THOMAS A. HOULE, DIRECTOR, LUMEX NA FOR MATSUURA MACHINERY USA SELECTED AS FEATURED PRESENTER AT 2018 AMUG EDUCATION & TRAINING CONFERENCE

St. Paul, MN (March 30, 2018) — Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. announces Thomas A. Houle, Director, LUMEX NA for Matsuura USA was selected as the featured presenter for three sessions at the 2018 AMUG Education & Training Conference, April 8-12, in St. Louis, MO:

• Capitalizing on Conformal Cooling Technology will focus on the many advantages that 3D cooling channels have in improving the injection molding process.  The presentation will provide real-world examples of how utilizing conformal cooling has drastically reduced the cost of manufacturing on injection molded components.  Houle will provide return on investment (ROI) calculations for the audience to use as they begin to incorporate this technology into their molding operations.
• Capitalizing on Hybrid AM Technology in Your Manufacturing Operation will focus on how utilizing the distinct advantages of Hybrid Metal AM technology can improve manufacturing operations across many industries.  Houle will focus on how Hybrid AM can be used to improve the design and development, manufacturing scale-up and ultimately the final manufacturing processes to achieve robust operations on new product launches.  The lecture will provide a brief overview of the Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Sintering technology employed by the Matsuura LUMEX Series of Hybrid Metal AM machines.
• Using Metal Hybrid Additive Manufacturing to Reduce Injection Mold Build Times will focus on the advantages that incorporating Hybrid Metal AM technologies can have on reducing the lead time for building complex injection molds.  Houle will concentrate on how today’s injection mold designers (by changing their thinking) can capitalize on AM technology to reduce the number of components required to produce the same high-end injection mold. Houle will also highlight where Hybrid AM can be used to prevent the costly mold grooming common in today’s industry.

Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc.’s Thomas Houle is an experienced Manufacturing Professional with a demonstrated history of success in the tooling and plastics industry. He is skilled in new product development, Program Management, Sales and Business development, new Technology adoption and Manufacturing systems and experienced with in-mold sensing and monitoring to measure mold and part performance. Houle has 27 years of continuing experience in the injection mold and molding industry developing turn-key projects for customers all around the globe.

Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. previously announced the planned exhibition of the Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 Metal Laser Sintering Hybrid Milling Machine in BOOTH P18 at the 2018 AMUG Education & Training Conference.

The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 metal laser sintering hybrid milling machine is a powder bed metal AM platform with subtractive machining capability. The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 combines selective laser sintering (SLS) along with high speed milling (HSM) commonly called Hybrid AM.

The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 relies on one-machine, one-process manufacturing of complex molds and parts by fusing metal laser sintering (3D SLS) technology with high speed milling technology. The Hybrid technology creates a “finished” part with machined surface finish and accuracy, without inducing the additional variation caused by multiple machine set-ups and part handling.   The machine enables production of complicated parts and molds through total manufacturing by digital engineering, using 3D data.

The Matsuura LUMEX Avance-25 serves predominantly the high value, high accuracy mold and die market. Dies and molds with complex geometries can be fabricated in one piece with high accuracy, shortening lead time and reducing manufacturing costs by as much as a third over conventional machining technology.

Matsuura’s cutting-edge technology is transformative in today’s world of 3D Metal Additive Manufacturing. With Matsuura’s combination of best-in-class CNC Milling and high speed Direct Laser Melting, Matsuura has fundamentally revolutionized the AM marketplace. Matsuura’s unique combination of technology platforms enables the production of parts and component geometries in a method that has never been possible nor imagined.

Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Conference brings together engineers, designers, managers, and educators from around the world to share expertise, best practices, challenges, and application developments in additive manufacturing.

The users group conference, now in its 30th year, is open to owners and operators of industrial additive manufacturing (3D printing) technologies used for professional purposes.

AMUG brings together engineers, designers, technicians, supervisors, plant managers and educators from around the world to share expertise, best practices, challenges, and application developments in additive manufacturing. Unique among additive manufacturing (AM) events, the AMUG Conference is differentiated by the openness of attendees and their willingness to share.

The AMUG Conference will include technical sessions and hands-on workshops designed to help users get more from, and do more with, their systems. Through its Innovators Award, Technical Competition and Awards Banquet, excellence in applying additive manufacturing and contributions to the industry will be recognized.

Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc., located in St. Paul, MN is the U.S. subsidiary of Matsuura Machinery Corporation in Japan. Since 1935, Matsuura has been the forerunner in designing innovative technology and manufacturing solutions to a variety of industries around the globe. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. delivers unmatched excellence in 5-axis, vertical, horizontal, linear motor, multi-tasking CNC machine tools and machines with a powder bed metal AM platform with machining capability. Matsuura Machinery USA, Inc. provides the service, applications and technical field support that have always been the Matsuura standard for business. For more information on Matsuura LUMEX products, contact: [email protected] or visit: www.matsuurausa.com.