DP Technology Holds 15th Annual Esprit World Conference

Around 300 customers, dealers, resellers and employees of DP Technology and its Esprit CAM system gathered in Universal City, California, in June for the company’s 15th annual weeklong conference and training. Taking on the theme of “Lights, CAM, Action,” the Esprit World Conference 2017 focused on training and inspiration, offering a full schedule of speakers and classes.

Keynote speaker Grant Imahara, star of the TV series “MythBusters” and “White Rabbit Project,” kicked off the conference on Monday by detailing his experience working in robotics in the film industry. Mr. Imahara called himself “the link between Hollywood and engineering,” an appropriate connection given the conference’s subject matter and proximity to Universal Studios.

DP Technology executives spoke throughout the week, updating attendees on the company’s direction, including its new mission statement: “To deliver to the world powerful solutions to drive automation in manufacturing.”

Despite the reference to automation, CEO and co-founder Dan Frayssinet assured the audience that humans would retain a crucial role in machining and manufacturing. “A machine tool and software, without the creativity of a human being, cannot really do anything. Creativity is a key factor in what will happen in the future,” he said. “The bottom line is that you make the difference. You are the ones providing the knowledge to machining systems and manufacturing. You are the ones who can expand this knowledge. You are the ones pushing the boundaries and changing the world as you move forward.”

In addition to general session speakers as well as presentations from Okuma, ANSYS SpaceClaim and Zoller, customers designed personalized class schedules to meet their educational needs. They chose from an array of courses on topics including Esprit 2017 features and benefits, Esprit CAD functions for toolpath generation, Swiss-style machine programming, wire EDM, mold roughing and finishing, and postprocessor development.

“The learning is top shelf,” says Jeff Kubash, a prototype machinist from Wisconsin-based Winsert who attended the conference. “You can bring questions or problems that you have from everyday life, and the applications engineers from Esprit do absolute wonders for you.” Mr. Kubash had attended the conference once previously: “When I attended the last conference, our cycle time for standard products was consistently between four and four and a half hours. After the conference, I got it down to an average of three hours, which made justifying this conference very easy.”

On the closing day, organizers announced the location for 2018’s conference in Indianapolis, Indiana. Exact dates and details will be released in the coming months.