Speakers
TBA
American Industrial Partners
American Industrial Partners
Brian
Albright
Panel 3: AM and Industrial-Scale Automation
Brian is the Editorial Director of Digital Engineering / DE247 at Peerless Media. Visit us at digitalengineering247.com
Amy
Alexander
Panel 3: Enablers to Scale AM in Healthcare
Amy Alexander, MS, is Unit Head of Mechanical Development and Applied Computational Engineering within Mayo Clinic’s Division of Engineering (DOE). In this role, she bridges the medical device development and additive manufacturing capabilities of the DOE with the needs of the clinical practice. Amy is past Chair of the SME Medical Additive Manufacturing Technical Advisory Team and a long-standing member of the Radiological Society of North America’s 3D Special Interest Group. Amy is a frequent co-author of medical 3D printing peer-reviewed papers, and long-term reviewer for Springer’s 3D Printing in Medicine Journal. She serves as a member of Biomedical Engineering Industrial Advisory Committees for multiple universities and is a frequent lecturer on medical 3D Printing. In 2019, she was recognized as one of 14 international recipients of the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer (OYME) award. She holds certificates in Additive Manufacturing from MIT and SME. Amy holds a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering and a Master of Science in Engineering Management from MSOE.
David
Alexander
Panel 2: The Industrialization of Additive for Aerospace
David Alexander has been with SAE International and its affiliates for 20 years and is currently located in Detroit, Michigan, USA, having previously been based in London. In the role of Senior Director of Standards, Alexander is responsible for the coordination and collaboration of SAE’s standards programs and constituents across diverse mobility sectors including aerospace, automotive and commercial vehicle. He is also responsible globally for the strategy and operations of the SAE Aerospace Standards program – including a growing portfolio in Additive Manufacturing. This includes the SAE leadership for the SAE Executive Standards Committee and SAE Aerospace Council and stakeholder integration of standards through the SAE Group portfolio.
Supported by SAE staff in London, Brussels, Shanghai and across the US, program activities include relationships with industry, associations, regulatory authorities and government stakeholders around the world and strategy for standardization in areas as diverse as artificial intelligence, predictive maintenance, hydrogen & sustainable fuels, electrification, additive manufacturing, human factors and quality.
Prior to joining the SAE Aerospace Standards operation, David worked on the Nadcap accreditation programme through SAE’s affiliate organisation PRI, and he holds a BA (Hons) degree from the University of Manchester.
Roger
Antúnez
Talk 1: Supernova
Roger Antúnez is the Founder and CEO of Supernova. With its breakthrough materials, customers can produce parts that achieve properties comparable to molded plastics such as EPDM, glass-filled PA6, or PP, enabling scalable and reliable production batches. The company is pushing the boundaries of photopolymers by utilizing high molecular weight oligomers, which have viscosities that can only be processed using Supernova’s proprietary Viscous Lithography Manufacturing (VLM) technology. Headquartered in Austin, TX, with a branch in Barcelona, Spain, Supernova has assembled one of the strongest teams in the industry and is poised to become a leading player in the next decade.
Prior to founding Supernova, Roger served as General Manager at BCN3D, where he was instrumental in transforming the company into a global leader in 3D printing with its Independent Dual Extrusion (IDEX) technology. During his tenure, he led the company’s global commercial expansion and played a pivotal role in the acquisition of Astroprint to completing the company’s product. He continues to serve as a board member at BCN3D.
Roger’s experience in additive manufacturing, combined with his leadership at Supernova, highlights his deep expertise in advancing material capabilities and scaling AM technologies for industrial applications.
Ben
Arnold
Panel 1: The Polymer Toolbelt
Ben Arnold is the Founder of Additive Advocates, a consultancy focused on growth strategies for Additive Manufacturing businesses. Ben has worked in the AM industry since 2006 in Sales leadership roles with OEMs bringing new technology platforms to market. He has experience in polymers, metals, and ceramic modalities.
Ben holds BS in Mechanical Engineering from WPI and MBA from Northeastern University’s High Technology program. He was recognized for his work in the Additive Manufacturing industry with a DINO award from the AM User Group.
Martin
Back
Panel 6: Polymer AM Materials
Martin Back is a prominent leader with 30 years at the center of various industrial sectors including 3D Printing, Automotive, Building Automation, and MedTech.
Holding key positions such as CEO, Managing Director, and CFO, Martin has steered large international corporations and agile startups through significant transformational phases, focusing on restructuring, strategic scaling, and profitability increases.
He skilfully integrates lean and agile methodologies to maximize organizational efficiency and empower teams. Known for his visionary approach, Martin has a substantial track record of founding, growing, and enhancing businesses, making him a recognized figure in driving industry innovation and impact.
Jason
Ball
Panel 1: Specialist Services
Jason Ball is Vice-President and General Manager of Burloak Technologies as of December 2021. In his role, he is responsible for leading the Company’s global operations and further accelerating the adoption of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technologies across various industries. Jason began his career at GE in 2000, and held several increasingly complex leadership roles in engineering, quality, and product management in GE divisions including GE Power and GE Additive. In 2018, Mr. Ball led the development of GE Additive’s ATLAS (Additive Technology Large Area System) Program.Following his time at GE Additive, Mr. Ball joined SLM Solutions, a manufacturer of industrial 3D metal printing machines, where he was first head of product management at the company’s headquarters in Germany, then General Manager of its Canadian business. Mr. Ball is a licensed engineer and holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Waterloo.
John
Barnes
CEO, Metal Powder Works
Panel 5: Metal AM Materials
John has a 25+ year career in product development and aerospace with Honeywell, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works™, Australia’s CSIRO, and Arconic (formerly Alcoa and RTI International Metals). He’s been involved in metal additive manufacturing throughout this career beginning in the late 1990s where he was part of the Sandia National Labs LENS™ CRADA. Since then, he has been in and around AM working both technical and business cases for implementation and development efforts in materials, powders, processing, and printing to mature the technology for applications. John is recognized internationally for contributions to additive manufacturing, product development, and leadership in engineering. His groups boast world firsts in medical, therapeutic, and aerospace additive manufacturing. John is a Materials Engineer by background but has developed expertise in manufacturing, airframe structures, gas turbines and low observables. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at RMIT University, and an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow at Monash University, both in Melbourne, Australia. In 2014, he was Purdue University’s Materials Engineer of the Year, and in 2017, he was invited to join the Additive Manufacturing Technical Community as a SME Advisor based upon active industry contributions, reputation, and personal commitment to expand the use of additive manufacturing.
Nicole
Beitenman
Talk 2: 3D Printing at Point of Care: How AM is Being Applied within Hospitals
Nikki Beitenman, BSBME, BBA, CAM-F developed and currently leads the 3D Innovation Center at the Ralph H Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston, SC. Ms. Beitenman received her BS in Biomedical Engineering with a focus on Biomaterials and Tissues and BA in Business and Organizational Communication Structures from The University of Akron in Akron, OH. She is certified in Additive Manufacturing through SME. Ms. Beitenman began her career with the VA in 2016 as part of the Biomedical Engineering TCF Program at the John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis, MO. While there, she began working the Prosthetic Department to develop a process for 3D Printing check sockets for amputee patients. After 3 years, Ms. Beitenman transferred to the Charleston facility where she developed and stood up the Advanced Manufacturing Site as part of the Innovation Ecosystem. She collaborates with clinicians, engineers, and hospital staff across the facility as well as the rest of the country. The Charleston team manufactures products and devices that range from facility improvement to patient matched medical devices. Ms. Beitenman’s service achievements include being the recipient of the National HeRO (Healthcare Effectiveness and Resource Optimization) Award in 2020 for her work in 3D Printing for healthcare applications, being the lead for the team that developed the first 3D Printed medical device with compassionate use approval from the FDA for VHA, and was the recipient of the 2021 Under Secretary for Health’s Dr. Robert L Jesse Award for Excellence in Innovation. Her team has continued to push the boundaries of what 3D printing can do in healthcare, with now two more compassionate use approvals and service offerings for VHA across the country. Her work has touched over 60 VA medical centers and changed the lives of hundreds of Veterans.
Mark
Benedict
Panel 2: The Industrialization of Additive for Aerospace
Dr. Mark Benedict, a member of the scientific and professional cadre of senior executives, is the Senior Scientist for Convergent Digital Manufacturing, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He serves as the principal scientific authority and independent researcher in the research, development, adaptation, and application of advanced manufacturing and is a recognized expert on additive manufacturing process modeling, machine development, data management, and airworthiness qualification/certification. In his prior role as America Makes Chief Technical Advisor he was integral to the planning, requirements definition, selection, and execution of the $446M technical portfolio that America Makes has in the area of convergent manufacturing over the last decade.
Tyler
Benster
Panel 8: Shark Bites: VCs Discuss Why They Do or Don't Invest in 3DP/AM
Tyler is a Neuroscience PhD student at Stanford University and a General Partner at Asimov Ventures. At Asimov Ventures, Tyler has invested in more than 20 startups across 3D printing, robotics, and frontier tech, including Additive Orthopaedics, Sadako, Ghost Robotics, and Kiwi. As a writer and analyst, he has been featured in Bloomberg, TechCrunch, GigaOm, Wohlers Report, and Computer World, and has chaired or keynoted at more than twenty international conferences, including Inside 3D Printing and RoboUniverse. His scientific work has been published in Cell and Scientific Reports. Tyler received a B.S. in Applied Mathematics and Economics at Brown University and grew up on Mercer Island in Washington State.
Stefanus
Bosch
Stefanus is responsible for the additive manufacturing research and development team, as well as planning and digitalization, at BMW Group’s Additive Manufacturing Campus. His team scouts and industrializes new AM technologies and develops the software tools needed to manage BMW’s AM production network. Previously, he was responsible for the design for AM team, pushing world’s first AM use-cases for all BMW brands across a wide range of applications.
Before joining BMW, Stefanus worked on metal additive manufacturing and generative design at Airbus APWorks, where he played a pioneering role in the development of the Light Rider, the first-ever 3D-printed electric motorcycle.
Stefanus holds a Master’s degree from the Technical University of Munich. He completed his studies in engineering science at the Munich School of Engineering and at Nanyang Technical University in Singapore.
