The Additive Manufacturing Customers Group (AMUG) has introduced the winners of its 2025 Technical Competitors, recognizing excellent work in additive manufacturing purposes and ending methods. Chosen by a panel of business specialists, 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 Packages at Renaissance Providers; 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 mission “Mars Pattern Return Crush Lattices.” The mission addressed additive manufacturing limitations that originally produced lattice buildings with suboptimal mass and ligament thickness. By partnering with REM Floor Engineering, JPL used a chemical sharpening 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 change the pressure required to crush the construction is ingenious, permitting him to create a completed construction that might not be printed. He isn’t just 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 mission 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 mission 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 way of standard manufacturing. The built-in method removes the necessity for extra cooling elements and improves warmth switch effectivity.
“Wonderful in lots of elements. Greater than 100% enchancment in each power use and warmth management! The result’s an additive manufacturing alternative for an present part, forgoing the necessity for motor redesign. This might not have been achieved every other method,” mentioned 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, gives lifelike haptic suggestions to assist healthcare suppliers follow 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 handle life-saving medical therapy 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 Methods 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 tasks and processes.
DINO Award Winners Acknowledged for Their Trade Contributions
Among the many 2025 honorees was Amy Alexander, Unit Head and Mechanical Improvement & Utilized Computational Engineering at Mayo Clinic, who was counseled for her dedication to mentoring early-career professionals. Dan Braley, Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing International Providers, was additionally acknowledged for his sustained involvement in business occasions—significantly 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 Trade Awards?
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Featured picture 2025 Technical Competitors winners: Ryan Watkins, Rob Acton, Steve Geddes and Luke Hileman. Photograph through AMUG.
