunity to ask Boris to repeat some of his more amazing forecasts. Dean's report, now available on YouTube, can be accessed here as well.

L-VMA Interviews Jodie Davis of Redeye RPM at RAPID 2008

2008-05-27T18:27:08Z

The Low-Volume Manufacturers Association interviewed Jodie Davis, a senior marketing specialist for Redeye RPM at the RAPID 2008 conference and exposition in Orlando, FL. The interview was conducted by Dean Rotbart, founder and director of L-VMA.

In the interview, Jodie gives a broad overview of the many services offered by Redeye RPM. Other companies in the additive fabrication industry wishing to have their story told by L-VMA are invited to contact Rotbart at director@l-vma.org or phone him at 1-866-522-RPRM (7776). There is no fee for this service.

Materialise Sets Competition for Innovate Use of its RP-RM Software

2008-05-27T14:52:55Z

To mark the 15th anniversary of its Rapid Prototyping and Rapid Manufacturing software (RP-RM), Materialise said it is sponsoring a contest to honor those users who have shown the most innovative and creative uses for its Magics and 3-matic software.

In a news release, the Leuven, Belgium-based company announced the inaugural edition of the Materialise Pyramid Awards and invited companies to submit a case describing their RP-RM innovation.

"By means of these Awards we hope to stimulate an open minded use of our software and to further increase innovation in additive manufacturing," explains Wim Michiels, vice president of Materialise Software. Winners will be evaluated by a jury and announced in September 2008 at the company's Innovation Forum.

Materialise said the top prize in each of its two categories will be 2,000 Euro. Full details can be found on its website, www.materialise.com.

3M Veteran Elected to the Board of 3D Systems

2008-05-27T10:22:57Z

ROCK HILL, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE) -- 3D Systems Corporation (Nasdaq: TDSC), a leading provider of 3-D Printing, Rapid Prototyping and Direct Manufacturing solutions, elected Karen E. Welke as an additional director of the company, increasing the size of the Board to nine.

Ms. Welke held executive positions for more than 25 years at 3M Corporation where she last served as Group Vice President of its Medical Markets Group. During her tenure at 3M, she also had significant international experience, having served as Managing Director of 3M France for four years and previously as the European Healthcare Group Product Director headquartered in Brussels, Belgium. She is retired and currently serves as a director of Millipore Corporation (NYSE: MIL).

“We are very pleased to have a person of Karen’s caliber join our Board of Directors,” said Walter Loewenbaum, 3D Systems’ Chairman. “Karen brings a unique blend of business experience that we expect to enhance the range of skills and expertise within our Board of Directors.”

“The addition of Karen Welke to our Board underscores our commitment and drive to improving all aspects of our business,” said Abe Reichental, 3D Systems’ President and CEO. “The medical systems’ sector is of great interest to our company and its future growth plans, particularly in the areas of 3-D Printing and Direct Digital Manufacturing. We expect that Karen’s extensive industry experience, coupled with her comprehensive strategic, operating and international background, will make her a valuable addition to our Board.”

RedEye RPM and Alibre Form Partnership to Offer Instant Rapid Prototyping Quotes

2008-05-27T10:18:38Z

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- RedEye RPM (www.redeyerpm.com), a business unit of Stratasys (NASDAQ: SSYS), and Alibre, Inc. (www.alibre.com) today announced – from the RAPID show in Orlando – a new partnership that enables users of Alibre Design 3D CAD software to obtain instant quotes for designs using RedEye’s Web-based quoting system.

As part of the partnership, RedEye created a software add-on for Alibre Design that generates instant quotes for parts and assemblies directly inside the Alibre Design interface. In addition, designers securely can transmit the design to RedEye to build after receiving a quote. The quotes are based on services offered by RedEye RPM, which houses nearly 100 additive fabrication systems in its facilities worldwide, most of which are fused deposition modeling® systems manufactured by Stratasys.

“Designers now have direct access to prototypes and custom manufactured parts that can be made and shipped to them in a matter of days,” says Tim Thellin, RedEye RPM product manager. “This add-on offers a simple, direct connection for designers to get quotes instantly without having to upload files to our Web site.”

