GARPA news

Citation

Gibson, I. (2009), "GARPA news", Rapid Prototyping Journal, Vol. 15 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/rpj.2009.15615eab.001

GARPA news

Article Type: GARPA news From: Rapid Prototyping Journal, Volume 15, Issue 5

It has been a little while since the Rapid Prototyping Journal (RPJ) has had an update on the activities of the Global Alliance of Rapid Prototyping Associations (GARPA). Not surprisingly, therefore, a lot has happened that you need to know.

First, GARPA has a new and fresh look to its web site at: www.garpa.org. Using the Joomla software it is now much easier to keep you up to date with recent events, news and activities important to GARPA members. A calendar function now makes it very easy to keep track of events organised by GARPA association members. Other functions are also easier to navigate to and the new look is clean and fresh. You may also note two particular items that are new to this web site compared with the previous one.

Second, I am sure that some of you will be aware that there is a new working group on ASTM, headed up by our old friend and RPJ Regional Editor (Americas) Dr Brent Stucker. With the development and increasing popularity of Additive Manufacturing technology, we find a need to establish proper and widely used protocols and standards that give the machine users and consumers of its output sufficient confidence that the product is of a certain minimum quality. An ASTM set of standards for Additive Manufacturing technology is, therefore, essential to its further development. GARPA supports this work wholeheartedly and, therefore, there has dedicated a web page specifically on the progress of the ASTM working group. You can check out what they and other GARPA associations are doing to further this important project on the GARPA web site: www.garpa.org

Another important development that was announced at the last GARPA Summit Meeting in Beijing is the establishment of the GARPA Fellowship Programme. GARPA fellows are important representatives of the Additive Manufacturing community. Some fellows can be considered to be the obvious innovators and pioneers in the field. Many fellows may however be considered as the unsung heroes of this community, working to establish the technology and dedicated to the sharing of knowledge without seeking recognition or reward. It takes time, patience and dedication to form associations and establish committees. Furthermore, we all know the difficulties in convincing non-technologists of the true value of Additive Manufacturing. The fellowship programme is, therefore, aimed at recognising the main people who have contributed to furthering this technology within their community.

Once awarded, the GARPA fellows will have their names and details posted on the web site. They have the honour of calling themselves GARPA fellows with the knowledge that the global RP community recognises their contribution. The first fellows to be posted were five names passed on to the GARPA members by the French RP Association. I am sure you will agree that everyone on that list is worthy if the GARPA fellow title and that this list serves as a guide for the standard of fellow we should expect from elsewhere. You can look forward to seeing more names posted by other countries in the near future. Should you wish to put forward names for consideration, I suggest you contact your local GARPA representative whose name should be available on the GARPA members page.

This leads me to my final comment, which is in fact more of a plea for content. The GARPA is a voluntary organisation that relies on a small number of people to coordinate its actions. However, if we are able to involve more people it can only get better. If you have any comments or content (events, photos, links, etc.) that can help to further the value of the web site, please contact me, Terry Wohlers, your GARPA representative, or the webmistress Lina Azman, via the members or contact pages on www.garpa.org

Yours truly

Ian GibsonGARPA Advisor