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2025 INDUCTEE

Todd Grimm - AM Consultant, Writer and Speaker

A 33 year veteran of the additive manufacturing industry, Todd Grimm is well established as a prominent industry advisor who shares his knowledge widely, and truly understands the potential of AM.

Todd is the founder and president of T.A.Grimm & Associates, a technology consultancy who work with companies to help them achieve success in additive manufacturing. Todd is also an accomplished writer and speaker, sharing his extensive knowledge and educating the AM community at trade shows and in AM publications.

See Todd's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2025!

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2025 INDUCTEE

Neil Hopkinson – Inventor of High Speed Sintering

Professor Neil Hopkinson spent 20 years in academia generating Intellectual Property that has been licensed widely. Neil’s High Speed Sintering patents, first filed in 2003, have generated £1Bn+ in revenues to licensees, with thousands of industrial grade machines sold globally.

In 2005 he was Lead Editor of “Rapid Manufacturing” (Wiley UK) the world’s first book dedicated to the use of Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing technologies for the production of end-use parts.

Neil left academia in 2016 to join Xaar plc as Director of 3D Printing where he formed a Joint Venture with Stratasys called Xaar 3D. In 2021 Xaar 3D was fully acquired by Stratasys, where Neil serves as Vice President for Additive Manufacturing Technology.

See Neil's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2025!

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2025 INDUCTEE 

Wilhelm Meiners - Inventor of the PBF-LB/M process

In 1994 Wilhelm Meiners began what would become a long and prosperous career at Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, Aachen, Germany. As a PHD student Wilhelm invented one of the most important metal additive manufacturing technologies - the Laser-Powder-Bed Fusion of Metals (PBF-LB/M) process.

Over the next 20+ years he continued to develop the process, it’s applications and machine technology. In many of these pioneering developments the basis of today’s most relevant applications were established. The fundamentals of this work made a significant contribution to the change from rapid prototyping to additive manufacturing. .

In 2018 Wilhelm left the world of academia to work in industry as an AM Expert at Trumpf Laser and Systemtechnik GmbH, before returning to Fraunhofer in 2023 as Chief Scientist Additive Manufacturing.

See Wilhelm's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2025!

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2025 INDUCTEE 

Sheku Kamara - AM Researcher and Technical Advisor

Sheku Kamara is the Dean of Applied Research at the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and has been involved in AM since 1996. He oversees the activities of MSOE’s Applied Technology Center (ATC) which is renowned for transferring technology to the marketplace and undertakes more than 200 industry-sponsored research projects every year.

Sheku is a technical advisor to the RAPID + TCT Conference and currently serves as the vice chair of SME’s AM Technical Community Leadership Committee. He is a past chair of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) and was named a DINO (Distinguished Innovator Operator Award) in 2010 for his contributions to laser sintering. In 2013, he managed the development of the Additive Manufacturing Body of Knowledge (AMBOK) and the Additive Manufacturing Certificate program for SME & America Makes.

Sheku holds the RTAM Master Level Certificate on AM from SME and is a 2008 recipient of the prestigious Karl O. Werwath Engineering Research Award from MSOE and in July 2021 Sheku co-authored a book on the Fundamentals of Additive Manufacturing for the Practitioner.

See Sheku's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2025!

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2024 INDUCTEE

MELISSA ORME

AM RESEARCHER AND APPLICATION SPECIALIST

Melissa Orme is a renowned additive manufacturing innovator and leader. Her seminal work spans three decades and has resulted in 15 US patents. Melissa’s career began in academia where she rose to Full Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of California Irvine. There she established globally recognized research laboratories and developed methods for controlled electrostatically charged and deflected molten metal droplet deposition for precision manufacturing.

Melissa went on to hold senior leadership roles at start-up AM companies, before becoming Vice President of Boeing Additive Manufacturing for The Boeing Company.  Here she sets the AM strategy for the entire business and oversees all AM activities including flight hardware, production aids and research models to increase efficiencies and accelerate new product development.  As an author and technical advisor, Melissa serves on several advisory and professional committees for additive manufacturing and aerospace.

See Melissa's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2024!

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2024 INDUCTEE

MAX LOBOVSKY

FOUNDER OF FORMLABS

Max Lobovsky is co-founder and CEO of Formlabs. Founded in 2011, Formlabs pioneered a new category of professional desktop 3D printing when it launched the world’s first affordable, powerful desktop stereolithography 3D printer. After a finding success with a record-breaking Kickstarter campaign, the company went on develop and commercialise a range of industrial focused desktop solutions based on stereolithography and selective laser sintering technologies.

