Innovative Materials For Additive Manufacturing (IMAM)

An ECI Conference

Hyatt Regency Tamaya
March 8 – 12, 2020
Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico

About This Conference

Additive Manufacturing (AM) has attracted substantial interest in recent times, promising a broad range of benefits and seeing real commercial development as well. Of all aspects of AM, however, the development and use of new materials is arguably the least well studied and the most in need of attention. This is critically important because the products we rely on every day are manufactured using a huge variety of specialty materials compositions. For example, a typical polymer part may contain pigments, plasticizers, toughening agents and reinforcement. Similarly, a metallic material may contain alloying elements for improved high temperature strength, corrosion and creep resistance, and a ceramic may contain dopants providing specific optical or dielectric properties. Currently, each new composition used in AM requires significant development. Likewise, while we have substantial freedom to alter the size and shape of parts, we have yet to gain an equivalent level of freedom to define materials properties and (multi)functionality within those parts, and we lack the tools necessary for simultaneous optimization of both. 

This conference will serve as a platform to bring together researchers and industrial practitioners with an interest in seeing these needs addressed in the context of AM through:

  • New materials and materials development methodologies
  • New ways of combining existing materials or incorporating local variations in properties
  • New design tools aimed at maximizing the benefits of the aforementioned developments

The scope of the conference includes:

  • Preparation of new polymeric, metallic, ceramic and/or composite materials for AM
  • Characterization and validation of new (combinations of) materials for AM
  • Processing characteristics of new (combinations of) materials under AM-relevant conditions
  • Optimization of AM parameters for new (combinations of) materials
  • Relations between properties of new AM-specific materials and parts prepared from them
  • Approaches to the creation and characterization of hybrid / functionally graded parts
  • Materials and process issues with strong relevance to hybrid / functionally graded parts (compatibility and interfacial bonding, fracture and fatigue, thermal expansion, etc.)
  • Modeling, prediction and design of part properties based on materials characteristics
  • Sustainable AM considering end-of-life issues, resource recovery and materials reuse

Preliminary Program

Conference Organization

Conference Chairs

Daniel Schmidt, Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology
Nikhil Gupta, New York University
Chua Chee Kai, NTU, Singapore
Brett G. Compton, University of Tennessee

International Advisory Committee 

Prof. Brian Pillay, UAB Department of Materials Science & Engineering Pillay@uab.edu

John Wilczynski, AmericaMakes, john.wilczynski@ncdmm.org

Kevan Rusk, Dixie Chemical Company, krusk@dixiechemical.com

Leeanne Brown, Elkem Silicones, leeanne.brown@elkem.com

Paolo Colombo –  University of Padova, paolo.colombo@unipd.it

Prof. Chua Chee Kai – NTU, Singapore,  MCKCHUA@ntu.edu.sg

Anna Terry – AWE, anna.terry@awe.co.uk

Jennifer Lewis – Harvard University,  jalewis@seas.harvard.edu

Gary M. Gladysz – University of Alabama at Birmingham, ggladysz@uab.edu

Prof. Brett G. Compton — University of Tennessee, Knoxville, bcompto1@utk.edu

Dr.-Ing. Tassilo Moritz – Fraunhofer-Institut für Keramische Technologien und Systeme IKTS, Dresden, Germany, tassilo.moritz@ikts.fraunhofer.de

Conference Venue

Hyatt Regency Tamaya 
1300 Tuyuna Trail, Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, USA, 87004
Tel: +1 505 867 1234  – Fax: +1 505 771 6180

Nestled in the cottonwood forest on the banks of the Rio Grande, this uniquely New Mexican hotel is located on 500 acres of the Santa Ana Pueblo in central New Mexico; 25 minutes north of the Albuquerque International Airport and 45 minutes south of historic Santa Fe. It was created by the Santa Ana Pueblo Indians to showcase their ancient culture and traditions.

Situated at the base of the Sandia Mountains in New Mexico, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya is a unique destination unlike anything you have probably experienced before.  It combines the beauty and culture of the Southwest with convenience to the Albuquerque Airport. The hotel has spacious pueblo-style guestrooms, outdoor pools and a golf course surrounded by breathtaking mountain vistas.  Hot air balloon rides with soaring views of these scared lands are a very popular activity for hotel guests. 

