This keynote starts the FABTECH engine, which will be running on all cylinders as industry experts take the stage at 12:30 in the FABTECH Theater for a 1-hr. featured panel session, What Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing Means for the Metal Fabrication Industry. Business leaders in the additive-manufacturing industry will discuss the current state of this technology, and where it is going. What are the new challenges? How should a company invest in the technology? How does this new type of manufacturing change the way that we do business? 

Attendees can gain perspectives into this technology in terms of making metal parts and how the continued evolution of technology and pricing structure affect high-mix, low-volume manufacturers as well as reducing the cost of complex part production for metal manufacturers. The panel includes Carl Dekker, president, Met-L-Flo, Inc.; Bob Markley, CEO, 3rd Dimension Industrial 3D Printing; Rick Neff, manager of market development, Cincinnati Inc.; and Bryan Crutchfield, managing director, Materialise USA. 

At 12:30 on Tuesday, Nov. 10, the FABTECH Theater hosts another panel session, Enterprise Security Risks: Is Your Company Protected? The threat of enterprise security breaches and compromises has become one of business' greatest—and most unpredictable—risk factors. An increasing number of companies are falling victim to internal and external threats, and the manufacturing industry is no exception. This session offers a comprehensive look at the current threats manufacturers' face, the security vulnerabilities they exploit, and the potential impact on an organization. Attendees will receive critical information and guidance on developing a security strategy that deploys the latest and greatest technologies available to protect a company's valuable information and minimize disruption to customers, operations and productivity.

Moderator Jay Monahan, SAP director–global shop floor for Dell's Business Application & Technology Services, leads a panel that includes Dr. Dong Wei, cybersecurity research scientist, Siemens Corporate Research; Dominick Glavach, principal IS security engineer, Concurrent Technologies Corp.; and Jay Conolly, director of commercial solutions, Prescient Edge, LLC.

On Wednesday, Nov. 11, a featured panel session, State of the Industry Executive Outlook: Advanced Manufacturing, will take place from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. in the FABTECH Theater. Panelists Marni Rutkofsky, director of strategy and marketing, GE Ventures; Robert Henderson, director of additive manufacturing, Linear Mold & Engineering, Inc.; and Tom McGaughy, director of technology, Edison Welding Institute will discuss how they stay on the forefront of manufacturing technology advancements and how they deal with these disruptive technologies as they relate to new-product introduction, supply chain, customer interaction and advanced automation.

The Professional Welders Competition, sponsored by AWS, will take place in Booth C1844 throughout the run of FABTECH. Professional welders can sign up onsite to compete for a $2500 first prize, a $1000 second prize and a $500 third prize. Contestants will make a single-pass SMAW weld with E7018 on low-carbon steel. Speed and quality will be the criteria.

See also: Precision Metalforming Association

Technologies: Bending, CNC Punching, Stamping Presses

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