THE BIG M will take place June 9 to 12 at Cobo Center.

Dearborn, Mich. May 08, 2014

Today, CAM Logic is scanning the Spirit of Detroit Statue in front of the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center to create a miniature-size statue using 3D printing. These one-of-a-kind statues will be given out to a select group of people at SME's THE BIG M event, June 9-12 at Cobo Center.

"There is so much buzz about 3D printing in the manufacturing world today," said Debbie Holton, director of events, industry strategy at SME. "This is a great opportunity to show the public how 3D printing works and the benefits of the technology. It's all about on-demand manufacturing of customized products."
For the 3D printing, a laser scanner will be used to create a digital model without having to touch the statue.

"CAM Logic is excited about this opportunity to debut two emerging technologies, 3D printing and 3D scanning, and the advancements in this technology. It's exciting that technology is at a point where we can scan and reverse engineer something as large as the Spirit of Detroit and have printed replicas within a couple of days. This technology is at the forefront of changing "just-in-time" manufacturing, and we are thrilled to be a part of it," said Ian Scribner, 3D printing and 3D scanning manager.

The scanner is composed of two pieces of equipment - the tracker and the scanner. To scan the Spirit of Detroit, CAM Logic has placed the tracker at different locations around the statue. The tracker, which detects where the laser scanner is located, "spray paints" the statue with the laser scanner until the image is captured in its entirety. Total estimated time of the process, from start to finish, is approximately five to six hours.

CAM Logic will then create about 500 miniature statues of the Spirit of Detroit to be distributed at THE BIG M and related events. CAM Logic will be an exhibitor at RAPID, SME's authoritative event on 3D printing, scanning and additive manufacturing, co-located with THE BIG M.

To learn more about THE BIG M, view full conference and exhibit details or register for any of the event's offerings, visit BigMEvent.com or follow @bigmevent on Twitter or facebook.com/bigmevent.

About THE BIG M

SME's THE BIG M initiative is years in the making ― designed to convene manufacturers around industry's most vital issues and leverage the power of industry leaders to collaborate and address them. This event demonstrates that manufacturing professionals and companies can shape the future by creating a strong path forward together, connecting people with technology and expertise, affirming the importance of manufacturing, speaking in a unified voice to policymakers, and proving that manufacturing is a knowledge industry where creativity is sought and valued.

Highlights will include Innovation Factories featuring live presentations of the latest technologies; exhibit floor "tech talks" and Q&A sessions with industry experts who will provide the knowledge and insight manufacturers need most. Featured technologies include smart manufacturing, modeling and simulation, digital manufacturing, advanced materials and lightweighting, cybersecurity and more. THE BIG M is the umbrella pulling together several co-located events including: SME's RAPID Conference & Exposition, the North American Manufacturing Research Conference, the ISA Cybersecurity Conference, the MMTC Proud to Manufacture in Michigan Conference, the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council Manufacturing Forum and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership 2.0 National Meeting.

THE BIG M event sponsors have invested time and resources to the conference and the future of the manufacturing industry. Among the organizations that have contributed to the conference are the Michigan Economic Development Corp., Autodesk, The Dow Chemical Co., Kelly Engineering, GE and Dell Inc.

About RAPID

For nearly 25 years, the RAPID Conference & Exposition, produced by SME, has defined the crucial role of additive manufacturing and empowered the establishment of an industry that continues to conceive, test, improve and manufacture new products at a faster, more cost-efficient pace. As the leader and authority figure in additive manufacturing, RAPID attracts buyers, sellers and end-users of design, prototyping, tooling and direct digital technologies to a world-class event for discovery, innovation and networking. For more information, please visit sme.org/rapid.

About SME

SME connects all those who are passionate about making things that improve our world. As a nonprofit organization, SME has served practitioners, companies, educators, government and communities across the manufacturing spectrum for more than 80 years. Through its strategic areas of events, media, membership, training and development, and the SME Education Foundation, SME is uniquely dedicated to advancing manufacturing by addressing both knowledge and skill needs for industry. Follow @sme_mfg on Twitter or facebook.com/smemfg.