Formlabs printers are now used by some of the world’s leading companies like Ford, New Balance and Google. Prior to starting the company, Lobovsky led the efforts at Fab@Home, one of the industry’s earliest open-source 3D printing projects which has been instrumental in setting up labs in schools worldwide. A Forbes’ 30 Under 30 recipient and World Economic Forum Pioneer, Lobovsky holds a B.S. in Applied Engineering and Physics from Cornell University and a M.S. in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT.

See Max's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2024!

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2023 INDUCTEE

JEAN-PIERRE KRUTH

AM RESEARCHER AND PROCESS PIONEER 

Professor Jean-Pierre Kruth has been a researcher and process pioneer in the AM industry for over 30 years. As Professor in Production Engineering and Manufacturing at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven, Belgium) Jean-Pierre began his long career in AM in 1990 where his research on stereolithography led to him co-founding the AM company Materialise.  He continued his research activities into other areas of AM such as selective laser sintering and direct metal 3d printing, and has authored over 770 scientific papers.  As well as Materialise, Jean-Pierre set up other spin-off companies such as Metris in 1995 (now Nikon Metrology) and LayerWise N.V. in 2008 (now 3D Systems –LayerWise).  Jean-Pierre is a fellow of CIRP and SME and has received numerous awards for his work in AM.

See Jean-Pierre's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2023!

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2023 INDUCTEE

DIANA KALISZ

PROCESS PIONEER AND MATERIAL SPECIALIST

Diana Kalisz has been part of 3D Systems for more than 30 years–joining the company in 1989 after beginning her career in aerospace. She has worked in a variety of capacities including managing printer, software and materials programs as well as leading the company’s overall engineering organization. Under her leadership, 3D Systems has commercialized dozens of products to facilitate the maturation of rapid prototyping as well as true production applications.In her current role, Diana is focused on materials development for the company’s Figure 4platform.She has a specific focus on Figure 4 materials directly used for many types of production applications.

Diana is a member of P.E.O., a women’s Philanthropic Educational Organization that supports higher education for women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship of Cottey College. This small organization has raised and given hundreds of millions of dollars to support women’s education.

See Diana's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards 2023!

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ELAINE HUNT

EARLY PIONEER, RESEARCHER AND INDUSTRY ADVOCATE 

MEMBERS SINCE 2022

Now retired from the industry, Elaine was an early pioneer in AM, developing her passion for the technologies through running one of the first ‘rapid prototyping’ laboratories at Clemson University in the US back in 1989. As the potential of this new technology was being revealed, in 1994 Elaine went on to become the Director of the Laboratory to Advance Industrial Prototyping (LAIP) which provided industrial support in what was then known as Rapid Prototyping and Manufacturing. Elaine became a huge advocate for education around AM, and was a vocal proponent on a national and international level. Elaine served on the Board of Advisors to SME for 2 years, as well as holding all major offices in the North American Stereolithography User Group –now known as AMUG.

See Elaine's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards 2022!

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TERRY WOHLERS

AM CONSULTANT, AUTHOR AND SPEAKER

MEMBER SINCE 2020

Best known for producing the industry-leading Wohlers Report, Terry Wohlers has been a leading consultant, author, and speaker in additive manufacturing for over 30 years. He has provided consulting assistance to more than 280 organisations in 27 countries, as well as to nearly 200 companies in the investment community. Wohlers has authored 440 books, articles, and technical papers, given 170 keynote presentations on six continents, and appeared on many television and radio news programs. He is a principal author of the Wohlers Report, the undisputed industry-leading report on additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide for 26 consecutive years.  Wohlers has recently joined forces with ASTM International, to become Head of Advisory Services and Additive Manufacturing Market Intelligence at Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International.

See Terry's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards 2022!

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PHILL DICKENS

AM RESEARCHER, CONSULTANT AND EDUCATOR

MEMBER SINCE 2020

Phill Dickens is a Founder of Added Scientific Ltd which is a company providing technical development expertise in the area of Additive Manufacturing and was a Professor of Manufacturing Technology at the University of Nottingham.

Phill started work in the area of Rapid Prototyping in 1990 and was a pioneering researcher in this field working on processes such as 3D Welding and using copper coated Stereolithography models as electrodes for EDM. He founded the world’s leading Additive Manufacturing Research Group in the early 1990’s leading various research projects and securing one international patent which is still being used. Phill has led international government missions, published widely, given a number of international keynote speeches. He was the first recipient of the International Freeform and Additive Manufacturing Excellence (FAME) Award in 2009. He was a member of the Steering Group for the UK National Strategy for Additive Manufacturing.  In June 2023 Phil Dickens was awarded an MBE for services to additive manufacturing.

See Phill's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards 2022!

