The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has released its preliminary agenda for the 2025 AMUG Conference.AMUG 2025 will be held from Sunday, March 30, to Thursday, April 3, at the Hilton Hotel in Chicago, Illinois. It will bring together additive manufacturing engineers, designers, managers, and educators to share insights, skills, and experiences.The agenda includes a packed schedule of nearly 150 presentations, panel discussions, and interactive training workshops. Following community feedback, the organizers have expanded the AMUGexpo, which will feature 41 exhibitors and run from Sunday through Tuesday. Also of note are this years headline keynote speakers: Ryan Watkins, Research Engineer with NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and Joe Scarbo, President of the automotive manufacturer Scarbo Performance Corp.Within the 4-day, 5-night program, ample time has also been left for socializing and networking. In the evenings, the Technical Competition will return to recognize unique 3D printed designs, and the AMUGderby is back by popular demand for a second year of gravity-powered racing. Also on the cards is a Wild West-themed dinner on Wednesday evening, so dont forget to pack your Stetson hat and cowboy boots.AMUG 2025 will also honor Joe Allison, principal of 3D Ventures and CEO of Gentle Giant Studios, as the latest recipient of the AMUG Innovators Award. He will be a featured guest at the Innovators Showcase, where attendees can hear key insights in a fireside chat hosted by Todd Grimm.The full preliminary agenda for AMUG 2025, which is subject to change, can be viewed here.The Hilton Chicago will host AMUG 2025. Photo via Hilton Chicago.What is on the AMUG 2025 agenda?The AMUG 2025 conference officially opens on Sunday, 30 April at 4:00 PM with the AMUG New Member Welcome Reception. Hosted by Nick Licari, the AMUG New Member Committee Chair, this hour-long event offers a perfect chance for first-timers to meet the AMUG board and get an overview of what to expect during the week. The AMUGexpo opens at 5:00 PM, followed by a Networking Dinner.Monday kicks off with a welcome address from AMUG President Shannon VanDeren. From 1:30 to 5:00 PM, visitors will have the opportunity to attend a wide range of breakout sessions.Notable panel discussions on Monday include the role of additive manufacturing for military forward deployment, large-scale 3D printing for industrial applications, and a deep dive into Axtra3Ds Lumia X1 high-speed SLA technology. Elsewhere, Siemens Energys Tad Steinberg will discuss how 3D printing is used in military vehicles, while General Atomics Steve Fournier will highlight how AM elevates unmanned aerial vehicles. Visitors will also have the chance to get hands-on with 3D scanning and metrology during one of the educational workshop.First-time attendees gather at the New Member Welcome to kick-start the 2024 AMUG conference. Photo via AMUG.Ryan Watkins will kick off Tuesday with his keynote presentation on NASAs 3D printed crushable structures for high-speed impact attenuation applications. Following this, the winners of the highly-coveted DINO Awards and 2025 AMUG Scholarships will be crowned. Another full day of panel discussions and presentations will include insights into AM in the rail industry, how Eplus3D empowers the automotive sector, and developments in 3D printed consumer healthcare products. Tuesdays hands-on workshops will cover 3D printed fixtures the foundry in a box for metal casting.Wednesday will begin with the Innovators Showcase discussion with Gentle Giant Studios Joe Allison. Following this, the days panels will cover a range of topics spanning elastomer additive manufacturing, binder-based metal AM, and the future of 3D printing for aerospace spares and repairs. Elsewhere, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will return to AMUG for a presentation on illegal 3D printed machine gun conversion devices.The second annual AMUGderby will commence at 6:00 PM on Wednesday. Following the success of last years inaugural competition, the Pinewood Derby-inspired event will feature two racing classes Standard and Open. The Standard Class combines official BSA axles and wheels with a 3D printed body weighing under 6 ounces. The Open Class offers more freedom, with mechanical propulsion, custom wheel configurations, and a 10-ounce weight limit all permitted. The wild west-themed dinner will run simultaneously with these races. AMUG 2025s final day will see keynote speaker Joe Scarbo discuss how 3D printing in motorsports enhances vehicle performance. Following this, recipients of last years AMUG Advanced Finishing, Advanced Concepts, and Members Choice Awards will give presentations. AMUG 2025 Technical Competition winners will also be announced on Thursday morning.Other highlights from Thursday include cybersecurity in additive manufacturing, laser powder bed fusion capabilities for large aerospace structures, and a presentation from ASTM Internationals Martin White on 3D printing standards. The AMUG 2025 conference will conclude with the AMUG Family Closing Dinner.A hands-on workshop at AMUG. Photo via AMUG.Key highlights from AMUG 2024Last year, the 2024 AMUG conference saw Jason Lopes, Director of Additive Manufacturing at Gentle Giant Studios, discuss the value of 3D printing in the film industry. The returning favorite to AMUG showcased how the companys additive manufacturing capabilities have been used to develop movie props, consumer products, and fine art pieces.Tad Steinberg also took to the stage to highlight how Siemens Energy is using additive manufacturing for hydrogen combustion and gas turbine applications. He highlighted his vision that by 2030, every new Siemens gas turbine will run on 100% hydrogen. This represents a notable shift from the companys traditional focus on natural gas and methane.The AMUG 2024 expo also witnessed several 3D printing announcements. metal 3D printer developer Meltio launched its new laser metal deposition (LMD) 3D printer, the M600. The system features a Blue Laser deposition head and is designed to unlock industrial-scale manufacturing. Elsewhere, Materialise introduced its new 3D printing software, e-Stage for Metal+ software. This platform uses physics-based modeling to automate support structure generation for LPBF additive manufacturing.Chicago-based 3D printing quality assurance software developer Phase3D also attended AMUG 2024, unveiling its True Layer Thickness toolkit. This metal 3D printing monitoring and inspection tool measures the amount of metal powder distributed across a 3D printers build platform. This ensures even material distribution for each layer during powder-based 3D printing.Tad Steinberg of Siemens Energy speaking at AMUG 2024. Photo by Michael Petch.Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?All the news from Formnext 2024.Subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry newsletter to keep up with the latest 3D printing news.You can also follow us on X, like our Facebook page, and subscribe to the 3D Printing Industry Youtube channel to access more exclusive content.Featured image shows the AMUG Conference New Members Reception. Photo by Michael Petch.