Annually, AMUG selects one individual to receive the Innovators Award. This honoree then becomes the guest honor for the Innovators Showcase, which is held during the AMUG Conference.

The Innovators Award recognizes those that have had a significant impact on the additive manufacturing industry over an extended period of time.

The Innovators Showcase is designed to allow AMUG Conference attendees an opportunity to get to know the individual, hear the history and benefit from his/her insights.

2024 Innovators Showcase with Greg Morris

Greg Morris
(formerly) CTO, Zeda, Inc. 

Greg Morris’s journey into additive manufacturing began in 1994, when he, his brother Wendell, and his friend Bill Noack founded Morris Technologies, Inc. (MTI). As a service bureau in that era, MTI offered polymer solutions, such as stereolithography.

But that changed in 2003 when MTI became the first to install a metal AM system. MTI’s early work in the metals area triggered change for the company and for the industry. MTI spawned a sister business, Rapid Quality Manufacturing (RQM), and entered into a joint venture to launch MicroTek.

Stemming from its close association with GE and the R&D work done with metal AM, MTI and RQM where acquired by GE. Later, GE spun up GE Additive, and Greg served leadership roles for both entities.

Following a period of semi-retirement, Greg joined forces with colleagues from MTI to found Vertex Manufacturing, which was then acquired by PrinterPrezz. That company rebranded as Zeda Inc., and Greg served as its CTO.

In early 2024, Greg announced that he was once again moving into semi-retirement.

2023 Innovators Showcase with Diana Kalisz

Diana Kalisz
Vice President – Materials
3D Systems

Diana Kalisz has worked in additive manufacturing for over 30 years. Her entire additive manufacturing career has been with one company, 3D Systems. Following her career in aerospace, she joined 3D Systems as a project manager for the large-format SLA 500, the second stereolithography machine offered by the company.

Diana has managed, in various capacities, the engineering and development programs for the company’s hardware, software, and materials solutions. Before her current position, she served as Vice President, Engineering. Under her leadership, 3D Systems has commercialized dozens of products with the intent to facilitate maturation within the industry and to address the needs for production applications.

Presently, Diana is 3D Systems’ Vice President, Materials, focusing on developing production applications for the company’s Figure 4 platform. She works with customers and her 3D Systems colleagues to enable the use of Figure 4 solutions from selection (printer, materials, and software) through development to meet the needs of those deploying additive manufacturing as part of their production workflow.

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. This small organization has raised and given hundreds of millions of dollars to support women’s education over its 153-year history.

2022 Innovators Showcase with Andy Christensen

Andy Christensen
Founder & former President: Medical Modeling
Adjunct Professor: Department of Radiology, University of Cincinnati

In 2000, Andy founded Medical Modeling Inc., a medical-device-focused 3D printing service bureau, following exposure to rapid prototyping technology in the prior decade. Medical Modeling worked closely with surgeons and medical device manufacturers to create entirely new toolsets in patient-specific anatomic modeling, virtual surgical planning, personalized surgical guides & implants, and applying metal 3D printing to orthopedic implant applications.

Andy and his team contributed to the care of tens of thousands of patients, several medical and regulatory “firsts,” and numerous high-profile cases, including more than two dozen sets of conjoined twins.  Working as a contract manufacturer, Medical Modeling produced the first FDA-cleared, 3D-printed titanium implants in the orthopedic and spine spaces.

Medical Modeling was acquired by 3D Systems Corporation in 2014. Andy left in 2015, yet he continues to drive additive manufacturing applications in the medical space.

Today, Andy serves in many roles that support others in the quest for innovations and breakthroughs. He is the chair of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG), associate editor for the 3D Printing in Medicine journal, and adjunct professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Cincinnati. Andy is also an active investor and serves as a board member and advisor for a few health-related enterprises.

2021 Innovators Showcase with Dr. Hans Langer of EOS GROUP

Hans Langer received the 2020 Innovators Award, but due to COVID-19, he participated in the 2021 Innovators Showcase.