The hotel has 350 guestrooms (including 158 kings and 169 queen-doubles).  Each room has a private balcony or patio. The pueblo-style room accommodations showcase traditional New Mexico designs as they were created with natural materials. Every guest room includes a spacious work area with enhanced lighting and complimentary Wi-Fi. The in-room safes accommodate laptop computers.  Rooms also have bathrobes, in-room refrigerator and coffee maker, and climate control. Laundry and dry cleaning are available. The hotel facilities also include a Hyatt Stayfit fitness center, tennis and basketball courts, outdoor pools, a whirlpool, and a waterslide. There are five miles of jogging/nature/bicycling trails.

Airport Transportation

The conference hotel is located 27 miles from Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ)

Carey Southwest Limo can provide private transportation to and from the airport. The cost is approximately $50 one-way. Their phone number is +1-505-766-5466 and reservations are required.

An Uber to/from the airport is approximately $40 each way, and a taxi would be approximately $70 each way. Actual rates may vary based on date/time.

Call for Abstracts

See list of topics above in scope of conference.  Please use these descriptions to pre-select up to two sessions where you believe your work fits best.

Abstracts (one page maximum) that include specific results and conclusions to allow a scientific assessment of the proposed oral presentation are invited.  Please prepared your abstract according to this template: docx or doc.

Abstracts must be submitted electronically using the template provided at THIS LINK.

Oral abstract submission deadline: February 1, 2020

Poster abstract submission deadline: February 1, 2020

Abstracts of all presentations will be made available to conference participants prior to the start of the conference.

Note: Only a limited number of oral presentation slots are available and thus all submissions for oral sessions will be considered for both oral and poster presentation.

Awards will be presented to the top non-student poster as well as the top student poster.

The scope of the conference includes:

  • Preparation of new polymeric, metallic, ceramic and/or composite materials for AM
  • Characterization and validation of new (combinations of) materials for AM
  • Processing characteristics of new (combinations of) materials under AM-relevant conditions
  • Optimization of AM parameters for new (combinations of) materials
  • Relations between properties of new AM-specific materials and parts prepared from them
  • Approaches to the creation and characterization of hybrid / functionally graded parts
  • Materials and process issues with strong relevance to hybrid / functionally graded parts (compatibility and interfacial bonding, fracture and fatigue, thermal expansion, etc.)
  • Modeling, prediction and design of part properties based on materials characteristics
  • Sustainable AM considering end-of-life issues, resource recovery and materials reuse

Conference Fees

All conference fees are inclusive. They include registration, accommodations (Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights), all meals (with the exception of dinner on Tuesday), excursion and taxes from the reception on Sunday through breakfast on Thursday. Incidental fees (faxes, laundry, etc.) are billed to your personal account by the hotel. 

ALL PARTICIPANTS (INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE ORGANIZING COMMITTEE AND INVITED SPEAKERS) ARE REQUIRED TO REGISTER.

The conference fees are: 


Register on or before February 13, 2020Register after February 13, 2020
Participant (single occupancy or sharing room with a guest; guest fee additional)US $2,580.00 US $2,780.00 
Participant (sharing a room with another participant)US $2,110.00 US $2,310.00 
Bona fide Graduate Student (sharing a room with another student) (Those in this category must send proof of current status – copy of current Student ID can be faxed to 1-212-514-6030 or emailed to Kathy@engconfintl.org)US $1,695.00 US $1,895.00 
**Fees for Guest/accompanying person sharing bedroom with single occupancy participant. (A guest badge will be issued and this fee Includes all conference meals)
US $685.00 US $685.00 

If you plan to bring children to the conference, please contact ECI (info@engconfintl.org) for pricing.

Conference Registration

You will need a login name and password to register for ECI conferences through our online system. If you have been a recent participant at an ECI conference or have submitted an online application or request for information about an ECI Conference, you may already have an account with us. If you know your login information, please use it. 

If you are not certain if you already have a login and password, please click on automated password retrieval and enter your e-mail address before creating a new account. If we do not have a valid email address on file for you, a pop up window will appear stating that no records were located. Click “OK” and then follow the instructions to create a new account. 

If you have any questions or experience any difficulties, please email kathy@engconfintl.org.

Special Notes and Payment Instructions

We suggest that you register as soon as possible to be certain that you will have a hotel room at the conference rate.  

