Chuck Hull, one of the true founders of 3D printing who patented Stereolithography (SLA) in the 1980’s has received a number of high profile recognitions of his inventions and breakthrough work in technology over the past year. Raised to the status of a technology hero Mr. Hull has received honours that include The Economist’s prestigious 2013 Innovation Award, and induction into the U.S. National Inventors Hall of Fame alongside such legends as Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Steve Jobs. Mr. Hull’s latest accolade is the 2014 European Inventor Award for None-European Countries.
Mr. Hull’s pioneering work in additive manufacturing has been one of the cornerstones of 3D printing technologies, for example he also co-createdthe STL file format which has become the standard file type in computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printing. The 3D printing legend received recognition as the winner of the 2014 European Inventor Awardfor this work and some 18 European patents. As well as these invention patents Chuck Hull also holds some 76 US patents and also 14 Japanese patents.
3D Printers designed by Hull’s companyhave made their way into a wealth of industrial and commercial uses: Creating models of patients’ jaws and facial structures; automotive safety companyto design “intelligent” crash-test dummies; and the host of applications with great social and individual benefit that we witness in news stories most weeks. From aeroplane wings and architectural models countless prototypes and products have reached commercial fulfilment faster and cheaper than ever.
This ever productive inventor who has contributed so very much to 3D printing continues to be a formost leader of this technology sector as the Chief Technology Officer of 3D Systems. Heis celebrating three decades of continuous innovation with the company andpresides over seven different 3D print technologies and more than a hundred additive manufacturing materials.
Mr. Hull humbly said: “I was thinking about how this came to be and I’d really like to thank the hundreds and hundreds of scientists and engineers who have helped bring 3D printing to the world as we know it today. When I started 30 years ago, I didn’t envision the many ways 3D printing would change the way we design, create and make, and the impact it has on our lives.”
Catch a video from 3DPI.tv on Chuck Hall’s admission into the National Inventors Hall of Fame here.