Dr. Hans J. Langer
Founder & former CEO: EOS GmbH
Chairman: EOS GROUP

Dr. Hans Langer is the chairman of the EOS GROUP, a family-owned business that comprises EOS GmbH, Additive Manufacturing Customized Machines (AMCM), Additive Manufacturing Metals (AM Metals), Metal for Printing (M4P, Advanced Laser Materials (ALM), and Kunststoff Vertrieb Dr. Schiffers (KVS). As CEO and chairman, he oversees the strategic alignment of the EOS GROUP of companies.

In 1989, Dr. Langer founded EOS GmbH with the vision to produce three-dimensional objects directly from CAD data using laser technology. With a pioneering spirit and an in-depth knowledge of market requirements, Dr. Langer expanded the company into an independent and world-leading manufacturer of high-end solutions in the field of additive manufacturing (AM).

Prior to the founding of EOS, Dr. Langer was active in research at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and managing director at General Scanning. He studied physics at the Technical University of Munich and was awarded a PhD in Laser Technology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich in 1980.

2019 Innovators Showcase with Gideon Levy of Technology Turn Around

Gideon Levy
Founder
Technology Turn Around

Professor Gideon Levy has specialized in manufacturing technologies and lived a life for manufacturing. Devoted to advanced R&D in mechanical systems, electronics, and manufacturing, he has made significant contributions as both an educator and researcher. Those contributions have earned him many accolades, including being named a Fellow of CIRP (The International Academy for Production Engineering). Presently, Professor Levy is a consultant with Technology Turn Around (TTA), which focuses on additive manufacturing (AM), electro-physical and chemical processes.

Professor Levy’s AM activities began in 1997 with the establishment of the Institute for Rapid Product Development (iRPD) at the University of Applied Sciences (St. Gallen, Switzerland). Over the years, he has made many substantial contributions as a researcher, consultant and advisor. His early work included the development of Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) materials, including PA 12, which continues to be the most widely used. He has also contributed to technology advancements that span numerous AM processes and was an early participant in metal AM technologies, starting with beta testing of Concept Laser’s first Metal Laser Melting machine.

Professor Levy holds more than 35 patents and has been published in more than 250 scientific/technical publications. For his work in advanced manufacturing and additive manufacturing, he has received numerous awards, including AMUG’s Distinguished INovator Operator (DINO) Award, TCT’s Top 25 Most Influential in RPD&M, SME RTAM’s Industry Achievement Award, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium’s FAME Award and VRAP Conference’s Career Award.

2018 Innovators Showcase with Fried Vancraen of Materialise

Fried Vancraen
CEO, Founder
Materialise

Passionate about a new technology called ‘rapid prototyping’, and firm in his belief that it could help create a better and healthier world, Wilfried “Fried” Vancraen founded Materialise in 1990, where he remains CEO to this day. Materialise was established as the first Rapid Prototyping Service Bureau in the Benelux countries. Immediately after its foundation, the company concentrated on researching and developing solutions for transferring data to Rapid Prototyping machines, for industrial as well as medical applications.

Today, Materialise is a global company that provides open and flexible platforms that enable players in industries such as healthcare, automotive, aerospace, art and design, and consumer goods to build innovative 3D printing applications that make the world a better and healthier place.

Fried Vancraen began his career in 1985 after receiving a Master of Science in Electro-Mechanical Engineering. Working as a Research Engineer and Consultant at the Research Institute of the Belgian Metalworking Industry, Fried discovered 3D Printing.

Fried holds several patents related to the technical and medical applications of 3D Printing and remains committed to using the technology to make positive changes in people’s lives. In recent years, Fried has been awarded the RTAM/SME Industry Achievement Award, has been selected as the most influential person in Additive Manufacturing by industry professionals and TCT Magazine, and has been listed one of the five leading players in this sector by the Financial Times. He is also the recipient of a 2013 Visionaries! Award from the Museum of Art and Design in New York, and most recently, an inaugural inductee into the TCT Hall of Fame.

