The names of this year’s TCT Hall of Fame nominees have been announced.
The TCT Expert Advisory Board (EAB), made up of established 3D technology leaders, experts and innovators from across different industries and disciplines, has been through an extensive nomination process to produce a shortlist of the five most influential members of the 3D printing and additive manufacturing community.
Launched in 2017, the TCT Hall of Fame recognises those members of the AM industry who have dedicated a lifetime of research, development, innovation and promotions of the technologies that have created and perpetuated dozens of new industries. The Hall of Fame induction will take place during the 2020 TCT Awards Ceremony in September.
This year’s nominees are:
Phill Dickens, AM researcher, consultant and educator
Phill has been at the heart of the UK's AM community for three decades, founding the world's leading AM research group in the early '90s which led to some of the early innovations in processes. Today, Phill continues to be active in the industry as a Director and AM consultant at Added Scientific Ltd and Professor of Manufacturing Technology at the University of Nottingham.
Graham Tromans, veteran applications specialist and educator
In a career spanning over 30 years, Graham has worked tirelessly in the introduction/development of applications for additive technologies in key manufacturing businesses worldwide. Today, he's President & Principal Consultant of G P Tromans Associates, continuing his work to expand knowledge/applications of AM, and is on the board of numerous AM committees.
Wilhelm Meiners, inventor of the L-PBF process
In 1994, Wilhelm began a prosperous career at Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology in Germany. As a PhD student, he invented the Laser-Powder-Bed-Fusion process - one of the key additive manufacturing processes in the world today. Over a couple of decades, he continued to develop the machine technology and applications, and in 2018, Wilhelm started to work as an AM Expert at Trumpf Laser & Systemtechnik GmbH.
Andy Christensen, medical AM applications pioneer
Andy has spent his entire career focused on developing and expanding the medical applications of 3D Printing/AM. Through his world-leading service bureau, he worked with surgeons and medical device manufacturers to pioneer applications of AM in areas such as patient-specific anatomical modelling, virtual surgical planning and personalised implants.
Terry Wohlers, Principal Consultant and President at Wohlers Associates, Inc.
Terry is the principal consultant and president of Wohlers Associates Inc, and the principal author of the Wohlers Report - the undisputed industry-leading report on additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide. For 33 years he has provided key insights to the industry through his reports, consultancy and speaking events worldwide.
This year we have evolved the voting process to create a more robust and thorough selection. As such, rather than a public vote, the EAB has been tasked to use their unique knowledge and expertise to vote for a second time to decide who deserves to be inducted into the prestigious Hall of Fame.
For full transparency, here is the full criteria the EAB will be asked to consider during their selection process:
- Has this person been involved in AM/3DP long enough to have a lasting impact and legacy?
- Has this person formed a cornerstone of the industry, or are they just standing on the shoulders of giants?
- Has this person contributed new knowledge that has led to change?
- Has this person led to innovation with impact?
To find out more about the judging process and this year's nominees, visit tctawards.com.