Questions and Some Initial Answers About Todd A. Grimm and His SME Role

2008-05-27T09:21:47Z

Last Friday, May 23, I sent the following note to the public relations department of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers:

I am working on an article for our web site about Todd A. Grimm, who was one of this year's keynote speakers at RAPID 2008 in Orlando. Todd is Vice Chair of SME's RTAM community and gave the keynote address on the morning of Wednesday, March 21.

As an SME member and a reporter working on a story, I'd like to inquire as to whether Mr. Grimm was paid or in any way compensated/reimbursed for his presentation? If so, I would like to know specifics.

More broadly, I'm interested in how SME and RTAM address issues of possible conflicts of interest when leaders of the organization are involved in decisions such as who is invited to speak and who isn't. I want to know how fairness is applied such that two groups don't arise -- "insiders" and everyone else.

I'm happy to discuss this with you further by phone if you prefer. I will be back in my Los Angeles office on Tuesday, May 27th. My deadline is COB next Thursday, May 29th.

Thank you in advance,

DEAN

This morning I phoned SME in Detroit to follow up on my email. I spoke with Lori Dick, senior PR representative, who did provide me some initial answers.

Ms. Dick says that Todd was not paid for his keynote address and that none of his expenses were reimbursed by SME. In addition, she says that the selection of speakers is controlled by a 20-member advisory board and that each of the members votes on possible speakers.

I've asked her for the names of those 20 members and if there is a chair of the group. I'll let you know when I hear back from her.

Ms. Dick told me that Todd would have recused himself from any discussion of including him as a keynote speaker, assuming he is one of the 20 advisory members.

For now, I have no reason not to take Ms. Dick at her word, although I have asked her to provide me additional information to help verify her responses. I have also sent a list of related email questions to Todd.

Meanwhile, Ms. Dick asked me to verify who I say I am, including the fact that I used to report for The Wall Street Journal and was nominated by the paper for a Pulitzer Prize. Ms. Dick says the only proof she has been able to find so far to corroborate my biographical claims comes from my own postings.

I suggested that SME call The Wall Street Journal directly and ask about me. I even gave her the phone number!

There is no doubt that SME is suspicious of me and my intentions. I've got nothing to hide. Hopefully, SME can say the same thing.

More Photos from the RAPID 2008 Exhibition

2008-05-24T11:54:53Z

Harry Abramson, head of business development at Direct Dimensions (far left) and Michael Raphael, president and chief engineer (far right), with members of their Owings Mills, MD-based team. Direct Dimensions excels at finding solutions to the most challenging RAPID and 3D Scanning and Production problems.

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Kevin Ayers (l) of the FBI and Peter Klink of EOS GmbH	Boris Fritz of Northrop Grumman

Scott Schermer of SC Johnson & Sons	Jeff DeGrange of The Boeing Co.

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Photo: Graham Tromans of Loughborough University (l)
and Scott Schermer of SC Johnson & Sons (c). Advisor at
right is unidentified -- let us know her name and affilation!

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Photo: Dr. Jayanthi Parthasarathy, B.D.S., M.S. of the University of Oklahoma School of Industrial Engineering accepting the Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award for 2008

'We Are Here' - The Bottom Line of Rapid 2008

2008-05-24T10:42:14Z

Orlando - As the final keynote speaker at this year's RAPID 2008, consultant Terry Wohlers offered his forecast for the continued growth of the additive fabrication industry.

By 2012, Wohlers predicts, revenues for the industry will surpass $2.3 billion. This may be, by his own admission, a conservative estimate.

Those who work in the additive fabrication sector - including system manufacturers and service providers, can be proud of their achievements and the percentage increases they've generated in recent years.

But - and this is a BIG BUT - any objective evaluation of the AF-RAPID industry would have to admit that other industries that were created long, long after ours - such as the online advertising industry - already dwarf the additive fabrication world in only a few short years of existence.