Stefanie
Brickwede
Session Keynote
As Managing Director, Stefanie Brickwede passionately set up the international leading network “Mobility goes Additive” in 2016 with the aim of pushing industrial 3D printing into series production. 2019 a second branch was launched: „Medical goes Additive“ assists Hospitals, companies and institutions throughout the medical sector to extent the use of Additive Manufacturing. Now, MGA has more than 140 members active in close to 20 working and focus groups with more than 70 meetings a year.
After graduating as an economist from the Technical University of Hanover, she started her career in the mobility sector and has since held various management and project management positions at the Deutsche Bahn AG. Since 2015, Stefanie also heads the corporate project 3D Printing at the DB and is responsible for the successful introduction of Additive Manufacturing throughout the DB group. This gives her a deep understanding of the opportunities and challenges users have to face.
In addition, Ms. Brickwede is the initiator of the “Women in AM” network and actively promotes women in the AM industry.
Louis-Philippe
Broze
Panel 4: Policy for AM Healthcare
Louis-Philippe Broze, aged 29, stands as the co-founder of Spentys, a Brussels-based startup established in 2018. Spentys specializes in empowering orthopedic technicians and various healthcare providers by offering them the capability to perform 3D scanning, 3D modeling, and 3D printing of personalized prosthetics and orthotics for individual patients.
Operating across more than 20 countries worldwide, with a dedicated branch in the USA, Spentys has garnered significant attention in the industry. The company has successfully secured over $7 million in funding from investors and its groundbreaking technology has positively impacted the lives of over 20,000 patients.
In recognition of his outstanding contributions to science and healthcare, Louis-Philippe & his co-founder Florian De Boeck earned a prestigious nomination as one of Forbes Magazine’s “30 Under 30 – Europe – Science & Healthcare” in 2023. Demonstrating a steadfast belief in the power of entrepreneurship to drive societal change, Louis-Philippe is committed to nurturing and fostering impactful initiatives.
Lars
Brubaker
Panel 6: Polymer AM Materials
Lars Brubaker is the CEO of MatterHackers, a leading company in the 3D printing industry. With a passion for innovation and technology, Lars has been at the forefront of several successful ventures. Before founding MatterHackers, he co-founded Reflexive Entertainment, a video game company known for its creativity and high-quality games. Under his leadership, Reflexive Entertainment developed and published numerous popular titles, earning a strong reputation in the gaming community. In 2008, Reflexive Entertainment was acquired by Amazon, where Lars continued to contribute to the gaming and digital content landscape. At MatterHackers, Lars leverages his extensive experience in technology and business to drive the company’s mission of making 3D printing accessible and user-friendly for everyone. His visionary leadership continues to inspire innovation and growth in the 3D printing industry.
Mark
Burnham
Panel 4: Policy for AM Healthcare
Mark Burnham serves as the Director of Policy for the Additive Manufacturing Coalition (www.addmfgcoalition.org). He has more than 20 years of experience representing universities, associations and technology focused entities in Washington, D.C. Mark has served in different capacities over the years, sometimes as an in-house advocate and sometimes as an outside lobbyist to various entities including Caltech, Fermilab, UCAR/NCAR, Oakland University, University of Michigan and Michigan State University where he spent 11 years, eventually serving as MSU’s Vice President for Government Affairs.
During his career, Mark has worked with every federal science related agencies as well as with most national higher education associations. Some of the biggest projects he has worked on include helping get funding from Congress for two Mars Rovers, assisted with the establishment of the IACMI facility in Detroit, and approval for, and state and federal funding of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), a $730 million rare isotope accelerator which will commence full operations later this year (2022).
Mark began his career working for Congresswoman Mary Kaptur (D-OH), the current Chair of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee where he served on her personal staff as the liaison to the committee on NASA, NSF and Veterans Affairs appropriations.
Mark holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from the University of Michigan and a Juris Doctor from Boston College Law School.
Stephen
Butkow
Panel 7: M&A and Capital Markets
Stephen joined Stifel in 2017 and is a Managing Director and Co-Head of the Electronics & Industrial Technology team within Stifel’s Global Technology Group. He has over 20 years of investment banking experience and specializes in advising clients within the 3D printing, digital manufacturing, factory, warehouse automation, digital and packaging print, technology reseller, integration, and distribution sectors.
Prior to joining Stifel, he worked at Citigroup as an investment banker in both the Global Industrial Group, Global Transportation Group, and as a workout specialist in Citigroup’s North American Substandard & Non-Performing Loan Workout Group. Stephen began his career at Arthur Andersen in corporate restructuring.
Joe
Calmese
The Power of Investment: Accelerating AM with Private Equity
Joseph Calmese is the President & Chief Executive Officer at ADDMAN, where he leverages over 15 years of experience in strategic leadership, business expansion, and innovation. Since 2021, he has guided the company’s three specialized manufacturing groups, focusing on pioneering advances in American manufacturing.
Joseph is deeply committed to enhancing customer satisfaction, drawing on his experience in advanced manufacturing, operational improvement, and manufacturing automation to deliver exceptional value to ADDMAN’s customer partners. Based at ADDMAN’s location in St. Louis, MO, Calmese holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from Illinois College and an MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.
Daghan
Cam
Talk 2: TBA
Daghan Cam is the co-founder and CEO of Ai Build, a London based software company founded in 2015. Ai Build provides web based additive manufacturing software for robotic and gantry 3D printing systems used by tier 1 global enterprises across Aerospace, Automotive, Energy, Construction and Marine sectors in the production of 3D printed parts and R&D prototyping. Ai Build prides itself on rapid innovation that enables efficient automated manufacturing in an efficient, repeatable, autonomous and scalable manner.
Michael
Cao
Panel 1: The Polymer Toolbelt
Michael Cao founded IC3D in 2012 while working at Honda R&D. He began his 13 year tenure at Honda focusing primarily on polymer part development and ended as project leader on the flagship Acura NSX supercar.
At IC3D, Michael and his team are focused on developing the next generation microfactory that aims to improve sustainability and enhance production by utilizing polymer waste streams. His work includes funded research and collaborations with government entities such as the US Army, Air Force, Marine Corps, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense – Research and Engineering, NIST, and the Department of Energy, primarily in polymer materials and process research. Michael holds a BA in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Oklahoma.
Jenny
Chen
Panel 3: Enablers to Scale AM in Healthcare
Jenny Chen, MD, is the Founder and CEO of 3DHEALS, a company focusing on educating, connecting, and discovering innovators and entrepreneurs in bioprinting, regenerative medicine, and healthcare applications using 3D technologies. Dr. Chen serves as a startup mentor and advisor to 3D technology startups. She created the Pitch3D program that connects early-stage startups to various fundraising strategies and directly to 35+ institutional investors in healthcare 3D printing and bioprinting. Her interests lie in automated biology, patient-specific medicine, and biofabrication, and she has a vision of a decentralized and personalized healthcare delivery system for our near future.
Roger
Christian
Panel 4: Automation & Robotic 3D Printing
Roger Christian started his robotics career at Bendix Robotics in 1982 as a Mechanical Engineer and since 1989 has spent 35 years working for Yaskawa America Inc., Motoman Robotics Div. https://www.motoman.com. His current role as Divisional Leader of New Business Development is to recommend focused strategic investment, product development, partnering with Advanced Robotics Technology companies to insure Yaskawa’s mid and long-term growth, by studying broad market needs, technology, and trends to recommend commercial strategies for the company.
Roger currently serves on the Technology Advisory Committee for the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute (http://arminstitute.org/) is an active member of the ROS Industrial Consortium (https://rosindustrial.org/) and leads his division’s participation in Yaskawa’s Venture Capital fund.
Andy
Davis
Panel 6: Bridging the Public-Private Gap
Andy Davis is a respected leader in the Defense advanced manufacturing and industrial base community, known for his ability to catalyze diverse groups to collaborate for a common cause. He spent 19 years within the Department of Defense, most recently as the Deputy Director and Chief Technology Officer of the Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS) Program, where he led the organizational design, program planning and management, strategic planning, technical assessments, and the expansion of Program acquisition platforms. Prior to that, Andy worked for the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM), including a role as the Army’s Global Technology Advisor to the United Kingdom, Israel and South Africa; he lived in the U.K. with his family and focused on connecting industry, academia and allied Ministries of Defense with U.S. Army researchers. Andy also led the Army’s Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, where he helped launch the Manufacturing USA Institutes, led the Army and DoD in first-of-their-kind AM technology roadmaps, created the Army’s AM community of practice, helped draft the Army’s AM campaign plan, and led the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) in establishing a strategic framework to standardize cross-DOD collaboration. Prior to this, Andy held a variety of Army mechanical engineering positions, primarily focused on electro-mechanical design and prototyping. Andy received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Grove City College and Johns Hopkins University, respectively. Andy loves spending time adventuring with his family, is an avid outdoorsman, enjoys demolition derbies and is learning to master the art of smoking meats.
Danny
Davis
The Power of Investment: Accelerating AM with Private Equity
Danny Davis joined American Industrial Partners in 2008, bringing experience from his previous roles at Intel Corporation and Cisco Systems, where he held key positions in process engineering and program management. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, graduating magna cum laude from the University of Michigan. Danny also earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), followed by an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. He has been a member of the ADDMAN Board of Directors since the company’s founding in 2020.
Brigitte
de Vet-Veithen
Panel 3: Enablers to Scale AM in Healthcare
Panel 6: CEO Roundtable
Session Keynote
Brigitte de Vet-Veithen is CEO Elect at Materialise and a member of the Executive Committee. Effective on January 1, 2024, she will succeed Fried Vancraen as the company’s CEO, and will also become President of the Materialise Executive Committee. Brigitte joined Materialise in 2016 and is an accomplished business leader with over 20 years of experience across multiple industries.
Previously, she led the company’s Medical business and strategic projects running across all businesses as Executive Vice President of Materialise Medical, which develops software and 3D printing solutions that help improve patient outcomes. Under her leadership, the medical segment grew to become the company’s fastest-growing and most profitable business segment.
Prior to joining Materialise Brigitte held various management, sales, R&D and marketing positions at Johnson & Johnson, ultimately serving as General Manager for Cordis in Germany and VP EMEA for Cordis Neurovascular. She led several companies through growth and transformation, including in her role as CEO of Acertys Group, where she drove a significant effort to improve operational efficiencies, strengthen the technology portfolio, and create growth.
Brigitte holds an MBA from INSEAD and a BA with a major in Engineering from HEC Liege.