2017 Innovators Showcase with Carl Deckard of Structured Polymers

Carl Deckard
Chief Technology Officer, Co-Founder
Structured Polymers

Carl Deckard, who is Structured Polymers’ co-founder and chief technology officer, conceived and developed the Selective Laser Sintering technology while at the University of Texas at Austin. The concept of Selective Laser Sintering took shape when he was an undergrad. Mr. Deckard then pursued it for his master’s degree and Ph.D work. Carl then co-founded Nova Automation, which was later renamed DTM Corp and ultimately acquired by 3D Systems Corp.

With the launch of the Sinterstation 2000 in 1993, Selective Laser Sintering moved from the research labs into industry.

In 2012, Mr. Deckard teamed with Jim Mikulak and Vikram Devarajan to found Structured Polymers, a material company focused on improved materials for Selective Laser Sintering and other powder bed fusion additive manufacturing processes. Mr. Deckard has also served as assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Clemson University.

2016 Innovators Showcase with Scott Crump of Stratasys

S. Scott Crump
Chief Innovation Officer, Co-Founder,
Director and Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Board

Stratasys

Scott Crump is the Chief Innovation Officer of Stratasys. In this role, he focuses on leading and managing innovation by originating and encouraging new ideas, which will result in new solutions and products.

Mr. Crump is the inventor of Fused Deposition Technology (FDM) and a co-founder of Stratasys, which he started in his home garage with his wife, Lisa Crump. The company shipped one system in the first commercial year, and now it has shipped over 120,000 3D printers since inception.

He has served as the CEO, Chairman, and Treasurer of Stratasys from the 1988 start up through 2012 and as Chief Financial Officer from 1990 – 1997.
Mr. Crump is on Stratasys’ Board of Directors since inception and has served as Chairman of the Executive Committee since 2015.  From 1998 to 2015, he served as the Chairman of the Board.

Prior to founding Stratasys, he co-founded IDEA, Inc. and served as its Vice President of Sales from 1982 to 1988. The company was a premier-brand manufacturer of load and pressure transducers.  Mr. Crump continued as a Director and shareholder until its sale to Vishay Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) in 2005.

Mr. Crump holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Washington State University and attended UCLA’s Business Management Development for Entrepreneurs program. Mr. Crump is a registered professional engineer.

2015 Innovators Showcase with Chuck Hull of 3D Systems

Charles “Chuck” Hull
Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer
3D Systems

Charles W. Hull is the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of 3D Systems. Chuck Hull is the inventor of the solid imaging process known as stereolithography, the first commercial 3D printing technology. With the founding of 3D Systems in 1986 he initiated the 3D printing industry and continues to lead it today with cutting edge innovations ranging from state of the art production 3D printers that have changed the game of manufacturing to the first home-certified 3D printer, the award winning Cube®. He is a named inventor on more than 60 United States patents, plus numerous other patents around the world in the fields of ion optics and 3D printing.

In 2014 Mr. Hull was inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for his globally impactful and transformative work inventing and pioneering 3D printing. He also received The Economist’s prestigious 2013 Innovation Award, recognizing significant contributions across the fields of science, technology and society.
In 2011, along with Avi Reichental, he was named Entrepreneur of the Year for manufacturing in the Carolinas.

In 1997 he received the Albert M. Sargent Progress Award by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers. In 1996 he received the William T. Ennor Manufacturing Technology Award presented by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and was named Entrepreneur of the Year for high technology in the greater Los Angeles area by the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Institute. He received the 1995 Rank Prize, presented by The Rank Foundation in London, and in 1994 he received the Jacquard Award from the Numerical Controls Society for his invention and commercialization of stereolithography.

Prior to founding 3D Systems, Mr. Hull served six years as vice president of engineering at UVP, Inc. in San Gabriel, California, a systems manufacturing company. Before that, he spent 10 years as an engineering manager at DuPont’s Photo Products Division, concentrating on the development of analytical equipment for chemists, including mass spectrometer and GC/MS systems. Earlier in his career he was a senior engineer at Bell & Howell.

Mr. Hull received a BS in engineering physics from the University of Colorado in 1961 and an honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Loughborough University in the U.K. in 2005.