SME 2020 Additive Manufacturing Industry Awards Recognize Leaders in Commercializing AM Technology

Virtual ceremony to include career development discussion for students and those early in their careers

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — SME’s 2020 Additive Manufacturing Industry Awards will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of individuals, teams and companies that have had significant impact commercializing AM technology in a virtual ceremony to be held Thursday, Nov. 19, from Noon to 1:30 p.m. EST. The awards ceremony—which will be held with a chat-oriented Career Development Forum for college and university students, faculty members and early careerists—represents more than two decades of SME recognition of notable, innovate leaders in the field of additive manufacturing. Industry professionals interested in attending the virtual event can register for the session here.

“Additive manufacturing earned well-deserved attention this year as the industry stepped up to lead during the nation’s pandemic response,” said Angela Szerlong, industry manager, additive manufacturing for SME. “Even in a year where so many manufacturers achieved so much, some accomplishments stood out above the rest; SME is proud to recognize these heroes as leaders and examples of the very best of the additive manufacturing industry.”

Awards Recognize Exemplary Industry Contributors

Szerlong cited the three key awards to be presented at the Nov. 19 award ceremony, including:

• Industry Achievement Award recognizes an individual or team for outstanding accomplishments that have had significant impact with the application of additive manufacturing in any industry through the application of additive manufacturing technologies. The award recognizes implemented or deployed applications in a commercial/industrial environment rather than just research.

• Digital Manufacturing Challenge, an annual competition that invites student designers to use their imagination to arrive at an innovative design, which exploits the geometric capabilities of direct digital manufacturing (DDM) to the fullest. Entries are welcome from college/university students and high school students; both categories are judged separately.
• Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award, for a scholarly paper which describes an innovative application of additive manufacturing processes and techniques. The award recognizes the authors for their contribution of ideas and information to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing industry.

The ceremony will be conducted live after the event’s co-featured Career Development Forum, which will be an informal career chat for college and university students, faculty members and early careerists.

Career Development Forum Does Something for Young Manufacturing Professionals

Leading off the virtual event will be an hour-long Career Development Forum, presented in an informal format. The career chat will be run by more of the additive manufacturing industry’s leading experts, sharing their insights on where the industry is going and how the future generation of viewers can be part of the exciting growth ahead.

Moderators for the career chat will be Jennifer Coyne, additive manufacturing leader for Wabtec Corp. and John E. Barnes, founding ADDvisor, managing director and CEO of The Barnes Global Advisors. In addition, four panelists will participate in answering questions and sharing ideas related to careers in manufacturing. They include Christine Gebara, mechanical engineer, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Ross Cunningham, PhD, project manager – additive manufacturing, Messer LLC; Chelsea Cummings, senior ADDvisor, The Barnes Global Advisors; and Jonathan Harris, PhD, lead application engineer, nTopology Inc.