James
DeMuth
Panel 7: The Founder's Journey: The ABCs of Raising a Round
James holds an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University with a focus on energy systems and high-temperature gas dynamics, and a BS degree in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University. He has co-authored 83 patents and 13 academic publications in the fields of additive manufacturing and power generation.
Prior to founding Seurat, James was at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he worked on the Laser Inertial Fusion Energy project, and co-invented and developed the core of Seurat’s breakthrough technology in Additive Manufacturing.
Phil
DeSimone
Panel 1: The Polymer Toolbelt
Phil is a member of the Office of the CEO. He was part of the founding team at Carbon in 2013, and most recently the Chief Product and Business Development officer responsible for Carbon’s product strategy and strategic partnerships. Most recently, Phil led the go-to-market strategy and managed Carbon’s most strategic partnerships and customer relationships. Prior to Carbon, Phil co-founded and was the VP of Business Development at Buystand, an ecommerce company. Phil received his BA in business and econometrics from Ursinus College.
Bryan
Dow
Panel 7: M&A and Capital Markets
Bryan Dow is a Managing Director in Stifel’s Global Technology Group where he Co-Leads the Electronics and Industrial Technologies Investment Banking practice. Bryan has over 17 years of Investment Banking experience specializing in Mergers & Acquisitions, Private Equity and Equity Capital Markets for disruptive businesses in advanced manufacturing, industrial software, IoT, and emerging technologies, such as 3D printing and drones. Bryan joined Stifel through its 2019 acquisition of Mooreland Partners where he was a Partner. Prior to joining Mooreland in 2013, Bryan was Head of the Clean Energy and Industrial Technology Investment Banking Group at ThinkEquity, where he advised clients on a range of transactions. Previously, he was also a member of the Technology Investment Banking Group at Needham & Company. Bryan earned a B.S. in Finance and Management Information Systems from the Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University.
Matthew
Draper
Panel 5: Metal AM Materials
Dr. Draper is currently the Technical Director for Metallurgy and Manufacturing for the Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM) Office in the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Resilience; on detail from the US Navy.
In his current assignment Dr. Draper overseas an investment portfolio in casting, forging, and industrial metals production covering initiatives in infrastructure, workforce, automation, and alloy and process development that supports the Department of Defense (DoD) implementing Executive Action 14017. Matt is also working with the ICAM team on indigenous manufacturing and repair capability in the INDOPACOM Theater, and on DoD wide Advanced Manufacturing.
He currently sits on the Joint Defense Manufacturing Technology Panel (JDMTP) – Metals Subcommittee, The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) – Materials and Processing Technology Group Technical Panel as the United States National Lead, and the Steel Founders Society of America (SFSA) High Alloy Research Committee.
At his home command, Dr. Draper is the Principal for Alloy Development and Processing Technology at the Naval Surface Warfare Center – Carderock Division. Prior to joining the government Matt was the head of Materials Development at General Dynamics Electric Boat working on design of the COLUMBIA and VIRGINIA Payload Module and preceding that a process metallurgist at Scot Forge. Dr. Draper has a BS from Northwestern University (Olson Group) and a PhD from the University of Maryland (Ankem Group); both in Materials Engineering.
Josh
Dugdale
Panel 5: Rebuilding the Industrial Base: Government and National Clusters
Josh is a mechanical engineer who joined the Manufacturing Technologies Association (MTA) – the UKs trade association for organisations which design, make and sell manufacturing technology equipment in the UK – in 2016 as their Technology Manager. In this role he was responsible for delivering the association’s work around Legislation and Standards which impact on the manufacturing technology sector, as well providing briefings on the latest technology developments. In 2022, as part of the MTA, Josh founded Additive Manufacturing UK (AMUK), a UK trade association for organisations operating within the Additive Manufacturing (AM) eco-system. In his new role as the Head of AMUK, he is now responsible for establishing an environment in the UK where AM technology can be developed, adopted, and used. He does this through supporting members with business intelligence and support services as well as by delivering the AMUK Strategy which sets the actions to address the key AM Industry challenges being experienced by the AMUK membership.
Scott
Dunham
AM Mid-Decade: Market Data
Presentation of AM Research Materials Forecasts
Panel 5: Market Forecasts
Foster
Ferguson
Panel 6: Bridging the Public-Private Gap
Foster joined Stratasys in 2019, where he focused on cultivating strategic partnerships and driving growth in the Government and Aerospace businesses. Prior to this, he served over 20 years in the Marine Corps, specializing in supply chain management and maintenance repair operations. His final role was Commanding Officer of the 1st Maintenance Battalion, overseeing 1,100 Marines and Sailors. Under his leadership, the unit was honored with the DoD Maintenance Unit of the Year award for two consecutive years.
As Vice President of Industrial Business, Foster is responsible for developing strategic partnerships and advancing manufacturing capabilities for market leading clients seeking to revolutionize their production and supply chain models.
Foster holds a Bachelor of Science degree from The Citadel, and a Master of Science in Supply Chain Management from the University of San Diego.
Ben
Ferrar
Talk 2: Phase3D
Ben Ferrar is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer at Phase3D, where he leads the commercialization of advanced quality assurance technologies using Fringe Projection to ensure superior part quality in additive manufacturing.
With 17 years of experience, Ben previously served as Vice President and General Manager at Carpenter Additive, enhancing the company’s global leadership in additive manufacturing solutions.
As Chief Operating Officer at LPW Technology, he drove sustainable growth and led investment strategies for a £20 million digital factory. Additionally, Ben has been a Strategic Advisor for 3DP4ME since 2020 and contributed to engineering education as an Industrial Liaison Board member at the University of Liverpool.
His expertise in corporate finance, board governance, and the industrialization of additive manufacturing technologies underpins Phase3D’s mission to provide trusted, high-performance solutions to the industry.
Marc
Fette
Panel 2: The Industrialization of Additive for Aerospace
Marc Fette is a distinguished professional holding key roles in the aerospace and manufacturing sectors. As the CEO of Composite Technology Center CTC GmbH, an AIRBUS Company, he oversees innovative developments in composite technology. Marc also serves as the Chairman of the VDI Advisory Board for Aerospace Technology, contributing to the advancement of the aerospace industry. Additionally, he holds the position of Chairman of the Board at CU NORD (Composites United e.V.) and plays a pivotal role as the Group Leader for Additive Manufacturing & Lightweight Construction at the Manufacturing Technology Laboratory, Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg.
Michael
Fuller
Panel 4: Applications
Michael’s career was launched off the back of his boyhood dream of designing racing cars. In 1999 he migrated to Europe as a Design Engineer, and over 15 years he held various design engineering and management roles in motorsport organisations competing in series as varied as the World Endurance Championship, World Rally Championship, and the Formula 1 World Championship. As an early adaptor of Additive Manufacturing (AM) in the motorsport industry he was acutely aware of the opportunities available to enhance performance.
After returning to Australia, he pursued a design idea on an AM heat exchanger that proved to have ground-breaking performance potential and launched Conflux soon thereafter. Conflux has now grown into a world leading organisation that combines specialisations in heat transfer and additive manufacturing.
Ric
Fulop
Panel 2: The Metal Toolbelt
Ric Fulop is the CEO and co-founder of Desktop Metal, a company committed to accelerating the transformation of manufacturing with end-to-end metal 3D printing solutions.
Founded in 2015 by leaders in advanced manufacturing, materials science, and robotics, the company is addressing the unmet challenges of speed, cost, and quality to make metal 3D printing an essential tool for engineers and manufacturers around the world.
Prior to founding Desktop Metal in October 2015, Ric was a General Partner at North Bridge, a VC fund with $3 billion under management, for five years following a fifteen-year career as an entrepreneur. Fulop is the founder of six technology companies, including A123 Systems, Boston’s largest IPO in the past decade and one of the world’s largest automotive lithium ion suppliers with revenue exceeding $500M in 2016. At North Bridge, Ric led the software and 3D investing practices, and was an early stage investor and board member in Dyn (acquired by Oracle for $600 million), Onshape, MarkForged, Salsify, Lytro and Gridco.
Ric is a former Board Member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association and holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School where he was a Sloan Fellow.
Richard
Garrity
Panel 1: The Polymer Toolbelt
Richard Garrity was appointed Chief Business Unit Officer in September, 2024. Previously, Garrity was Chief Industrial Business Officer since August, 2022, and President, Stratasys Americas, since August, 2016. Prior to that, Garrity was Senior Vice President and General Manager, Vertical Solutions, where he oversaw Stratasys’ product and service offerings in the aerospace/defense, automotive, medical, and dental vertical industries, as well as Stratasys Strategic Consulting. Garrity joined Stratasys in 2010, serving as Vice President and General Manager for its RedEye subsidiary, now part of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing.
Garrity has completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and holds a B.S. in general management and marketing and an MBA from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management.
Harshil
Goel
Talk 3: Dyndrite
Inventor, engineer and mathematician, with degrees in pure mathematics and mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley, Harshil leads the Dyndrite team with a vision of how modern software will transform additive manufacturing.
Juan Mario
Gomez
Talk 4: XACT Metal
Juan Mario is founder and CEO of Xact Metal, a 3D printing company founded in 2017. Over the last six years, Juan Mario and Xact Metal have worked to establish a new price level for metal additive manufacturing, particularly in the powder-bed industry. Prior to Xact Metal, he worked at GE for over 27 years in various executive leadership, marketing, and engineering roles. He has worked in the aviation, energy, automotive and other industries. Juan Mario received a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in engineering from Boston University and an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Lexi
Gormley
Panel 4: Policy for AM Healthcare
Lexi Gormley, PhD, is currently a Clinical Applications Specialist at Ricoh 3D for Healthcare. She guides medical professionals in designing patient-specific devices and developed a value survey to gather data on the clinical benefits of 3D medical models in healthcare. Lexi is also involved in assisting Ricoh’s randomized controlled clinical trial on utilizing patient-specific 3D printed models for preoperative planning of bony tumor removal procedures. Prior to working at Ricoh, she attended graduate school for biomedical engineering at Drexel University, focusing her thesis on the development of a novel approach for intraoperative breast cancer tumor margin assessment.
Paul
Gradl
Panel 2: The Industrialization of Additive for Aerospace
Paul Gradl is a principal engineer and subject matter expert at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Gradl serves as a Principal Investigator and leads several projects for additive manufacturing of liquid rocket engine engines and supports a variety of development and flight programs over the last 18 years. He authored and co-authored over 90 journal articles and conference papers; published a book under AIAA “Metal Additive Manufacturing for Propulsion Applications” in 2022; holds five patents; and regularly teaches courses in additive manufacturing. Gradl is the recipient of numerous NASA and industry awards and medals; an Associate Fellow of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), member of SME, and serves on several additive manufacturing industry and government committees and as an advisor to industry. Gradl was named one of “The Most Influential Personalities of Additive Manufacturing in 2020” and the recipient of “Engineer of the Year” by AIAA in 2022.
Jeff
Graves
Panel 6: CEO Roundtable
Dr. Jeffrey Graves is President and CEO of 3D Systems. He joined the company in May 2020.
Prior to joining 3D Systems, from 2012 to May 2020, he served as CEO, President and Director of MTS Systems Corporation, a global supplier of test, simulation, and measurement systems. From 2005 until 2012, he served as President and CEO of C&D Technologies, Inc. He also held leadership roles with Kemet Corporation as Chief Operating Officer (2001-2003) and CEO (2003 to 2005). Previously he held a number of leadership and technical roles with GE, Rockwell Automation and Howmet Corporation.
Jeff currently serves on the Board of Directors of Hexcel Corporation.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in metallurgical engineering from Purdue University. He also holds a master’s degree and PhD in metallurgical engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He has been recognized with the distinguished alumni award from both universities. He is also a master black belt in six sigma.
Alfred
Griffin
Panel 7: The Founder's Journey: The ABCs of Raising a Round
Dr. Alfred C. Griffin III, DMD, PhD, MMSc is the Cofounder and CEO of LightForce. Dr. Griffin received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of Virginia and completed his DMD and PhD in Craniofacial Biology at the Medical University of South Carolina in 2014. He earned his Masters of Medical Research and Certificate in Orthodontics from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine in 2017. In addition to leading LightForce, Dr. Griffin practices in the Boston area and serves on faculty as a Lecturer in the Department of Developmental Biology at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
While an orthodontics resident at Harvard, Dr. Griffin co-founded LightForce in 2015 with the mission to revolutionize the specialty through advanced manufacturing and technology. After four years of extensive research and development, LightForce launched their first product to the Orthodontic market in 2020: the world’s first, and only, fully customized 3D printed bracket system and digital treatment software. Learn more at https://www.lf.co/
David
Hampel
Panel 5: Rebuilding the Industrial Base: Government and National Clusters
At Berlin Partner, the economic development agency of Berlin, David is responsible for the unit Manufacturing Industries. He focuses on technologies related to industries as lightweight solutions, robotics and Additive Manufacturing. AMBER as a cluster represents the 3D printing ecosystem of the capital region and is coordinated in David’s team. Before joining Berlin Partner, David worked internationally as a consultant in the pharmaceutical industry. He holds an MBA from Queensland University of Technology and studied business sciences at Helmut Schmidt University (University of the Armed Forces Hamburg).
Colin
Hautz
Panel 5: Metal AM Materials
Colin is the CEO of ArcelorMittal Powders, ArcelorMittal’s entry into additive manufacturing as a steel powder producer. With a broad background in metals and manufacturing, Colin’s focus is on promoting the advantages and potential of Steel Additive Manufacturing in industrial production.
Under his leadership, the company has launched the AdamIQTM brand of high-quality steel powders for various additive manufacturing processes, especially laser powder bed fusion (LPBF), binder jetting (BJ), and direct energy deposition (DED) systems. ArcelorMittal’s Global R&D have also identified significant opportunities for material development and printing optimisation which should benefit the series-production of end-use parts, either by delivering unique properties or driving down the costs of production.
A Mechanical Engineer from Trinity College Dublin, Colin’s career spans over three decades in manufacturing industries, two of which in steel, where he has held various leadership roles, most recently as Chief Marketing Officer of ArcelorMittal South Africa.
Greg
Hayes
Talk 3: AI in AM – Undervalued or Overhyped?
Dr. Gregory Hayes is a strategic technology development consultant with a strong background in high-end research and development, and a focus in materials science and engineering. Greg’s professional background began as a consulting materials scientist and technical program lead, working internationally in the health-tech, high-tech, and aerospace markets. Currently, Greg is senior vice president of applied technology at EOS North America, where he works to identify market needs and uses of Additive Manufacturing (AM) technology to develop products to fulfill those opportunities. Most recently as a program manager and director of new partnerships for AM at TNO, he concentrated on design and structure of research programs, acquisition of funding and partners, and general management. In 2016, he joined the JuntoHealth advisory board. Prior to that in 2014, Greg co-founded Complex Materials, a bespoke bioresorbable materials company with a focus on magnesium alloy stent tubing. Greg holds an ME degree from the University of Delaware; a Ph.D. in Materials Science from The Pennsylvania State University; and Start-up and Entrepreneurship certification from the Vlerick Business School in Belgium.
Ryan
Hayford
Panel 6: Polymer AM Materials
Ryan Hayford is a marketing and business development expert in the additive manufacturing industry with 15+ years of experience working with major hardware, software, materials, and service organizations. He manages his own B2B marketing consultancy and creative services firm, Hayford Consulting, that has collaborated with 25+ international businesses since 2019. Hayford is an accomplished writer that has been published in https://3dprint.com/ , Metal AM, Defense Weekly, AM Media, and more. He is a recognized speaker, moderator, panelist, and AM enthusiast.
Arno
Held
Session Keynote
Panel 7: M&A and Capital Markets
Arno Held is Managing Partner of AM Ventures and specializes on the firm‘s ecosystem, as well as its global footprint and organizational growth. He started AM Ventures together with Johann Oberhofer in 2014. In total, Arno has more than 23 years of experience in industrial laser and manufacturing technologies and spent more than half of this time in the world of industrial 3D printing.
Since founding AM Ventures, Arno has been instrumental in building the AM Ventures team that has scouted more than 2,500 3D printing startups all over the world, conducted more than 35 rounds, built a €100m VC fund and today holds a portfolio of 17+ shareholdings in 6 countries on 3 continents.
Arno holds a diploma degree in industrial engineering and management from the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe (Germany) as well as an international executive MBA from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland). Arno completed his studies in Shanghai, China and Cape Town, South Africa.
Jeff
Herman
Panel 7: The Founder's Journey: The ABCs of Raising a Round
Jeff Herman is the CEO and co-founder of Fabric8Labs. He founded the company with the goal of enabling high-volume manufacturing to access additive manufacturing capabilities through a new proprietary technology, Electrochemical Additive Manufacturing (ECAM). In 2017 Jeff was selected for the Forbes 30 under 30 for his part in developing Fabric8Labs’ patented electrochemical approach to metal additive manufacturing.
Karsten
Heuser
Panel 3: AM and Industrial-Scale Automation
Dr. Karsten Heuser is the VP of Additive Manufacturing as well as the Head of the core technology field Advanced Manufacturing & Circularity at Siemens AG. As AM community advocate, he is a member of VDMA AG Additive Manufacturing Advisory Board, a member of the Formnext Advisory Board as well as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the IAPT institute in Hamburg. He is engaged as thought leader worldwide for the industrialization of Additive Manufacturing community. Dr. Heuser has a Ph.D. in solid state physics from the University Augsburg as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Management from ESMT.
Rob
Higby
Panel 3: Sustainability: Powering the Bottom Line
Rob Higby joined the company in April 2024 as Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Higby is responsible for leading the overall company strategy of delivering metal powder and powder services for the next generation advanced manufacturing industry. Rob is an experienced Aerospace & Defense and Space Executive focusing on Manufacturing, MRO, Commercial Growth, and Private Equity Investing.
Prior to Continuum, Rob served as Executive Partner and Head of AEA Investors Aerospace & Defense investment practice. During his time at AEA Investors, Rob led several investments for the firm and advised several other companies, namely, Velo3D Inc., where Rob served as Advisor to the Board of Directors and also interim Chief Commercial Officer during the beginning of the Covid period. Before AEA, Rob was CEO of TurbineAero, the world’s largest independent MRO provider of commercial and military auxiliary power units. Rob founded TurbineAero in early 2016 along with the Gores Group, a leading private equity firm based out of Los Angeles. Since its founding in 2016, TurbineAero has grown significantly and was listed as Arizona’s 24th-largest private company in 2018 and 2019. Prior to TurbineAero, Rob served as Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing at StandardAero for several years, a $4B MRO focused on commercial and military aircraft engines, auxiliary power units, structures, and accessories. StandardAero was sold to Veritas Private Equity in 2015. Before that, Rob was Global Vice President of Sales and Marketing of GE Aviation’s Systems business.
Rob graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MBA) and Duke University (BA). When not working with exciting next-generation companies positively disrupting their industries, Rob enjoys golfing, hiking, and skiing in Colorado with his wife Eva, and four children, Brayden, Matthew, Charlotte, and Lucy.
Chaw Sing
Ho
Panel 5: Rebuilding the Industrial Base: Government and National Clusters
Dr. Ho is the CEO of NAMIC, a national accelerator he co-founded that focuses on translational research to catalyse and scale industrial adoption of digital additive manufacturing technologies. In this role, he overseas Singapore’s development and implementation of additive manufacturing (AM) Research Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) strategies. Before joining the public sector, he spent 16 years at HP and Globalfoundries. Chaw Sing is an ASTM International board member and serves as an Adjunct Professor at NUS College of Design and Engineering. Active in the global AM community, he is the Chair’s Advisory Group Co-Convenor in ISO/TC 261 as well as co-chairs Singapore’s AM Standards Technical Committee. He is an advisor to startups and public R&D organizations including the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise under the National Research Foundation and Singapore Maritime Institute, among others. Chaw Sing holds several U.S. and internationally issued patents. An INSEAD alumnus, he earned his doctorate and undergraduate degrees in Electrical and Computer Engineering from NUS.
Debbie
Holton
Panel 1: AM for Mobility
Debbie Holton is a business development, industry engagement, and marketplace expert with a proven track record of growing revenue, impact, and results in the manufacturing technology space. As Principal at Converge Consulting Group, she helps companies win the race for digital advantage via strategy development, industry engagement, technology trends, creative business models and custom solutions.
She is known as a change agent who champions new projects and fosters an organizational climate that seeks and supports innovation. She has strong technical knowledge on industry needs and cultivates strong relationships with leaders of companies, industry groups, and government agencies where her input is sought out and respected.
Holton has previously served as President of Metrix, an ASME company – a revolutionary startup – pioneering virtual events and digital engagement in advanced technologies. She launched successful strategies, new products, M&A and partnerships as Managing Director of Industry Events at ASME and as Vice President of Events and Industry Strategy at the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). She also served as the Acting Director of Technology Transition at America Makes.
She has been recognized as a Notable Woman in Manufacturing, an America Makes Ambassador, and a Top Influencer in 3D Printing.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Michigan and a Master of Business Administration degree with Distinction from the University’s Ross School of Business.
Neil
Hopkinson
Panel 6: Polymer AM Materials
Professor Hopkinson spent 20 years in academia generating Intellectual Property that has been licensed widely. Neil’s High Speed Sintering patents, first filed in 2003, have generated £1Bn+ in revenues to licensees, with thousands of industrial grade machines sold globally. In 2005 he was Lead Editor of “Rapid Manufacturing” (Wiley UK) the world’s first book dedicated to the use of Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing technologies for the production of end-use parts. Neil left academia in 2016 to join Xaar plc as Director of 3D Printing where he formed a Joint Venture with Stratasys called Xaar 3D. In 2001 Xaar 3D was fully acquired by Stratasys, where Neil serves as Vice President for Additive Manufacturing Technology and is General Manager of the SAF Business.
Dayton
Horvath
Panel 5: Market Forecasts
Dayton leads market research, consulting, and data product development in new technologies at AMT. With an initial focus on additive manufacturing, Dayton is expanding AMT’s membership, thought leadership, and offerings in high growth manufacturing technologies. Dayton’s subject matter expertise extends to strategic investments and M&A in the advanced manufacturing and materials industries thanks to his experience as an investment banking Principal at NewCap Partners. Previously, Dayton founded and grew his independent consultancy, The Additive Executive, which provided strategic advice, market analysis, and technology scouting for corporate groups and startup clients. Prior to The Additive Executive, he led the Materials Design and Manufacturing coverage area at Lux Research, a strategic advisory and market research firm. Dayton graduated with a M.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Santa Barbara and a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Connecticut as a University Scholar and Honors Scholar.
Troy
Jensen
Panel 6: CEO Roundtable
Troy serves as a Senior Research Analyst with expertise in high-growth technology stocks. He has over two decades of equity research experience following sectors such as 3D printing, unmanned aircraft, robotics, optical components, networking equipment, and RFID. Before joining Lake Street, Troy was a Senior Research Analyst at Piper Sandler for 15 years. He also worked at ThinkEquity Partners and RBC Capital Markets. Prior to his career in equity research, he worked as a Futures and Options Administrator at Cargill and spent six years in the Navy. Troy earned a BA degree from the University of Minnesota – Carlson School of Management. He is a CFA charterholder.
Mingu
Kang
The Private Equity Perspective
Panel 4: Automation & Robotic 3D Printing
Mingu is the Founder and CEO of ARIS Technology. ARIS Technology designs, develops, implements, and sustains turn-key robotic 3D scanning systems for industries such as Aerospace & Defense and Automotive. ARIS Technology also provides a software platform and data solutions for the end-to-end 3D data collection and analysis, making ARIS systems more intuitive and user-friendly. ARIS Technology incorporates the state-of-the-art techniques in human-robot collaboration, digital twinning, artificial intelligence (AI), and extended reality to broaden the adoption of robotic metrology and inspection even to low-volume / high-mix manufacturing and sustainment applications. Before founding ARIS Technology, Mingu worked at institutions such as Avondale Strategic Partners, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, and Merrill Lynch.
Eugene
Kim
The Private Equity Perspective
Mr. Kim is a Vice President at AE Industrial and a member of AEI Ventures, the venture capital investment platform formed in partnership with The Boeing Company. Prior to joining AE Industrial in 2018, Mr. Kim was a Specialist in the Corporate Development group at The Boeing Company, where he focused on M&A and other strategic activities. Prior to Boeing, Mr. Kim was a member of Sandler O’Neill + Partners’ Investment Banking Group, where he focused on M&A and capital raising for financial institutions.
Alex
Kingsbury
Panel 7: M&A and Capital Markets
Brad
Kreger
Panel 2: The Industrialization of Additive for Aerospace
Brad Kreger is Velo3D’s Executive Vice President of Operations and Interim CEO. He leads all operations activities at Velo3D, including global logistics, manufacturing, quality, and procurement. Brad brings decades of experience overseeing and rapidly scaling operations, including tenures at Affymetrix, Thermo Fisher Scientific, and Fluidigm Corporation. His career has centered around early and mid-stage companies that are scaling the manufacturing of high complexity product lines while also driving improvements in quality and cost. Brad has extensive experience in manufacturing and supply chain management across a broad range of product categories spanning from high volume medical device consumables to large scale capital equipment. In his former role as Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Fluidigm, he successfully led strategic initiatives to increase production of its mass cytometry technology, massively scale the PCR production capability in response to COVID-19 testing demands, and improve the customer experience through operational efficiencies, enhanced infrastructure and streamlined execution.
Matt
Kremenetsky
Panel 2: Agile Manufacturing: Decentralized and Intelligent
Matt Kremenetsky holds a BA in history from Rutgers University, where his studies were focused particularly on U.S. foreign policy in the twentieth-century, Kremenetsky is a journalist and market analyst who writes about 3D printing from a geopolitical perspective. As such, Kremenetsky’s work at 3DPrint.com places an emphasis on 3D printing’s incorporation into the supply chains for strategically critical sectors, including energy, electronics, and especially, defense. Kremenetsky was an early documenter of the ground-level implications of the manufacturing policies driving Bidenomics, and specializes in connecting the daily unfolding of 3D printing news to the increasingly volatile shifts of the global macro environment.
Chris
Lehman
Panel 6: Bridging the Public-Private Gap
Chris Lehman is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in defense policy, industrial base strategy, and consulting. He most recently served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Strategic Capital at the Department of Defense, leading the development and implementation of first-of-its-kind financial tools for the Department of Defense to strengthen the industrial base and scale critical technologies for national security. Prior to this role, he was a Senior Manager at EY focusing on strategy and supply chain work for commercial and government clients.
Previously, Chris served as the Director of the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program, managing an expansive portfolio of investments to enhance critical industrial base capabilities for national defense. Chris revitalized and significantly expanded the use of DPA authorities to strengthen supply chains in strategic sectors such as critical minerals, microelectronics, space, shipbuilding and kinetic capabilities. Chris also supported the nation’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, working in coordination with the interagency, DoD leadership and industry to rapidly expand the domestic medical industrial base and help stabilize the defense industrial base during the national emergency. He also served as Chief of Staff to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Policy, where he advised on trade policy, industrial base investments, and international engagement initiatives.
In addition to his government service, Chris has worked as a strategy consultant advising clients in the commercial aerospace, defense, and federal markets. Chris started his career as a Marine Officer on active duty and continues to serve as a Marine reservist. He is a founding member of the Marine Innovation Unit.
Chris holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Yale College and an MBA from Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.
Eric
MacDonald
Panel 4: Applications
Eric MacDonald, Ph.D. is a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering and Murchison Chair at the University of Texas at El Paso and serves as the Associate Dean of Research and Graduate Studies for the College of Engineering. Dr. MacDonald received his doctoral degree (2002) in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He worked in industry for 12 years at IBM and Motorola and subsequently co-founded a start-up specializing in CAD software and the startup was acquired by a firm in Silicon Valley. Dr. MacDonald held faculty fellowships at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, US Navy Research and was awarded a US State Department Fulbright Fellowship in South America. His research interests include 3D printed multi-functional applications and process monitoring in additive manufacturing with instrumentation and computer vision for improved quality and yield. As a co-founding editor of the Elsevier journal Additive Manufacturing, MacDonald has helped direct the academic journal to have highest impact factor among all manufacturing journals worldwide. He has recently been involved in the commissioning of a second partner journal, Additive Manufacturing Letters, upon which he serves as the Editor-in-Chief. Recent projects include 3D printing of structures such as nano satellites with structurally-embedded electronics – one of which was launched into Low Earth Orbit in 2013 and a replica of which was on display at the London Museum of Science. He has over 100 peer-reviewed publications, dozens of patents, one of which was licensed by Sony and Toshiba from IBM. He is a member of ASME, ASEE, senior member of IEEE and a registered Professional Engineer in the USA state of Texas.
Erin
Mastroni
Panel 1: Specialist Services
With over a decade at the helm of i3DMFG, Erin’s leadership has been characterized by driving innovation in Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) and sustainable business practices. i3DMFG focuses on developing 3D production manufacturing solutions that meet the rigorous demands of the aerospace & defense sectors. Leveraging her background in sustainable enterprise and client relationship management to foster partnerships, Erin started i3DMFG in 2003 to revolutionize production with cutting-edge technology while creating family-wage jobs in her community.
Michael
Molitch-Hou
Panel 1: Specialist Services
Editor-in-Chief of 3DPrint.com Michael Molitch-Hou has been covering the additive manufacturing industry day in and day out for the past decade. He worked his way up from senior writer at 3D Printing Industry to Editor before transitioning to engineering.com, where he oversaw the 3D Printing news division while covering emerging technologies in CAD and construction. Now, Michael is dedicated to ensuring that 3DPrint.com remains the leading source for actionable intelligence related to 3D printing technology and the larger AM industry.
Alex
Monino
Keynote: Day 2
Alex’s has more than 15 years of experience in different positions at HP, which have taken him through different business units and given him extensive experience in the industry and a deep understanding of 3D market. is a key player when it comes to advancing strategic priorities as to unlock new opportunities and accelerate the mass adoption of Advanced Manufacturing
In his role as SVP & GM, Personalization and 3D Printing at HP, Alex leads HP’s disruptive technology and commercialization strategy to transform industries through new products, services, and business models with an explicit focus on applying HP’s advanced 3D Printing technologies in new ways to drive solutions across large markets.
Alex holds and Engineering degree on Industrial Organization by Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, as well as formal training in Marketing Strategy and Management from INSEAD, Harvard and Kellogg School of Mgmt.
Mark
Morrissette
The Private Equity Perspective
Mark Morrissette is a Managing Director at Stifel Financial and its subsidiary, North Atlantic Capital. Mark has been in the private equity industry since 1995. Prior to joining North Atlantic in 2000, he worked at Advent International in Boston, and in consulting at CSC Index in Cambridge, MA. He is currently the Treasurer and serves on the Board of Trustees at the Portland Museum of Art, and is on the Board at SailMaine, a community sailing program. He earned a BA from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Jason
Murphy
Panel 1: Specialist Services
Jason Murphy is an award-winning plastics industry expert starting his career designing and building molds. After earning his Master Molder credentials, he used that knowledge to assist global companies establish world-class molding facilities in Europe, Asia and Latin America. Combining his moldmaking and processing expertise, he has led several large-scale injection molding facilities in the medical device and packaging industries. He has combined that experience along with his more than 26 years in metal additive manufacturing for tooling to establish Next Chapter Manufacturing as an additive tooling company that produces complete solutions for reducing cycle time, eliminating defects and innovative mold components. Jason is a speaker and contributor to Moldmaking Technology magazine to educate the moldmaking community about what is possible with additive manufacturing.
Naomi
Nathan
Panel 3: Enablers to Scale AM in Healthcare
Naomi is a trained medical doctor, public health/health systems and policy specialist. Her professional experiences are at the nexus of understanding and providing innovative solutions to global health system issues – in relation to governance, reform, and collaboration/strategic partnerships in healthcare systems. She has held various roles in European organizations, including with the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER), and the WHO Regional Office for Europe (WHO Europe). In her current role as Head of Medical with Mobility/Medical goes Additive e.v. (MGA), she promotes collaboration, builds bridges and strategic partnerships in medical/healthcare additive manufacturing (AM) for the joint development of innovative products, targeted know-how and knowledge transfer – with a focus on a user/patient-driven approach and policies to boost AM in healthcare.
Nils
Niemeyer
Panel 2: The Metal Toolbelt
Nils Niemeyer, General Manager at DMG MORI Additive Solutions for North America, possesses 15+ years of manufacturing experience. Prior roles span Production Strategy, Product Management, Sales, and Service in factories and regional organizations. His AM passion ignited as a Global Manufacturing Consultant at Siemens, where he explored AM’s versatile applications, recognizing its disruptive potential in design and supply chain resilience alongside traditional manufacturing methods.
Nils earned a Dipl.-Ing. (B.Sc and M.Sc equivalent) in Mechanical Engineering and Production Technology from RWTH Aachen University, cultivating precision machining technologies in research institutes like RWTH Aachen University’s Machine Tool Laboratory (WZL) and the Laboratory for Precision Machining (LMP) at University of Santa Catarina (UFSC), Brazil. He is currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, enriching his technical background with business and entrepreneurship acumen.
Niall
O’Dowd
Talk 2: Phase3D
Niall O’Dowd is the Chief Executive Officer of Phase3D, a pioneering company dedicated to advancing quality assurance technologies in the additive manufacturing industry.
With over a decade of experience in structural health monitoring and quality control, Niall has been instrumental in driving the commercialization of Phase3D’s innovative Fringe Qualification system, which ensures ultra-high quality in metal additive manufacturing processes. Holding a Ph.D. in Structural Health Monitoring from the University of California, San Diego, Niall combines deep technical expertise with strategic leadership.
He is the principal investigator on several multi-year programs for additive manufacturing certification for the United States Air Force, NASA, and Department of Energy. Niall’s vision extends beyond quality assurance; he is committed to fostering innovation and sustainability within the manufacturing sector.
His ability to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and practical application has led to significant advancements in metal additive manufacturing, enabling industries to produce complex, high-performance parts with confidence.
Christian
Ochs
Panel 1: AM for Mobility
Since 2021, Mr. Ochs is leading Siemens Mobility’s global 3D printing activities, overseeing operations across 14 locations worldwide. His journey in additive manufacturing began at Robert Bosch GmbH, where from 2017 to 2021, he served as Senior Manager for small series production and prototype construction. During this period, he successfully established an Additive Manufacturing Center at the Nuremberg plant. From 2015 to 2017, Mr. Ochs spearheaded a cross-divisional project to develop an autonomous mobile robot system for intralogistics, now known as ActiveShuttle at Bosch Rexroth AG. Prior to this, he was an expert and team leader in manufacturing planning and process development within Bosch Rexroth AG. Mr. Ochs’ career commenced in 2010 with the Robert Bosch Group’s international Graduate Management Program “Manufacturing,” which took him to both Germany and China. His extensive experience and innovative approach make him a distinguished figure in the field of additive manufacturing.
Neal
Orringer
Panel 6: Bridging the Public-Private Gap
Co-Founder of ASTRO America, Neal develops and oversees implementation of the long term strategic vision of the organization, in concert with other members of the Board of Directors, which he chairs. He draws on 20 years of experience in the national security and manufacturing fields, including roles as Director of Manufacturing at the U.S. Department of Defense, advisor to two U.S. Secretaries of Commerce and three U.S. Senators.
At the Pentagon, he led Manufacturing Technology and Defense Production programs, and was awarded the Exceptional Civilian Service medal, and Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence. His medal citation credited him for launching key Defense initiatives, such as the Manufacturing USA pilot institute and Defense Production Act Committee. A renowned manufacturing expert, he has testified to Congress and supported standards bodies (video, video). He also served as a guest researcher at the Army Research Lab. In the corporate world, he has held various R&D leadership roles, including Vice President at 3D Systems, and senior technical leader at General Electric.
Today, Neal also serves on the Board of Directors of the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing institute.
Alexander
Oster
Panel 3: AM and Industrial-Scale Automation
Alexander Oster is Director of Additive Manufacturing in the Fusion 360 Product development group. He and his team are creating Additive Manufacturing software to help customers make the most out of their machines and take the next step towards industrializing AM with the use of Generative Design.
Alexander has been co-founder of the Additive Manufacturing software company Netfabb GmbH, acquired by Autodesk in 2015. Prior to Netfabb, he served as CTO of FIT AG, one of the largest Metal AM service bureaus in Germany.
Greg
Paulsen
Panel 2: Agile Manufacturing: Decentralized and Intelligent
Greg Paulsen leads the Applications Engineering Team at Xometry, working directly with customers on unique projects and sharing the capabilities of Xometry’s digital manufacturing platform. He’s an expert in all things manufacturing, from 3D printing to CNC machining, to injection molding and beyond. His passion lies in helping Xometry customers design for manufacturing and get the most out of their projects.
Joris
Peels
OPENING OF CONFERENCE
AMS 2025 Review
Since 2017 Joris Peels has worked with 3DPrint.com, first as Editor-in-Chief, and now as Executive Editor. Joris is also VP Consulting, SmarTech Analysis, sister company of 3DPrint.com.
Joris is a Netherlands-based 3D printing consultant for strategy, business development and marketing in Additive Manufacturing. Joris performs technical due diligence, market research and competitive analysis for consultants, analysts, multinationals, VC’s, PE and hedge funds.
Joris has worked in 3D printing for more than a dozen years, for Shapeways, Materialise, Formlabs, Ultimaker, HP and others. Joris lives, eats, sleeps and dreams 3D Printing and tries to give a dose of realism and truth to the hype surrounding 3D printing.
Danny
Piper
Panel 7: M&A and Capital Markets
For the last 17 years, Danny has been advising business owners, shareholders, corporate board and investors in matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, corporate development, financial analysis and valuation for NewCap Partners. Danny has mergers and acquisitions experience across a broad base of industry sectors including: composite materials, aerospace and defense, healthcare, manufacturing, specialty retail, consumer products and logistics. Attached is a list of representative transactions in which Danny has led or been an active partner on during his time at NewCap Partners. Danny serves on the board of NewCap Partners and as their chief compliance officer.
Before joining NewCap Partners, Danny spent 4 years with the Phoenix Group LLP, a boutique business advisory firm providing both M&A and bankruptcy advisory services for small and middle market companies in the western United States. He began providing strategic analysis on transactions but after 3 years led all the Mergers and Acquisition activities for the Phoenix Group LLP. Danny was involved in a variety of transactions from asset sales, stock sales, bankruptcy 363 sales and assignments for the benefit of creditors transactions.
Prior to the Phoenix Group, Danny spent some time providing consulting and project management services to global communications companies. As an international senior project manager, he directed multi-national teams that designed, installed, tested, documented, and marketed high-speed internet facilities and services in Wellington, New Zealand and Santiago, Chile for Chello Broadband, an international internet service provider.
Danny started his career as an active duty military officer in the United States Air Force. Initially, he started out as an acquisitions program manager in Sunnyvale, CA providing the Air Force, NASA and classified Special Projects with mission critical systems upgrades to multiple satellite mission control centers performing space operations of the highest national priority. He was transferred to El Segundo, CA to facilitate the strategic planning efforts of the Space and Missile Systems Center which had an annual budget of $5.5 billion with 1,535 military, 989 civilian and 900 contract workers worldwide managing more than $56 billion in space systems contracts. Danny helped to develop a first of its kind acquisition roadmap outlining the current and future programs managed by the National Reconnaissance Office and the Department of Defense. Ultimately this roadmap was used to brief congress on the status of classified joint programs. Danny separated from the Air Force with an honorable discharge in 2000 after being promoted to the rank of Captain.
Danny graduated with leadership honors from the United States Air Force Academy receiving a Bachelor of Science in Management in 1994. He currently serves as the board of NewCap Partners Inc., the advisory board for NOVAdev LLC, a company de-carbonizing airfreight with hydrogen aviation, and ACMI Capital – Chemicals LLC, a company contracting with the US government and commercial chemical companies to onshore critical chemicals for the Department of Defense, and is a board observer for Mobophiles Inc., a company focused on cyber security of mobile devices. In addition, Danny is a frequent speaker in the advanced manufacturing industry and is the co-host of the Printing Money podcast on financing and M&A trends in 3D printing.
Mathias
Plica
Panel 2: Agile Manufacturing: Decentralized and Intelligent
Mathias Plica is CEO and co-founder of All3DP and Craftcloud.
Craftcloud is the leading online marketplace for 3D printing services. The platform’s mission is to give the best price on customers’ projects with a real-time price comparison of 3D printing services worldwide. From prototyping to end-use products, Craftcloud helps customers from all industries bring their projects to life.
All3DP is the #1 magazine for the digital maker, with compelling content on 3D printing, 3D scanning, CAD, laser cutting & engraving, CNC machining, single-board computers, and more. The All3DP mission is to provide readers with unbiased, consumer-oriented, and helpful content.
All3DP Pro is where decision-makers turn to understand and profit from the business applications of 3D printing. The All3DP Pro’s mission is to promote and expand the understanding and adoption of additive manufacturing globally.
Mathias graduated in economic science and, before launching All3DP and Craftcloud, had the opportunity to build Germany’s largest internet consumer-tech platform as co-founder and CEO at Chip.de.
Arvind
Rangarajan
Panel 1: The Polymer Toolbelt
Arvind Rangarajan is the Global Head of Software and Data for HP Personalization and 3D Printing business. He leads product management, strategy, engineering, R&D and M&A for the software organization. He joined from HP Labs where he worked as its chief technologist. In this role he helped establish strategic technology roadmaps, provide technical input into research and development programs, and drive turning the research into new business opportunities for HP. In his prior roles in GE he worked across functions to develop innovative solutions for manufacturing components in renewable energy products that leverage additive including polymer, metal, and sand binder jet technologies.
He also helped develop and manage strategic technology roadmap for manufacturing modeling and additive design tools. He served as the product owner for GE Additive metal binder jet build prep solution. He also spent time at Xerox PARC working on a cloud based distributed manufacturing platform for US DoD. He holds 11 patents and 15 publications. Arvind holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras.
Kartik
Rao
Panel 2: The Metal Toolbelt
Kartik is the Strategic Marketing Director at Additive Industries. He is currently responsible for product management, marketing, and business development. Before joining Additive Industries in 2022, Kartik held various management positions, at Oerlikon, including P&L responsibility for the AM metal powders business line, commercial strategy and the contract manufacturing facility in Huntersville, North Carolina.
Additive Industries is the manufacturer of the most industrialised and automated metal laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) printers, known as the MetalFab. The MetalFab printers solve the current industrial scale-up challenges of users by fully automating build changeovers, powder handling and laser calibrations, all combining to set a new benchmark in productivity. At Additive Industries, our objective is the success of our customers in achieving the lowest cost per part at market leading part quality. We pride ourselves on our flexibility to work with our MetalFab users in achieving their industrial goals.
Ryan
Roach
Special Presentation
Ryan Roach is Director of Innovation for Cobra Puma Golf. His mission is to develop new designs, materials, and processes that will enhance performance of Cobra Golf products. Over his 25+ year career in the golf industry, Ryan has held positions in product testing, product development, and product design for Acushnet Company (parent of Cobra Golf), Spalding Sports Worldwide, and Cobra Puma Golf. He has played critical roles in bringing over 35 products from idea to production and has authored or co-authored over 100 patents. Ryan holds a BS in Structural Engineering from UC San Diego.
Frank
Roberts
Panel 3: Sustainability: Powering the Bottom Line
Frank is the President of 6K Additive where he led the concept and construction of the recently built 6K Additive Global Manufacturing Center. The new facility is a 45-acre, 80,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art production facility for premium additive manufacturing powders. This facility is ISO9001 certified and is currently in the process of AS9100 certification. Frank has over 20 years of experience in the specialty metals industry where he was the CEO of AL Solutions (acquired by 6K in 2019) and he led his team in a greenfield development and facility construction for manufacturing of alloy additions for the aluminum industry. He has extensive experience in all facets of metals manufacturing including process design, project management, finance, and operations management. Frank holds a Metallurgical Engineering degree from Penn State University.
Tali
Rosman
Panel 7: The Founder's Journey: The ABCs of Raising a Round
Tali Rosman started in the AM industry 10 years ago when she joined Stratasys’ Strategy & Corporate Development to lead numerous acquisitions and investments in the AM space, as well as key strategic processes.
In 2020 she joined Xerox to lead Elem Additive, Xerox’s 3D Printing arm, building it up from the ground up, taking the ElemX printer to market and landing marquee accounts.
Since Oct. 2022 she has been advising early-stage companies on strategy, product roadmap development, and corporate development.
Bradley
Rothenberg
Special Presentation
Bradley Rothenberg is the CEO and founder of nTop, an engineering design software company based in New York City. Since its founding in 2015, nTop has served the aerospace, automotive, medical, and consumer products industries with advanced engineering software that enables users to design, test, and iterate faster on highly complex parts for production with additive manufacturing. Bradley has been developing computational design tools for additive manufacturing for more than 15 years. He actively works to advance the industry, often speaking at industry events around the world including Develop3DLive, Talk3D and formnext. He is often quoted in trade publications, interviewed on industry podcasts, and has been included in Forbes Magazine. He studied architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
Matthias
Schmidt-Lehr
Panel 5: Market Forecasts
Panel 3: Sustainability: Powering the Bottom Line
Matthias leads strategy and business development initiatives at AMPOWER, offering advisory services to AM companies seeking to optimize their global market positioning and go-to-market strategies. As an engineer with hands on AM expertise, Matthias possesses a deep understanding of customer needs and market dynamics. He has executed numerous successful strategy projects with top-tier AM OEMs, leveraging his extensive c-level network within the industry.
Alexander
Schmoeckel
Panel 8: Shark Bites: VCs Discuss Why They Do or Don't Invest in 3DP/AM
Alexander joined the investment team at AM Ventures in 2018 and plays a pivotal role in overseeing portfolio companies such as Elementum 3D, Fortius Metals, Vectoflow, and Headmade Materials. In addition to managing these investments, he spearheads scouting activities across the U.S. and is responsible for fostering and expanding the company’s network in the region.
Alexander holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Management & Technology from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), with a focus on finance, accounting, and mechanical engineering. During his studies, he spent a semester abroad in Paris and was part of the TUMfast scholarship program. He is currently pursuing his Certified Private Equity Analyst (CPEA) certification from TUM/BVK, returning to his alma mater to deepen his expertise in venture capital.
With a diverse background blending technical knowledge and financial acumen, Alexander is committed to driving growth and innovation in advanced manufacturing.
Duann
Scott
Founder, Bits to Atoms and DfAM Substack
Panel 4: Automation & Robotic 3D Printing
Duann Scott is founder of Bits to Atoms along with the DfAM Substack, both focused on design for additive manufacturing.
With over 15 years experience in the additive manufacturing industry at service bureaus, software and hardware companies with roles in business development, partnerships and marketing, Duann has a broad understanding of the opportunities and applications where additive manufacturing makes business sense and how to communicate that value.
From a deep understanding of design for additive manufacturing and material processes through to corporate strategy, investments and acquisitions, Duann has worked with many of the leading companies in the space especially with emerging technologies at the cutting edge of the industry.
It is with this deep knowledge of what it is technically required to take a design to reality (from bits to atoms). Duann as a volunteer advocate for the 3MF consortium, helps to guide and promote its adoption, open bottlenecks and unlock innovation in the additive manufacturing space.
Matthew
Sermon
Keynote: TBA
Panel 1: AM for Mobility
As of October 2021, Mr. Matthew Sermon is the Executive Director of Program Executive Office, Strategic Submarines. Previously, Mr. Sermon served as the Executive Director for Program Executive Office Columbia Class Submarine and as the Executive Director, Amphibious, Auxiliary and Sealift Office, Program Executive Office, Ships. In his current role, he provides executive leadership to the Columbia Class Submarine acquisition program and the In Service SSBN/SSGN program, while also being assigned responsibility for revitalization of the Submarine Industrial Base. In this portfolio, he provides enterprise leadership for more than 250 acquisition personnel and approximately $130 Billion in acquisition and sustainment programs.
Mr. Sermon entered the Senior Executive Service in February 2019, and has been in federal service for more than 20 years. He has served in a variety of key leadership positions throughout his career, including Deputy Program Manager for the Columbia Class Submarine program (2016-2019), a $100 billion DoD Major Defense Acquisition Program. During his tenure, he led the program through detail design, construction readiness, and significant sustainment planning activities. Before leading the Columbia Class, he was the Deputy Program Manager for the Zumwalt Class Destroyer (2014-2016) during test, trials, and delivery of the lead ship (DDG 1000). Prior to DDG 1000, he was the Deputy Program Manager for International Fleet Support in the Naval Sea Systems Command’s Surface Warfare Directorate (2010-2014), where was responsible for the management of more than $5 billion in Foreign Military Sales cases for more than 40 partner nations.
Other previous assignments include Principal Assistant Program Manager in the Support Ships, Boats, and Craft Program Office (PMS 325) in PEO Ships (2007-2010), where he led the $1.1 billion Egyptian Navy Missile Craft project while providing program management expertise for numerous other boat building projects.
Prior to starting in Navy civilian service, Mr. Sermon was a U.S. Navy Surface Warfare Officer (Nuclear). He received his Surface Warfare Officer qualification aboard USS Ramage (DDG 61). Additionally, Mr. Sermon served as nuclear engineering officer aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) before leaving the uniformed Navy in 2004. He is a veteran of Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.
Oliver
Smith
OPENING OF CONFERENCE
AMS 2025 Review
Oliver Smith is the founder and principal consultant at Rethink Additive, a dedicated 3D printing consultancy. Prior to this, he has held the position of Senior Innovation consultant at Blueprint and Senior Strategy Manager at Stratasys. With a decade of experience in the 3D printing industry, Oliver has worked with Fortune 500s to start-ups across a number of industries to help define and build their 3D printing innovation strategies.
Having written several books, and presented at many different 3D printing and innovation conferences around the globe, Oliver’s approach to 3D printing is to define the business value first, then identify a specific technology solution, because the first thing 3D printing should make for you business is sense.
Ted
Sorom
Panel 2: The Metal Toolbelt
Ted is the co-founder and CEO of Mantle. Ted is a serial entrepreneur with extensive experience in product design and manufacturing—including tooling. Prior to Mantle, Ted served as an entrepreneur-in-residence at SRI International, researching possible spin-out opportunities in robotics and computer vision. Before SRI, Ted was the founder and CEO of an online payment company, which he grew into a profitable multinational corporation spanning North and South America. Earlier in his career, Ted held engineering design and leadership roles in the consumer and industrial products industries. Ted has an MBA from the Haas School of Business at the University of California in Berkeley, a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford University, and a Bachelor’s degree with an Engineering focus from Dartmouth College.
Klaus
Stadlmann
Panel 4: Applications
Yoav
Stern
Panel 6: CEO Roundtable
Afternoon Keynote
Mr. Stern is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of over three decades. He served in executive roles as CEO and Chairman as well as an active hands-on investor in hi-tech companies, specializing in machine vision, fiber optics, defense-tech, communication solutions, aerospace, and homeland security. Mr. Stern spent most of his business career in the United States, running both public and private companies with global operations. He has built and turned around several international corporations, growing them from a few million dollars to hundreds of million dollars in revenue, most of them traded in US public markets and all of them encompassing multi-disciplinary technologies and operations across 3-4 continents.
Among the companies that Mr. Stern has led, some of which he eventually sold, were Wordstar International Inc., Kellstrom Industries Inc., DVTEL Inc., Bogen Corporation, and FiberSensys LLC. Through the development of effective strategies and rigorous execution, Mr. Stern implemented methodologies that resulted in organic growth and generated attractive M&A opportunities for scaling up the businesses, ultimately increasing shareholders’ value.
Mr. Stern earned a B.Sc. Degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from TAU, an M.A. in International Relations from NYU, as well as a Diploma in Automation and Mechanical Engineering. He is a Graduate of the IAF Academy, a Lt. Colonel (Ret.), an F-15 fighter pilot, and an ex-D. Squadron Commander.
AJ
Strandquist
Talk 1: Digital Inventory Services
AJ Strandquist leads the Würth Additive Group (WAG) with a unique perspective forged on the shop floors and in the strategy rooms of the manufacturing world. With a deep-rooted belief in the power of additive manufacturing (AM) to solve real-world inventory challenges, AJ has been pivotal in evolving Würth’s approach to industrial services through innovation and customer-centric solutions since 2017.
Under his guidance, a dedicated team has transformed into an international network, championing supply chain resilience, faster product development, and seamless transitions from prototypes to production parts. In 2024, AJ’s vision took shape with the launch of Digital Inventory Services (DIS), aiming to redefine spare parts management with practical, efficient solutions.
AJ’s journey from the factory floor to CEO of WAG—a testament to his hands-on approach and commitment to practical problem-solving—exemplifies his belief in staying connected to the core of the business.
Deven
Suthar
The Power of Investment: Accelerating AM with Private Equity
As the Vice President of Strategy & Corporate Development at ADDMAN, Deven Suthar plays a pivotal role in steering the company’s strategic initiatives and growth plans. Devin is instrumental in identifying new business opportunities, forging strategic partnerships, and driving corporate development activities that align with ADDMAN’s vision of innovation and excellence in additive manufacturing.
Deven’s expertise spans several years in strategic planning and corporate development, where he has demonstrated a keen ability to navigate complex business landscapes and deliver impactful results.
His leadership is marked by a focus on long-term strategic growth, ensuring that ADDMAN remains at the forefront of technological advancements and market trends.
Committed to fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration, Deven works closely with the leadership team to implement strategies that enhance operational efficiency and drive the company’s competitive edge. His contributions are essential in maintaining ADDMAN’s reputation as a leader in the industry and ensuring sustainable growth in a rapidly evolving market.
Alexandre
Tartas
Panel 2: The Metal Toolbelt
Shai
Terem
Adam
Travis
Panel 4: Applications
Adam runs the AM Center of Excellence where he is responsible for developing and leading the execution of the global AM strategy at Westinghouse. In his role he leads a team of AM subject matter experts who liaise with internal business units to assess, develop, and deploy new AM products, processes, and suppliers in Nuclear Fuel and Energy Systems. In his time at Westinghouse Adam has overseen the deployment of the first ever safety-related AM application to enter into serial production in the Commercial Nuclear industry. Adam obtained his M.S. in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Tennessee.
Ankush
Venkatesh
Panel 4: Policy for AM Healthcare
Ankush Venkatesh is an Intrapreneur, Additive Manufacturing at Glidewell specializing in strategy and digital manufacturing.
He has written for publications such as Harvard Business Review and Forbes in the areas of additive manufacturing and its adoption.
Ankush has also been a management consultant for organizations adopting digital technologies as part of their transformations with Industry 4.0 technologies like additive manufacturing, IIoT(Industrial Internet of Things), artificial intelligence/machine learning and digital twins.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, and a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management with a focus on product development and 3D printing. He also spent two years at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College as a Strategy Fellow focusing on digital manufacturing strategy.
He is a former technology consultant, having spent time with Capgemini Consulting serving billion-dollar clients in the FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) industry and has also spent time in the medical devices/healthcare industry in the function of product development.
Mihaela
Vlasea
Panel 5: Metal AM Materials
Dr. Vlasea is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo, Canada, Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department and the Co-Director of the Multi-Scale Additive Manufacturing Laboratory. Her research focuses on innovative design, process optimization and adoption of new materials for powder bed fusion and powder bed binder jetting additive manufacturing processes. In recognition of her scholarly work, student mentorship, and industry outreach, she was recognised as the SME 20 Most Influential Academics in 2021 and as the SME Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer in 2020. She is serving as the Women in Engineering Faculty Representative and is an active member of the SME Advisory Community
Marleen
Vogelaar
Panel 2: Agile Manufacturing: Decentralized and Intelligent
Marleen, an original co-founder of Shapeways, is delighted to return to steward the company into a new chapter of financial stability and exceptional service as a digital manufacturing engine. A US-based, Dutch serial entrepreneur with a passion for manufacturing, a keen eye toward sustainability, and a wealth of knowledge and expertise in the field of on-demand manufacturing, Marleen is uniquely suited to build on the company’s previous successes while ensuring that delivering value to customers remains at the core.
As former COO, Marleen led Shapeways from its inception through the launch of the world’s first upload-to-3D-print service – ultimately building it into the largest 3D printing marketplace in the world, democratizing access to digital manufacturing. She left Shapeways in 2014 and went on to create and lead several innovative manufacturing startups. As founder and CEO of Hudson Valley Mask Company, Marleen oversaw the development of the first 100% biodegradable respirator worldwide. Previously, Marleen founded Ziel, a turnkey service offering design, on-demand manufacturing and retail integration for apparel brands – improving their working capital, speed to market and ecological footprint while simultaneously increasing their profits.
Marleen is a former heptathlete, current natural parkour devotee, and spends her spare time outdoors as much as possible.
Christopher
Wan
Panel 8: Shark Bites: VCs Discuss Why They Do or Don't Invest in 3DP/AM
Christopher Wan is a vice president in the San Francisco office, where he focuses primarily on early-stage deep technologies.
Before joining Bessemer, Chris was at In-Q-Tel and Tusk Ventures, investing in companies at the intersection of technology and government. Chris was also part of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered AI, where he researched and wrote policy proposals on artificial intelligence. He began his career as a software engineer on Facebook’s News Credibility team.
Chris earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Yale University, where he helped lead and found a few hackathons. He is a member of the California State Bar and is an alum at Stanford Law School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Outside of work, he enjoys running and swimming (casually), writing, and talking about the NBA (especially the Miami Heat).
John
Wilczynski
Panel 5: Rebuilding the Industrial Base: Government and National Clusters
As the Executive Director of America Makes, John is responsible for the leadership and strategic vision of the Institute. Through his national outreach, sustainment efforts, and management of membership and stakeholders, he drives the mission and vision for the nation’s leading public-private partnership for additive manufacturing (AM) technology and education. In 2009, John joined the National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining (NCDMM) and, in 2012, transitioned to the America Makes program, which is driven by NCDMM. He continues to play an instrumental role in the amplification of the additive manufacturing industry.
Prior to his appointment as Executive Director in 2019, he served as the America Makes Technology Director for five years. During this time, he led the facilitation of the National Additive Manufacturing / 3D Printing Roadmap, the development of an Intellectual Property (IP) Management Plan, the execution of the Project Call Process for Agency-Driven and Cooperative Agreement-Driven project solicitations, and program management of the America Makes project portfolio. He has a demonstrated history of working in the automotive, defense, and aerospace industries.
John has a long-standing background in mechanical engineering and is highly skilled in operations management, industrial engineering, root cause analysis, and continuous improvement processes. Previously, he was an auditor and quality manager for the global manufacturing system at General Motors.
Terry
Wohlers
Panel 5: Market Forecasts
Terry Wohlers is head of advisory services and market intelligence at Wohlers Associates, powered by ASTM International. He and his team have provided consulting assistance to more than 280 organizations in 27 countries, as well as to nearly 200 companies in the investment community. He has authored 450 books, articles, and technical papers and has given 190 keynote presentations on six continents.
Wohlers has twice served as a featured speaker at events in the U.S. White House and has appeared on many television and radio news programs. In 2004, he received an Honorary Doctoral Degree from Central University of Technology in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Wohlers is a principal author of the Wohlers Report, the undisputed industry-leading report on additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide for 29 consecutive years.
Yoav
Zeif
Main Conference Keynote
Panel 6: CEO Roundtable
Yoav Zeif brings broad, global experience in industry transformation to Stratasys, having served in senior leadership roles for both public and private multi-billion-dollar corporations, leading worldwide operations across industries and professional domains. Zeif was President of the Americas Division, Head of Product Offering and Chief Commercial Officer at Netafim, the world’s largest micro-irrigation company, from 2013 to 2018. Prior to that, he was Senior Vice President of Products and Marketing at Makhteshim (now Adama Ltd.), a global crop-protection company, where he managed the entire portfolio of products and all global commercial relationships. From 2018 – 2020 Zeif was a partner in the New York office of McKinsey & Company.
Zeif obtained an Executive MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and a Ph.D. in International Economics from Bar-Ilan University.
Naiara
Zubizarreta
Panel 5: Rebuilding the Industrial Base: Government and National Clusters
Naiara is the Director of ADDIMAT, the Additive & 3D Manufacturing Technologies Association of Spain, since its foundation in 2015. Under her leadership, ADDIMAT has grown to include 105 members and is responsible for organizing Spain’s leading events in the sector, such as the ADDIT3D trade show, ADDITIVE TALKS, and the biennial MANUFACTURING CONGRESS. The ADDIMAT team works closely with its members to design and implement strategies and activities that accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing in the country.
Naiara holds a degree in Industrial Engineering and has extensive knowledge of Spain’s additive manufacturing ecosystem. She plays a key role in deploying European strategies in collaboration with other national associations coordinated by CECIMO. She also serves as the President of CTN 324 standardization committee of UNE (Spanish Standardization Body) and cooperates with the European SMART EUREKA cluster office as an expert in additive manufacturing, overseeing the progress of funded R&D projects.
ADDIMAT is part of AFM CLUSTER, 78 year old organization that represents advance and digital manufacturing in Spain that groups together 800 businesses in 7 industry associations. Since 2022 Naiara also heads STECH, the Spanish association representing digitalization, automation and robotics.