The Additive Manufacturing Customers Group (AMUG) has introduced the winners of its 2025 Technical Competitors, recognizing excellent work in additive manufacturing functions and ending methods. Chosen by a panel of business consultants, entries from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Equispheres gained within the Superior Ending and Superior Ideas classes, respectively, whereas Ricoh 3D for Healthcare secured the Members’ Selection Award.
The competitors was held through the annual AMUG Convention, March 30–April 3, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. The panel of judges consisted of ten AMUG DINOs: Rey Chu, Director at PADT; Joerg Griessbach, Proprietor of Der SL PROFI; Tom Mueller, President of Mueller Additive Manufacturing Options; Bruce Okkema, President and Proprietor of Eagle Design & Expertise; Rick Pressley, Director of Applications at Renaissance Companies; Elton Rooney, Technical Developer at EMI Corp; Harold Sears, Head of Superior Manufacturing at IperionX; Ed Tackett, Additive Manufacturing Lead Technologist at Würth Additive Group; Sean Sensible, Proprietor of RePliForm; and Mark Wynn, Senior Technical Specialist at Yazaki North America.
2025 Technical Winners
Within the Superior Ending class, Ryan Watkins, Analysis Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was acknowledged for his venture “Mars Pattern Return Crush Lattices.” The venture addressed additive manufacturing limitations that originally produced lattice constructions with suboptimal mass and ligament thickness. By partnering with REM Floor Engineering, JPL used a chemical sprucing course of to cut back the elements’ mass by over 80% whereas assembly stringent mission necessities. The judges praised Watkins’ work, noting, “Ryan’s use of ending to switch the drive required to crush the construction is ingenious, permitting him to create a completed construction that would not be printed. He is not only modifying the looks of the half; he’s additionally modifying the bodily properties to fulfill the appliance’s wants. That is very spectacular.”
Evan Butler-Jones, Vp of product & Technique, Equispheres, submitted the successful entry for Superior Ideas, a venture developed in collaboration with Martinrea Worldwide’s Sr Specialist Technical Steve Geddes. Titled “Making use of Additive Manufacturing for Built-in Passive Cooling in an e-Motor Housing,” the venture designed and produced an aluminum half utilizing additive manufacturing that integrates a vapor chamber for two-phase passive and liquid cooling inside a single construction. The half was created utilizing laser powder mattress fusion with each partial and full melting, enabling a design that can’t be achieved by means of standard manufacturing. The built-in strategy removes the necessity for added cooling elements and improves warmth switch effectivity.
“Glorious in lots of elements. Greater than 100% enchancment in each power use and warmth management! The result’s an additive manufacturing substitute for an current element, forgoing the necessity for motor redesign. This might not have been carried out every other approach,” stated the judges.
Luke Hileman, Lead technician, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, gained the Members’ Selection Award with the “Neonatal Thoracentesis Coach.” This high-fidelity simulation mannequin, created with superior additive manufacturing methods, presents lifelike haptic suggestions to assist healthcare suppliers observe a fragile and significant process for draining fluid from the pleural house of infants. Judges described it as “an exquisite use of additive manufacturing to deal with life-saving medical remedy for infants.”
Extra placements included Aaron Sherman, Mechanical Engineer of HellermanTyton, who took second in Superior Ending for “Miniature Tabletop Gaming Fashions by Pocket Dimension Studios,” and Brent Griffith, Product Engineer of Labconco Company, who completed third with “Nature’s Grip Recreated: Superior 3D Print Ending Strategies on Rock Climbing.” Within the Superior Ideas class, second place went to Hileman with Jacob Kallivayakik from Company Analysis and Expertise of Eaton Company taking third for “AM for Electrical Machines.”
The winners, or their representatives, will obtain complimentary admission to the 2026 AMUG Convention, the place they may current detailed insights into their initiatives and processes.
DINO Award Winners Acknowledged for Their Business Contributions
Among the many 2025 honorees was Amy Alexander, Unit Head and Mechanical Improvement & Utilized Computational Engineering at Mayo Clinic, who was recommended for her dedication to mentoring early-career professionals. Dan Braley, Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing International Companies, was additionally acknowledged for his sustained involvement in business occasions—notably the AMUG Convention—and his ongoing efforts to advance additive manufacturing.
In 2024, AMUG honored different 5 distinguished people with DINO Awards for his or her business contributions: Jamie Cone, Steve Grundahl, Thomas Murphy, Vadim Pikhovich, and Bob Renella. Gary Rabinovitz from Reebok was additionally offered with the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award, making it solely the second time in AMUG’s 36-year historical past that this award has been bestowed.
Who gained the 2024 3D Printing Business Awards?
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Featured picture 2025 Technical Competitors winners: Ryan Watkins, Rob Acton, Steve Geddes and Luke Hileman. Picture by way of AMUG.