All participants are encouraged to register before February 14, 2020There is a discounted price for registering before this date.  Hotel space cannot be guaranteed for registrations received after this date.  Your registration is not officially confirmed until we receive payment of the amount due.  ECI reserves the right to cancel your room registration if payment is not received. Your invoice/receipt will automatically be e-mailed upon of receipt of your registration.  Should you need a signed receipt, please contact Kathy Chan (kathy@engconfintl.org).

Because of contractual guarantees made with the hotel for room and meal functions, no shows, late arrivals, missed meals and early departures cannot receive fee adjustments.  If you have a disability and may require accommodation in order to participate fully in this conference, please indicate this when you register. An ECI representative will contact you to discuss your specific needs. If you have special dietary requirements (e.g., vegetarian or a food allergy), please make a note on your registration.  The chef needs to know this information in advance if we are to accommodate you. ECI will attempt to accommodate special requests such as Kosher or Halal meals, but such meals may not be available at all conference sites. The participant must pay any additional costs for special meal requests to ECI.

Payment must be made by credit card (Visa, MasterCard, and Amex), check or money order drawn on a U.S. bank in U.S. dollars, payable to ENGINEERING CONFERENCES INTERNATIONAL. Checks or money orders in any other currencies are NOT ACCEPTABLE.  Payment must be made on the web site except for those who are sending payment by wire transfer or have a purchase order from their company/institution. 

WIRE TRANSFER PAYMENT: If you are planning to make payment by wire transfer, please contact ECI for the bank information. You must add $30 to cover ECI bank charges. Please reference your full name and the conference title.  Either fax a copy of your bank transfer papers to ECI (Fax: +1-212-514-6030) or email a scanned copy to kathy@engconfintl.org. This is very important – otherwise it is extremely difficult to trace your payment and you may not receive a receipt prior to the conference.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation must be received by ECI in writing at least 28 days prior to the start of the conference in order for a full refund (less a processing fee) to be considered. The ECI auditors require that refunds for all conference cancellations be processed after the conference so that the necessary back-up information (e.g., hotel list of those in-house) can be attached to the refund request and ECI can verify that the hotel has not charged a cancellation fee. 

Cancellation fees:

  • Cancellations received more than 28 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a processing fee of 4% of the total fee, plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI. 
  • Cancellations received 15 – 28 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a $250 cancellation fee plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI. 
  • Cancellations received 8 – 14 days prior to the conference start date are subject to a $500 cancellation fee plus any direct expenses incurred by ECI. 
  • No refunds will be issued for cancellations received less than 7 days prior to the conference start date. 
  • No refunds will be issued due to inclement weather or travel disruptions/cancellations.

Registrations may be transferred without incurring any penalty or cancellation fee.

Denied or delayed visa
If a participant is forced to cancel due to a denied or delayed entry visa, ECI will issue a full refund if ECI has been notified of a potential visa issue at least four weeks prior to the conference start date.

Change of payment method
If an attendee who has already paid the conference fee with a credit card requests that the fee be refunded to that card so that it can be paid in a different manner (e.g., charged to an alternate credit card, or paid via check or bank transfer), a processing fee of 4% of the total fee amount will apply.

Disclaimer
It may be necessary for reasons beyond the control of ECI to alter the content and timing of the program or the identity of the speakers. In the unfortunate circumstance that an event is cancelled, ECI is not liable for any costs incurred by participants in connection with their attendance.

Extended Stay
If you plan to extend your stay at the conference hotel please complete and return the following form:

Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.  
Should you have specific questions regarding your registration, please contact Kathy Chan (Kathy@engconfintl.org).

General Information about ECI

Engineering Conferences International (ECI) is a not-for-profit, global engineering conferences program, originally established in 1962 that provides opportunities for the exploration of problems and issues of concern to engineers and scientists from many disciplines.

The format of the conference provides morning and late afternoon or evening sessions in which major presentations are made. Poster sessions will be scheduled for evening discussion as well. Available time is included during the afternoons for ad hoc meetings, informal discussions, and/or recreation. This format is designed to enhance rapport among participants and promote dialogue on the development of the meeting. We believe the conferences have been instrumental in generating ideas and disseminating information to a greater extent than is possible through more conventional forums.

All participants are expected both to attend the entire conference and to contribute actively to the discussions. The recording/photographing of lectures and presentations is forbidden. As ECI conferences take place in an informal atmosphere, casual clothing is the usual attire.

Smoking is prohibited at ECI conferences and conference functions.

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