Every SME member attending Wohlers speech received an eight-page executive summary of his definitive industry analysis - Wohlers Report 2008. The full 240-page softbound publication sells for $475 and offers a broad and deep view of the entire industry. (To order, visit: www.wohlerassociates.com)

By most measures, additive fabrication has developed and evolved impressively," Wohlers writes in the executive summary. Witness the fact that during the four-year period, 2004-2007, Wohlers says that sales of additive fabrication products and services surged by 116%.

But that surge amounted to a four-year total increase of $612 million in absolute dollars, about the amount Google, Inc. spends annually on fuel for its fleet of jets.

Okay, so that's an exaggeration. Google probably doesn't spend that much on fuel. But the point is that our industry hasn't set its sights high enough and we are too easily satisfied with the kind of growth that Wohlers is tracking.

Given the potential for additive fabrication to revolutionize manufacturing globally, how is it that we are still starring starry-eyed at that day -- a few years hence, when we'll cross the $2.3 billion in annual revenues threshold?

The problem is that most of the world has no clue how additive fabrication technologies can be deployed to help their businesses succeed. Entrepreneurs have not yet recognized that AF opens the door to a wide array of new investment opportunities. And members of our industry have been so focused on developing our technologies, that they've lost site of the need to effectively market them.

Our industry needs to undertake an informational and marketing effort to shout at the world - "We Are Here."

My impression of this year's RAPID conference, presented by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, is that it is a fantastic event for those individuals who are already members of the "choir." But the event preaches to itself.

My goal, and it should be one shared by everyone in the Additive Fabrication industry, is to reach out to the uninitiated and show them what a powerful industry ours can and will be.

"We Are Here." Remember that!

Photo: Terry Wohlers by Dean Rotbart

Gideon Levy Honored for His Contribution to Additive Manufacturing Industry

2008-05-23T19:49:31Z

Orlando -- The Society of Manufacturing Engineers' Rapid Technologies and Additive Manufacturing Community presented Gideon Levy with its first Industry Achievement Award.

Dr. Levy led a team in the development of new, groundbreaking selective laser sintering materials, the SME said. "In doing so, he addressed key barriers, which resulted in the greater utilization of the technology. Users within the industry are constantly demanding more and more quality materials. Levy's team answered that call by making advances that delivered a combination of processing characteristics and quality," the group noted in bestowing the honor on Dr. Levy.

Established in 2008, the RTAM Industry Achievement Award was developed to recognize an individual, team or company for outstanding accomplishments that have had significant impact within the additive manufacturing industry or in any industry through the application of additive manufacturing technologies. Winners are selected with consideration for the scope and scale of benefits realized and the potential future impact their work will have on the industry, SME said in a news release.

According to SME, Dr. Levy holds 20 patents and has published 150 scientific and technical articles, was the 2007 recipient of the prestigious VR@P award in the field of virtual rapid prototyping and was named one of Time-Compression Technologies' (UK) 25 Most Influential People in Rapid Manufacturing.

Photo: Dr. Gideon Levy by Dean Rotbart

RAPID 3D Scanning Report: My Head on a White Platter

2008-05-23T04:54:29Z

This is my head on a white platter. It has been digitally scanned thanks to the great team at Santa Monica-based NextEngine. During RAPID 2008, Brad Bryker, NextEngine's VP of Business Development and his friendly colleagues were scanning all sorts of 3 Dimensional items -- most inanimate but including some body parts -- to illustrate the sophistication and simplicity of this great new technology.

Paul Noceti, a NextEngine applications engineer, did the actual scan of my noggin, which required a few extra passes due to the density of my skull. That, by the way, is just a joke.

Paul, who joined NextEngine after his graduation from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in mechanical engineering, is a shining example of tomorrow's RAPID industry leaders already working in the field today. Paul, who also studied abroad in Italy, wants to return to school eventually to get his MBA. For now, he is soaking in all our amazing industry has to offer and returning it to those, like me, who are just getting acquainted with 3D scanning.

I'll be writing more about my experience as a 'model' when time permits.

Todd A. Grimm's Unexpected 'Welcome' to RAPID 2008: You Better Watch Out!

