Keynote Speakers Set for 2022 AMUG Conference

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) announced its keynote speakers for the 2022 AMUG Conference, to be held in Chicago, IL, April 3-7. Kevin Czinger, founder, lead inventor and chief executive officer of Divergent 3D and Czinger Vehicles, and Ellen Lee, technical leader of AM research at Ford Motor Co., will take the stage to discuss innovations and change in the automotive sector.

Czinger will take the stage on Tuesday, April 5, to share how he founded Divergent 3D in 2013 to rethink how vehicles are produced at scale, using a clean slate, system-level approach to digital manufacturing. This approach has been demonstrated successfully by Divergent's captive product company, Czinger Vehicles, and Divergent 3D is partnering with several major, unnamed automotive OEMs to break the barriers of serial production using additive manufacturing at scale.

At the core of Divergent 3D's solution and a central point for the keynote presentation is DAPS (Divergent Adaptive Production System), a system-level solution that delivers multi-objective, optimized designs; purpose-designed materials; tool-less additive manufacturing; and automated, fixture-less assembly.

On Thursday, April 7, Lee, who has spent her entire 23-yr. career at Ford, will present Automotive Manufacturing to Additive Manufacturing: From History to the Future of Mobility. She will share how key events and needs in the history of mobility have influenced the development and advancement of the modern manufacturing industry, such as the moving assembly line, development of new materials and creation of new technologies. Building on that insight, Lee will discuss the continued drive for innovation in new aspects, such as mass customization, decentralized supply chains and digital manufacturing—and how AM will play a critical role in meeting those needs.