For more information:

DEMAT Exposition Managing

49 69 27 40 03 0

Fax 49 69 27 40 0340

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

EuroMold 2000 to Feature Roger Spielman

of Boeing's Rocketdyne

 

FORT COLLINS, COLORADO, October 5, 2000—EMAT Exposition Managing and Wohlers Associates, Inc. announced today the conference program for its new industry event, "RP = Rapid Production: An International Conference."  The program will be held on December 1 at EuroMold 2000 in Frankfurt, Germany.  EuroMold 2000 is a trade fair that is expected to draw more than 50,000 engineers, tool and die makers, managers, and executives from around the world. 

 

Roger Spielman of Boeing's Rocketdyne Propulsion & Power is serving as the keynote speaker of the conference.  Rocketdyne produces the main rocket engines for the entire fleet of Space Shuttles and manufactures many parts for the International Space Station.  Mr. Spielman and his team have pioneered the use of parts from selective laser sintering (SLS) for installation on these and other aircraft and space vehicles.  In his presentation, titled Laser Sintered Parts in Space, Mr. Spielman will present the fabrication of man-rated space flight hardware using SLS technology. 

 

Over the past five years, Spielman has used laser sintering to successfully manufacture parts in glass-filled nylon and super alloys.  "Hundreds of these parts have been installed and today are in use on the International Space Station and Space Shuttles," Spielman explained.  "Presently, the entire fleet of Space Shuttles is having their main engines retrofit using SLS parts," he said.  Spielman will explain the rigorous testing involved in certifying the materials and processes, as well as the extensive inspection process.  Also, Roger will share many examples of how the sintered parts have helped save almost unbelievable time and cost.

 

"I am excited and delighted that Mr. Spielman has accepted our invitation to give the keynote at our upcoming conference," remarked Diana Schnabel, chief executive of DEMAT Exhibition Managing, the organizer of EuroMold.  "His impressive examples of using RP to manufacture parts that must withstand the rigors of space flight will serve as an inspiration to hundreds of companies worldwide.  His participation is a very important addition to the entire EuroMold 2000 event," she explained.

 

From age 11, most of Spielman's free time was spent with a neighbor, a tool design engineer from Lockheed Skunk Works, who mentored him in foundry work, machining, welding, and sheet metal.  By 17, he had established a part-time business that involved building and maintaining specialty-fabricated vehicles.  Through his early adult years, Roger apprenticed with world-renowned automotive experts, including Gene Winfield of Modesto, California.  Winfield was famous for land speed records during the 1950s, concept cars for the Ford Motor Company throughout the 1960s, and cars for Hollywood films through the 1970s and 1980s.  In 1980, Roger moved to the aerospace industry and worked on liquid fuel rocket engines for the Rocketdyne Division of Rockwell International.  In 1995, he and his team launched its first effort to characterize the laser sintering process and certify end-use parts for flight operations.

 

Other carefully selected individuals from North America and Europe will share their personal experiences and vision of RP for rapid production based on their understanding of where the technology is headed.  The program includes:

 

Opening: Using RP Methods for Production Quantities

Terry Wohlers, Wohlers Associates, Inc. (USA)

 

Keynote: Laser Sintered Parts in Space

Roger Spielman, Boeing's Rocketdyne (USA)

 

Using Direct Croning to Decrease the Cost of Small Batch Production

Ray Wünsche, ACTech (Germany)

 

Using RP to Manufacture Complex Titanium Parts for Formula 1 Cars

Franco Zucchelli, C.R.P. Technology, a division of the Cevolini Group (Italy)

 

Production Parts Using Stereolithography as a Manufacturing Solution

Norma Jean Rutledge, Pure Fluid Magic (USA)

 

Micro RP&M Technologies for End User Applications

Andrea Reinhardt, microTEC (Germany)

 

Advances in Rapid Manufacturing

Philip Dickens, De Montfort University (England)

 

The conference is being targeted at managers and executives from manufacturers of consumer electronics, sporting goods, toys, medical supplies and instruments, industrial machinery, business machines, aircraft, and automobiles.  The Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations (GARPA), an organization formed in 1998 to encourage the exchange of information across international borders, has endorsed the event. 

 

DEMAT Exhibition Managing, located in Frankfurt, Germany, is the organizer of the EuroMold 2000 trade fair and the one-day conference on rapid production.  For more information on the trade fair and conference, phone 49 69 27 40 03 0, fax 49 69 27 40 03 40, or visit www.euromold.com.

 

Wohlers Associates, Inc. provides technical, marketing, and strategic consulting on the new developments and trends in product development, prototyping, tooling, and manufacturing.  Terry Wohlers, co-founder of GARPA and president of Wohlers Associates, is chairing the conference.  For more information on Wohlers Associates, visit wohlersassociates.com.

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