The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has selected Andy Christensen to receive the AMUG 2022 Innovators Award.
The accolade is intended to celebrate those who have contributed innovative ideas to the additive manufacturing sector, advancing the industry in one way or another. AMUG will present Christensen with the award at the AMUG 2022 Conference, following his onstage appearance at the event’s Innovators Showcase.
Previous recipients of the Innovators Award include Chuck Hull, Scott Crump, Carl Deckard, Fried Vancraen, Gideon Levy, and Hans Langer.
Carl Dekker, President of AMUG, said, “Previous Innovators Award honorees created the hardware and software that fueled AM’s potential and growth. By honoring Andy, AMUG recognizes innovations in applications that converted potential into progress. For as long as I can remember, Andy has spearheaded AM firsts in the medical space. His impact in the medical arena has spread far and wide.”
Who is Andy Christensen?
The year 2000 saw Andy Christensen found Medical Modeling, a 3D printing service bureau focused on manufacturing medical devices. The firm was unique in that it worked in collaboration with surgeons and medical device manufacturers, paving the way for others in the fields of patient-specific anatomical modeling, virtual surgical planning, personalized surgical guides & implants, and metal 3D printing for orthopedic implants.
During his time at Medical Modeling, Christensen and his team helped enable the treatments of tens of thousands of patients, including high-risk cases such as conjoined twins. The company was also responsible for several ‘regulatory firsts’, having manufactured the first FDA-cleared, 3D printed orthopedic and spine implants made of titanium.
Medical Modeling was eventually acquired by 3D Systems in 2014 and Andy left in 2015, continuing his career in the medical 3D printing space. He is currently the chair of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 3D Printing Special Interest Group (SIG), associate editor for the 3D Printing in Medicine journal, and adjunct professor in the Department of Radiology at the University of Cincinnati.
Andy said, “My current interests are in tackling some of the bigger issues affecting the industry, including providing support to hospitals as they work to establish their 3D printing labs and gaining insurance reimbursement for 3D printing-enabled technologies.”
The AMUG 2022 Conference
The next AMUG Conference will be held between April 3 – 7, 2022, at the Hilton Chicago. Designed for both novice and veteran additive manufacturing users, the event aims to educate attendees on the uses and applications of 3D printing technologies. Although next year’s agenda still hasn’t been finalized, AMUG expects the conference to feature around 150 presentations, panels, workshops, and training seminars.
On April 6, Christensen will take to the stage for his Innovators Showcase, a casual and conversational interview where he’ll answer questions from conference attendees. Structured as an intimate conversation, the Innovators Showcase is all about getting to know the person behind the innovations and gaining insights from past experiences.
Earlier this year, the AMUG 2021 Conference took place. The event, which ran from 2 – 6 May 2021 in Florida, was the first major in-person 3D printing trade show held since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing in approximately 100 exhibitors and over 800 attendees.
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Featured image shows Andy Christensen, recipient of the AMUG 2022 Innovators Award. Photo via AMUG.