2008-05-22T12:11:38Z

Orlando (May 22, 2008): In his official pictures Todd A. Grimm of T.A. Grimm & Associates looks so friendly. He has a warm smile and an earnest disposition. So I was taken by surprise this morning when I went up to Todd to introduce myself face-to-face and discovered a less smiley facade.

Grim, indeed, was Todd's assessment of me and the Low-Volume Manufacturers Association, which I founded and work for as a volunteer. Todd told me flat out -- just an instant or two before he turned his back on me and walked away -- that he views me as "the competition" and doesn't like my style of business.

Fair enough. Todd is entitled to pick and choose who he associates with and if he doesn't want to speak with me it is his option.

The one nit I have to pick, however, is with the fact that Todd also is a senior representative of the SME's RAPID conference and Vice Chairman of its RTAM community. Indeed, next year, Todd will become chairman of the RTAM community steering committee.

Will he choose not to speak to anyone he competes with or anyone who competes with those he consults with during his tenure? I wasn't approaching Todd because I wanted his rapid prototyping consulting and marketing services. I approached him because I wanted to greet him as a highly regarded leader of SME's RTAM. (Indeed, Todd was honored as one of this year's keynote speakers.)

Todd can tell you directly what his problem is with me and L-VMA. You may agree with his views or may not. But as best as I can ascertain, he is most concerned that I may one day find a way to make money from my work with the L-VMA. Not that he, as a respected RTAM leader, makes any money from the high visibility his volunteer work for the group brings him!

In all trade associations I've been affiliated with in the past, the fact that one member competes with another is not grounds for an official snub. I do wonder how Todd can justify this unusual position and who else he has blown off in his role as a RTAM leader because he doesn't approve of their style of doing business?

What do you think is the likelihood that RTAM will give me a speaking opportunity at a future RAPID conference so long as my "competitor" is in charge of the community and won't even stand still to speak with me?

Officially, I am a paid member of SME and don't think it right to be excluded because I may -- at least in Todd's view -- compete with him. Tough.

Douglas B. Mitchell, who currently chairs RTAM and works for Ford, seems to have no problem working alongside Thomas A. Sorovetz of Chrysler in a civil fashion. Why would Todd treat me any differently?

Todd, who provided me a telephone interview for L-VMA some months back, told me he went so far as to call SME members he knows and speak poorly of me and L-VMA, suggesting that somehow I am up to no good. I pointed out that I did free PR for him and promoted his interview without charge -- an offer I extend to any company or individual in the RAPID industry. (Does T.A. Grimm & Associates make a similar free offer for its marketing services?)

Todd would have none of this. Even as I asked him to recall how much I invoiced him for my work on his behalf -- a big fat zero -- he just skulked away.

More about Todd and his consultancy in the coming days.

Photo: Todd A. Grimm by Dean Rotbart

Pictures at a RAPID Exhibition

2008-05-24T10:49:49Z

Orlando (May 20, 2008) -- The future of rapid prototyping, rapid manufacturing and all related additive fabrication technologies is on display now in the exhibition hall of SME's RAPID 2008 conference. Dozens of exhibitors from around the globe have turned out in force to show their wares and meet current and prospective customers.

RAPID 2008 is being held May 20-22 at the Coronado Springs Resort in the Disney World complex here. EOS GmbH of Germany is the conference's presenting sponsor and enjoys a showcase exhibition booth. Other large sponsors include www.approto.com, Huntsman, Raymor, Stratasys, DSM Somos and Object. Media partners for the event include Manufacturing Engineering, The TCT Magazine and Desktop Engineering.

Left: Jodie Davis, Senior Marketing Specialist -- Redeye RPM
Right: Carl K. Deckker, President, Met-L-Flo, Inc. and a Conference Advisor

Left: The EOS exhibit at RAPID 2008. At center, in the red striped tie, is Peter Klink, executive vice president of global sales and support.

Right: A wider view of the EOS booth.

The 3D Systems booth and (R) uniform parts made on the company's Viper Pro -- show in the background on the left.

Left: Brad Bryker of NextEngine (black shirt) offers a demonstration of three-dimensional scanning.
Right: The DSM Somos booth.