On Wednesday 4th June 2025 the TCT Awards ceremony brought together the most innovative minds in the 3d printing industry for a night of additive excellence. The winners of eleven technology and applications awards were announced, alongside the winner of the Women in 3D Printing Innovator Award, the Sanjay Mortimer Rising Star Award and four new Inductees to the prestigious TCT Hall of Fame.
After a busy first day at TCT 3Sixty, the UK's definitive and most influential 3D printing and additive manufacturing event, guests enjoyed a three-course black-tie dinner, drinks and inspiring awards ceremony hosted by comedian Mark Watson.
Held at the national Conference Centre, Birmingham, the night brought together over 200 additive manufacturing industry professionals to celebrate industry achievements in technology innovation, and pioneering applications from the last 12 months.
Of the evening, Duncan Wood, CEO of TCT Group, said: “This night of celebration is always a highlight of the year, and tonight was no exception. We had some exceptional winners this evening showcasing the peak of what is possible with these technologies. I was especially privileged to introduce our four new TCT Hall of Fame inductees, all of whom have gone above and beyond to advance and advocate for this industry.”
The Platinum Sponsor for the night was ASTM International, who kicked off the evening with a pertinent speech highlighting the potential still to come with these technologies. The night was also sponsored by Gold Sponsor Massivit, and our two Silver sponsors 3T AM and Globus Metal Powders.
This year’s awards recognised a multitude of achievements and outstanding contributions to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing sector.
The eleven category awards celebrate key technology developments, as well as the all-important applications and use-cases of these technologies across different industry verticals. Winners and highly commended finalists of the TCT Awards are chosen by a selection of over twenty industry experts from the TCT Advisory Board who make up the judging panel.
Four new inductees to the TCT Hall of Fame were also announced. The Hall of fame is a prestigious accolade which celebrates those members of the additive manufacturing community who have made a positive, significant and long-term impact on the industry.
2025 TCT Hall of Fame Inductees
Neil Hopkinson – Inventor of High Speed Sintering
Professor Neil Hopkinson invented the High Speed Sintering process which has generated £1Bn+ in revenues for its licensees, significantly impacting the global AM industry.
Sheku Kamara – AM Researcher and Technical Advisor
Sheku Kamara, Dean of Applied Research at MSOE, has advanced additive manufacturing since 1996. His research has been pivotal in transferring AM technology to the marketplace.
Todd Grimm - AM Consultant, Writer and Speaker
Todd Grimm, a 33-year veteran, is a distinguished advisor, writer, and speaker in additive manufacturing, leading T.A. Grimm & Associates to facilitate industry success.
Wilhelm Meiners - Inventor of the PBF-LB/M process
Wilhelm Meiners is the inventor of Metal Laser Powder Bed Fusion process. Over 20 years at the Fraunhofer Institute he significantly contributed to the transition from rapid prototyping to AM.
The night also celebrated our fifth Winner of the TCT Women in 3D Printing Innovator Award and the third inductee to the TCT SMF Rising Star Award:
TCT Sanjay Mortimer Foundation Rising Star Award
Winner: Abigail Duckworth
Abigail Duckworth describes 3D printing as the first outlet that allowed her creativity to run wild – and her work reflects that beautifully. Despite navigating the challenges of undiagnosed ADHD at the time, she didn’t just learn to use 3D printing – she excelled. Abigail pioneered research into the use of lattice AM to support arthritis cases during her undergraduate dissertation, leading to a published peer-reviewed paper.
TCT Women in 3D Printing Award – Sponsored by EOS
Winner: Jonné Messer, Global Additive Manufacturing Lead at Ford Motor Company
JONNÉ Messer is Ford's global additive manufacturing lead with nearly 30 years’ service transforming Ford’s 3D printing capabilities, saving millions of dollars annually.
Lisa Block, Director of WI3DP, said of the winner: “The most beautiful thing we will ever witness is the celebration of important work. Jonné Messer is a beautiful example of what happens when you are committed to completing that work in excellence. It was an honour to present her with the TCT WI3DP 2025 Innovator Award. Her accomplishments are well deserved, and I look forward to more ground-breaking developments in the future.”
The deserving winners and highly commended entries from each category were:
TCT Aerospace & Defence Application Award – Sponsored by Rapid + TCT
Winner: Mako Missile
Entrant: Lockheed Martin Corporation
Partners: Sintavia Corporation
By combining AM with Hot Isostatic Pressing and solution heat treatment, the Mako missile reduced production time by 79 weeks and costs by 90%. Our judges described the application as an ideal AM candidate.
Highly Commended: First ever metal 3D printer in space by Cranfield University
TCT Automotive & Rail Application Award – Sponsored by Additec 3D
Winner: WAAM Suspension Strut Tower
Entrant: BMW Group
Partners: MX3D
The WAAM suspension strut tower enabled superior stiffness-to-weight ratios and reduced tooling costs by 70%. Judges were impressed with the use of generative design to achieve lightweight structures and reduce lead times.
