Legacy Effects' Jason Lopes will discuss how 3D printing is changing the film industry

LOS ANGELES, July 6, 2015 -- WESTEC, the premier West Coast manufacturing event, recently announced its programming for the 2015 event, which includes a keynote on the power of manufacturing in Hollywood. Jason Lopes of Legacy Effects will discuss how manufacturing - specifically additive manufacturing/3D printing - is changing the face of special effects in the film industry.

Lopes is a lead systems engineer at Legacy Effects, home to some of Hollywood's most talented effects professionals and makeup artists. For his keynote, Lopes will talk about "3D Printing for Hollywood" and how it is impacting some of the industry's biggest effects for movies like Avengers Age of Ultron, Jurassic World, Terminator Genesys, Iron Man 3, Hunger Games, Pacific Rim, Twilight: Breaking Dawn, and others.

"From its inception, the film industry has made innovation a priority, using new technologies and advancements to produce higher-quality results," said Lopes. "My talk will highlight how the intersection of manufacturing and entertainment has impacted modern-day effects' teams and helped them do their job better and more efficiently."

The Hollywood keynote is just one of many education sessions and networking opportunities exclusive to attendees at WESTEC 2015, which is held every two years. All of these activities will take place over the course of the three-day event, to be held September 15-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Additional event content will focus on issues and advancements in manufacturing as a whole, as well as key sectors of the industry, including aerospace, medical, and the military.

WESTEC attracts between 12,000 and 15,000 industry representatives and provides attendees networking opportunities, complimentary education sessions, keynotes, and interactive manufacturing technology exhibits. The event features representatives from growing industries, like aerospace, medical, energy, and transportation, as well as large Fortune 500 OEMs and smaller companies that provide the engineering, design, and manufactured components fueling the industry.

"As manufacturing continues to grow and evolve, WESTEC is committed to offering our attendees information about innovations happening within all aspects of the industry," said Janine Saperson, event manager at SME. "We see WESTEC as a platform for providing diverse content and insight to the people that will be driving the industry in the future."

For more information and to register for WESTEC 2015, visit westeconline.com.

About WESTEC
For nearly 50 years, WESTEC, produced by SME, has been the West Coast's premier manufacturing event, attracting a broad cross-section of industry decision-makers in Southern California. The event brings together thousands of attendees, exhibitors and industry experts to evaluate and compare cutting-edge manufacturing equipment, advanced technologies, new products and applications. The three-day event influences buying decisions and showcases growth industries, such as aerospace, defense, industrial machinery, medical and more. For more information, please visit.westeconline.com.

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 the advancement of manufacturing by addressing both knowledge and skills needed for the industry. Follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg.