04-10-1989: the first AMUG conference was held
It was organized by 3D Systems under the name “3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group”
On April 10, 1989, 3D Systems hosted the very first user meeting dedicated to stereolithography technology. The event, titled “3D Systems North American Stereolithography Users Group”, took place in Irvine, California, and gathered representatives from companies and institutions such as Pratt & Whitney, Ford, General Motors, IBM, Dupont, Eastman Kodak, and Carnegie Mellon University. For the next 12 years, the group mainly brought together users of 3D Systems’ technology.
However, starting in the 2000s, it gradually began to open up to other companies and technologies. In 2011, it officially became AMUG – the largest and most prestigious organization of its kind in the additive manufacturing industry.
AMUG's mission is to educate and support the development and application of additive manufacturing technologies. The organization is guided by the principle of "For Users, By Users" – its events and initiatives are created by 3D printing technology users for other users, ensuring the content is practical and authentic.
The core of AMUG’s activity is its annual conference, where engineers, designers, managers, and educators from around the world come together to exchange experiences and best practices, participate in hands-on workshops, training sessions, and technical talks about the latest trends, technologies, and materials in 3D printing, and present case studies that help attendees better understand the practical aspects of implementing AM.
The early conferences were focused solely on stereolithography, the only commercially available AM technology at the time, created and developed by 3D Systems. In the 1990s, users of a different technology – Selective Laser Sintering (SLS), developed by DTM Corporation – joined the group. In 2001, after DTM was acquired by 3D Systems, both user groups merged into a single organization. This was the first step toward broadening the group's focus beyond a single technology.
As the 3D printing industry evolved in the early 21st century, users began to work with an increasing number of additive technologies, including FDM, SLM, PolyJet, and DLP. In response, during the 2011 annual conference, members voted to open the group to owners and operators of all commercially available 3D printing technologies. As a result, the name was changed to Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG), reflecting the broader scope and ambitions of the organization.
AMUG gained prominence thanks to its annual conferences, which have become key events for the AM industry. Held continuously since the 1990s, AMUG conferences have evolved from local U.S. meetings into international forums for knowledge exchange.
The most recent conference took place from March 30 to April 3 in Chicago.
Source: www.3dprint.com
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