ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL

Solid Freeform Fabrication

SYMPOSIUM

Austin, Texas

2020 Meeting Restricted to Plenary Session

The Conference

Three Days of High-Level Research Presentations

26-28 July 2021

2020 ABSTRACTS MOVED TO 2021

It is with regret that I inform you that the parallel sessions and in-person sessions for the 31st Annual Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium – An Additive Manufacturing Conference, set for August 17-19, 2020 in Austin, Texas USA, have been moved to the 2021 (32nd) SFF Symposium. We are planning a morning Zoom virtual session for 8 AM to noon Central Standard Time (GMT-5) on Monday morning, August 17 which will constitute the 31st Anual Meeting.  This session will be free to all and will include four keynote presentations and the two FAME presentations. We are pleased to announce that the winner of the Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Excellence (FAME) Award is Professor Ming Leu from the Missouri University of Science and Technology.  The FAME Award for a young researcher this year will be presented to Dr. Abdalla Nassar from Penn State University.  Details and the Zoom link for the keynote and FAME winner presentations will be posted on the website in due course.

The Organizing Committee places a high priority on the safety of the conference attendees and staff.  The future impact of the COVID-19 between now and August 2020 is very uncertain.  We are currently experiencing a recent surge in active cases and hospitalizations in the Austin metro area, presumably associated with reopening of the State of Texas in late May.  Most attendees are presently working under governmental and organizational travel restrictions which may or may not be lifted in time to adequately plan travel.  We feel that a significant number of attendees will be justifiably uncomfortable traveling and participating in a conference setting even if there are no external restrictions.  These factors, coupled with reduced viable exit strategies as the meeting approaches, all were considered in the decision making process.

We are technically moving the in-person part of the 2020 31st meeting for next year, the 32nd annual meeting set for July 26-28, 2021.  This impacts the disposition of submitted abstracts. This will be the only SFF Symposium held in 2021.  Your submitted and accepted abstracts will be automatically moved to the new date in 2021 without any action required on your part.   If you submitted an abstract for 2020 and wish to cancel/withdraw your abstract from the 2021 meeting, please email programming@programmaster.org. If you wish to modify your abstract, you may do so in your ProgramMaster Presenter/Author tools. There will be no conference proceedings prior to the end of the 2021 meeting.  Therefore, all 2020 deadlines for manuscript submittal are no longer active and will be revised to comparable dates in 2021.

We are seeking a one-year no-cost extension of the grad student registration fee waiver funding. All current applications will be inactivated, and, pending availability of funding, a new competition for registration fee waivers will be initiated next year.

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If you have made a hotel reservation for this year, please cancel your room. 

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On behalf of the SFF Symposium Organizing Committee, I regret any inconvenience this may cause.  We are committed to providing a forum for dissemination of research in Additive Manufacturing and are already looking forward to a less stressful conference in 2021.

Dave Bourell, Ph.D., P.E., FASM, FTMS

Temple Foundation Professor

Chair, Organizing Committee

SFF Symposium

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Lodging

Hilton Austin

The SFF Symposium conference hotel is the four-star Hilton Austin Hotel, 500 East 4th Street, in downtown Austin.  Technical sessions will also be held at the Hilton Austin Hotel.

 The Hilton Hotel is in the downtown area of Austin just over a mile south of The University of Texas. The hotel is located only a  short block from Austin's famous "Sixth Street" entertainment district. 

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The Hilton Hotel has reserved a set of guestrooms at conference rates. The daily rate is $209/night (Single/Double). There is an additional charge for Triple and Quad occupancy, $20 per person/per night.  Applicable taxes are added to these rates.

To make a reservation, call 1-800-HILTONS (1-800-445-8667) and reference the code: SFF.  Use this link to reserve a room on line.

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About Austin

Weather

The weather in Austin is hot, temperatures averaging between a low of 70˚F (21˚C) and a high of 100˚F (38˚C). The average relative humidity is 50%. The probability of precipitation is virtually zero.

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Important Dates

Important upcoming dates

Presenters Information

Manuscript and Proceedings Information

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Authors must present their work at the meeting to have their manuscript included in the proceedings.  Click here to download manuscript instructions.  Manuscript submission is optional for presenters.  Authors submitting manuscripts have the option to have their manuscript reviewed/refereed.  Having a conference proceedings article reviewed is important to some authors, particularly academicians. Each manuscript receives two reviews using a referee pool composed of all authors submitting reviewed manuscripts. Authors selecting reviewed status for their manuscript must review two other manuscripts.  Reviews are due at the conference; final manuscripts are due August 31.

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Papers presented as oral presentations or in the poster session will be published in flash-drive and swing-hinge bound hard-copy formats if a manuscript is submitted.  Each person (including students) registering for the full meeting will receive a copy in flash-drive format ~3 months after the meeting.  One day registrants do not receive a copy of the proceedings.  Hard copies are available for purchase.  Proceedings papers will be accessible and downloadable on line on the home page at no charge. Past Proceedings articles are available here at no charge.

Events

Sunday Pre-Conference Social Event (August 16) TENTATIVE

We are planning a social event of some sort, and the details will be forthcoming.

Monday Evening Awards Banquet (August 17)

The annual Awards Banquet will be held at the Hilton Hotel (500 E. 4th St) near the meeting rooms.  Please see the final program for details. Given complications of COVID-19, the banquet may have a different look and format from previous years to maximize the safety of attendees.  FAME awards will be presented at the awards banquet. The International Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Excellence (FAME) Award is given annually to recognize an outstanding researcher in the field of freeform/additive fabrication.  The award consists of ato  certificate, freeformed trophy and check for $2000. The International Outstanding Young Researcher in Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Award is given annually to recognize an outstanding young researcher in the field of freeform/additive fabrication early in their career; applicants must be 35 years old or younger on August 1, 2018. The award consists of a certificate, freeformed trophy and a check for $1000. Complete application packets must be received by May 1, 2019 to guarantee consideration.  More information and forms are available at the Awards tab. 

There is no additional charge to attend for conference registrants.  Additional tickets may be purchased at registration.  No transportation will be provided.

Tuesday Lunch (August 18)

We are still planning to hold the informal networking lunch for conference attendees near the meeting rooms at the Hilton Hotel at the noon break on Tuesday.  Cost is included in the registration fee.

The special networking lunch for students has been cancelled due to COVID-19 complications, and students are welcomed to join other meeting attendees for lunch.  Please see the final program for the room and more information.

701

Participants

64

Topics

64

Sessions

578

Speakers