Highly Commended: Championship-Winning BTCC Inlet Plenum by Swindon Powertrain and Graphite Additive Manufacturing
TCT Consumer Product Application Award - Sponsored by Massivit
Winner: Kibu Headphones
Entrant: Kibu
Partners: Beaney Design, Batch.Works, Morrama
Over 70% of the Kibu headphones components are 3D printed from recycled PLA, reducing production costs to £5 per pair and slashing production time by 85%. The judges voted for this application due to the optimisations across sustainability, education, repairability and just-in-time production.
Highly Commended: The Mercado 3®by BATS TOI and HP
TCT Creative Application Award - Sponsored by TCT Magazine
Winner: Simulation Book For The Blind
Entrant: Yuan Bin’s Scientific Research Team
Partners: Nanchang Institute of Technology, Youth Volunteers Association of Youngxiu county, Disabled person Federation of Yongxiu county, Talent Bureau of Jiujiang City
Harnessing the precision of 3D printing, this innovation brings tactile learning to the visually impaired by creating stereo image models that surpass traditional 2D Braille books. Judges described the application as an awesome initiative and very worthwhile use of 3D printing.
Highly Commended: Scarce City by Singapore Institute of Technology
Hardware Award – Non-Polymer Systems - Sponsored by ASTM
Winner: hybrd.AM for cutting tools
Entrant: additiveStream4D GmbH
Partners: AMF clamping Systems, 3T additive manufacturing Ltd
Designed for retrofitting, Hybrid AM for cutting tools integrates conventional machining with laser powder bed fusion to reduce production times by up to 50%. Judges believe the product to be very promising and potentially innovative in overcoming barriers relating to the industrialisation of metal 3D printing.
Highly Commended: Grenzebach Dual Setup Station - EOS Edition by EOS
TCT Hardware Award – Polymer systems Award - Sponsored by Lux Yours
Winner: Zeus Hybrid Robotic Cell
Entrant: Rapid Fusion
Partners: Xtrution B.V, Ai Build, Adaxis, KUKA
Merging AM and CNC post-processing, the Zeus Hybrid Robotic Cell achieves a throughput of 17.2 kilograms per hour and delivers exceptional power-to-weight ratio. Judges believe the platform offers the right amount of hybridisation and drives flexibility in the workplace.
Highly Commended: AO Backpack for M3 by Carbon
TCT Healthcare Application Award - Sponsored by Med-Tech Insights
Winner: Ceramic Jaw Implant
Entrant: Lithoz GmbH
Partners: Agensmed GmbH, BTI Biotechnology Institute, Kepler University Hospital, Medical University of Vienna, Profactor
A medical first, the 3D printed ceramic subperiosteal jaw implant eliminates bone grafts, reduces healing time by 75% and demonstrates a direct improvement of life. Judges believe the application shows the best of 3D printing’s capabilities.
Highly Commended: Mimics Enlight CMF by Materialise
TCT Industrial Product Application Award - Sponsored by JEOL
Winner: Bespoke Porosity Ceramic Membranes
Entrant: Lithoz GmbH
Partners: Evove Ltd
Lithoz and Evove have crafted the first entirely 3D printed ceramic membranes, reducing CO2 emissions by 80% and increasing production yield five-fold. Judges commented that this application, with sustainability at its core, showed AM at its very best.
Highly Commended: 3D Mechatronic Integrated Devices by Cubicure
TCT Materials Award - Sponsored by Additive Manufacturing Solutions
Winner: Lignin-based Carbon and Graphite
Entrant: Carbon Forest Products Ltd
Partners: Birmingham University
Pioneering the use of lignin as a carbon feedstock, this project introduces the first powder-based 3D printed carbon and graphite components. Judges described the project as revolutionary and truly innovative, with the development cutting reliance on fossil-based materials.
Highly Commended: DirectPowder™ Process for Copper AM by Metal Powder Works
TCT Post-Processing Award - Sponsored by TCT Japan
Winner: DLyte TurboFlow
Entrant: GPAINNOVA
Partners: DryLyte, TEG
DLyte TurboFlow enhances AM finishing by applying DryLyte with advanced fluid and particle flow to ensures uniform surface finishing without size, weight or fixture constraints. It has been described by judges as a high-end solution to a very expensive problem.
Highly Commended: Benchtop PP Vapour Smoothing by Additive Manufacturing Technologies
TCT Software Award - Sponsored by TCT Asia
Winner: Fringe Qualification
Entrant: Phase 3D
Fringe qualification provides tracking and analysis to enable quality control management across entire fleets of metal AM machines from a central dashboard, with judges impressed with the software’s use of real-time data to support the transition from prototyping to volume production.
Highly Commended: e-Stage for Metal + by Materialise
