Fried Vancraen to receive Innovators Award at AMUG 2018

Expand

Fried_Vancraen_Innovators_Award

Fried Vancraen will pick up the AMUG Innovators Award in April 2018.

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced Materialise founder and CEO, Fried Vancraen, as the recipient of the Innovators Award for 2018.

Vancraen, who in September was among the first five inductees into the TCT Hall of Fame, will be presented with the award at the 2018 AMUG Conference in St Louis, Missouri in April, following his onstage appearance during the conference’s Innovators Showcase. The award is given to those who have contributed innovative ideas thought to have advanced the additive manufacturing industry. Previous winners include Chuck Hull, inventor of Stereolithography; Scott Crump, inventor of Fused Deposition Modelling; and Carl Deckard, inventor of Selective Laser Sintering.

Now in its 30^th year, AMUG will recognise the contribution of Vancraen, who founded Materialise in 1990 as the first rapid prototyping bureau in the Benelux region. It has since grown to achieve a global reach, offering a wealth of solutions and services for the additive market, with Vancraen in the position as CEO.

He holds several patents relating to technical and medical applications of 3D printing, and has also received a plethora of awards and recognitions for his role in the growth of AM. These include the RTAM/ SME Industry Achievement Award, inclusion within the Financial Times’ five leading players in the sector, and of course his induction into the TCT Hall of Fame. In April, he will have another honour attributed to him.

“The list of award finalists, named by AMUG members, was quite impressive, which made selection challenging and makes the award quite prestigious,” explained Paul Bates, AMUG President. “However, Fried rose to the top of the list because of the breadth of impact from Materialise’s software and services as well as the long-lived passion he has for making the world a better place through the application of additive manufacturing.”

Vancraen will take to the stage on Wednesday April 11^th 2018, where he will participate in an interview. In the Innovators Showcase, he will also take questions from the host and conference attendees.

The 30^th AMUG Conference will be help between April 8 – 12, 2018, at the St. Louis Union Station in St Louis, Missouri.