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GIDEON LEVY 

AM CONSULTANT, RESEARCH AND ADVISOR

MEMBER SINCE 2019

An early pioneer in the AM industry, Professor Levy’s contributions began in 1997 as the originator and head of the iRPD Institute for Rapid Product Development. The long-term fellow of the CIRP, has a career comprising of both researcher and consultant. Prof Dr. Levy holds over 30 patents and has published over 200 scientific and technical publications. His work also involves the development of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) materials, including the widely used, SLS PA-12. He is currently active at Technology Turn Around (TTA), consulting major players in industry education and research on AM."

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GREG MORRIS

PROCESS PIONEER AND APPLICATION SPECIALIST

Morris Technologies, established by Greg Morris in 1994, became one of the leading providers of specialist AM services in the US before being bought, along with sister company Rapid Quality Manufacturing, by GE Aviation in 2012. Greg’s work in developing metal AM processes and applications has driven the adoption of these technologies in the aerospace and medical fields, and his involvement in the speaking circuit, SME’s RTAM Steering Committee and positions at educational and research organisations has distributed this knowledge industry-wide.

See Greg's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2018!

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CARL DECKARD

INVENTOR OF SELECTIVE LASER SINTERING

MEMBER SINCE 2018

Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) has stood the test of time, and remains one of the most important additive manufacturing technologies today. Dr Carl Deckard invented and developed SLS technology while based at The University of Austin, Texas, with the process spanning from his undergraduate studies through a masters degree and PhD. With his former professor, Joe Beaman, Carl co-founded DTM Corporation to commercialise the technology. DTM was subsequently bought by 3D Systems and SLS since became almost ubiquitous in the 3D printing world.

Sadly no longer with us, Carl has left a legacy which will continue to inspire the industry for years to come.

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EMMANUEL SACHS

INVENTOR OF BINDER JET PRINTING

MEMBER SINCE 2018 

Coined the term "3D Printing" while inventing and developing binder jet printing technology at MIT. Binder jetting has proved one of the critical innovations in the additive manufacturing world and is a building block for much of the technology that permeates the market today. Ely is a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT where he earned his SB, MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Ely is making significant strides with binder jetting with their development of Single Pass Jetting as a co-founder of Desktop Metal.

See Ely's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2018!

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SCOTT CRUMP

INVENTOR OF FUSED DEPOSITION MODELLING

MEMBER SINCE 2017

Ask a member of the public what they know about 3D printing, and the chances are they will describe the process that Scott Crump patented in 1989. Since then the FDM process has developed into a true industrial AM process, and is also the basis for the ‘desktop revolution’ of the last few years. In this regard, Scott’s invention lead both the first and second waves of AM adoption, and continues to develop into new niches today. Stratasys, the company Scott founded with wife Lisa, is today one of the largest machine and service providers for AM globally.

See Scott's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2017!

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DR HANS LANGER

FOUNDER OF EOS AND SERIAL ENTREPRENEUR

Dr. Hans Langer founded EOS in 1989 after a successful career in the laser industry. Now employing more than 1,000 people, EOS has become one of the leading companies spanning both polymer and metals AM processes. Hans is also active in leadership of a portfolio of more than 20 companies including SCANLAB Gmbh, a leading laser technology provider that powers much of the metal AM technology on the market today. Working hand-in-hand with users, Hans has been instrumental in driving developments across technologies, including pioneering metal laser melting.

See Hans' acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2017!

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ADRIAN BOWYER 

FOUNDER OF THE REPRAP PROJECT

The former Bath University academic, mathematician and author was the instigator of the Replicating Rapid Prototyper project — better known as RepRap — which was the driving force behind the rapid spread of 3D printing from the industrial to consumer audiences. RepRap kicked off a movement that threw 3D printing into the popular consciousness like no other. Without RepRap, it’s unlikely we would have had the mass media coverage that inspired boards globally to explore new manufacturing technologies (and listen to their engineers!)

See Adrian's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2017!

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CHUCK HULL

INVENTOR OF THE STEREOLITHOGRAPHY PROCESS

MEMBER SINCE 2017

By many measures, Chuck Hull can rightly call himself the ‘father of 3D printing’ — his patent for stereolithography is one of the earliest recorded for the technologies as we recognise them today and the company he founded, 3D Systems, has been at the forefront of additive technologies since 1986. Still an active leader and inventor within 3D Systems, Chuck continues to impact the industry he was instrumental in creating.

See Chuck's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2017!

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WILFRIED VANCRAEN 

FOUNDER OF MATERIALISE

Wilfried ‘Fried’ Vancraen founded Materialise in 1990 and continues as Chairman for the company today. From humble origins as the first rapid prototyping bureau in the Benelux region, Materialise is now a global, publicly listed company with more than a thousand employees globally. The company is now as well-known for it’s software solutions and biomedical applications expertise as for it’s work as both an industry- and consumer-facing bureau service. Fried’s mission is to build a better and healthier world through AM.

See Wilfried's acceptance speech at the TCT Awards ceremony 2017!