The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced the winners of its 2025 Technical Competition, recognizing outstanding work in additive manufacturing applications and finishing techniques. Selected by a panel of industry experts, entries from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and Equispheres won in the Advanced Finishing and Advanced Concepts categories, respectively, while Ricoh 3D for Healthcare secured the Members’ Choice Award.
The competition was held during the annual AMUG Conference, March 30–April 3, 2025, in Chicago, Illinois. The panel of judges consisted of ten AMUG DINOs: Rey Chu, Director at PADT; Joerg Griessbach, Owner of Der SL PROFI; Tom Mueller, President of Mueller Additive Manufacturing Solutions; Bruce Okkema, President and Owner of Eagle Design & Technology; Rick Pressley, Director of Programs at Renaissance Services; Elton Rooney, Technical Developer at EMI Corp; Harold Sears, Head of Advanced Manufacturing at IperionX; Ed Tackett, Additive Manufacturing Lead Technologist at Würth Additive Group; Sean Wise, Owner of RePliForm; and Mark Wynn, Senior Technical Specialist at Yazaki North America.
2025 Technical Winners
In the Advanced Finishing category, Ryan Watkins, Research Engineer, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was recognized for his project “Mars Sample Return Crush Lattices.” The project addressed additive manufacturing limitations that initially produced lattice structures with suboptimal mass and ligament thickness. By partnering with REM Surface Engineering, JPL used a chemical polishing process to reduce the components’ mass by over 80% while meeting stringent mission requirements. The judges praised Watkins’ work, noting, “Ryan’s use of finishing to modify the force required to crush the structure is ingenious, allowing him to create a finished structure that could not be printed. He is not just modifying the appearance of the part; he is also modifying the physical properties to meet the application’s needs. This is very impressive.”
Evan Butler-Jones, Vice president of product & Strategy, Equispheres, submitted the winning entry for Advanced Concepts, a project developed in collaboration with Martinrea International’s Sr Specialist Technical Steve Geddes. Titled “Applying Additive Manufacturing for Integrated Passive Cooling in an e-Motor Housing,” the project designed and produced an aluminum part using additive manufacturing that integrates a vapor chamber for two-phase passive and liquid cooling within a single structure. The part was created using laser powder bed fusion with both partial and full melting, enabling a design that cannot be achieved through conventional manufacturing. The integrated approach removes the need for additional cooling components and improves heat transfer efficiency.
“Excellent in many aspects. More than 100% improvement in both energy use and heat control! The result is an additive manufacturing replacement for an existing component, forgoing the need for motor redesign. This could not have been done any other way,” said the judges.
Luke Hileman, Lead technician, Ricoh 3D for Healthcare, won the Members’ Choice Award with the “Neonatal Thoracentesis Trainer.” This high-fidelity simulation model, created with advanced additive manufacturing techniques, offers realistic haptic feedback to help healthcare providers practice a delicate and critical procedure for draining fluid from the pleural space of infants. Judges described it as “a wonderful use of additive manufacturing to address life-saving medical treatment for infants.”
Additional placements included Aaron Sherman, Mechanical Engineer of HellermanTyton, who took second in Advanced Finishing for “Miniature Tabletop Gaming Models by Pocket Dimension Studios,” and Brent Griffith, Product Engineer of Labconco Corporation, who finished third with “Nature’s Grip Recreated: Advanced 3D Print Finishing Techniques on Rock Climbing.” In the Advanced Concepts category, second place went to Hileman with Jacob Kallivayakik from Corporate Research and Technology of Eaton Corporation taking third for “AM for Electric Machines.”
The winners, or their representatives, will receive complimentary admission to the 2026 AMUG Conference, where they will present detailed insights into their projects and processes.
DINO Award Winners Recognized for Their Industry Contributions
Among the 2025 honorees was Amy Alexander, Unit Head and Mechanical Development & Applied Computational Engineering at Mayo Clinic, who was commended for her dedication to mentoring early-career professionals. Dan Braley, Senior Technical Fellow at Boeing Global Services, was also recognized for his sustained involvement in industry events—particularly the AMUG Conference—and his ongoing efforts to advance additive manufacturing.
In 2024, AMUG honored other five distinguished individuals with DINO Awards for their industry contributions: Jamie Cone, Steve Grundahl, Thomas Murphy, Vadim Pikhovich, and Bob Renella. Gary Rabinovitz from Reebok was also presented with the coveted Lifetime Achievement Award, making it only the second time in AMUG’s 36-year history that this award has been bestowed.
Who won the 2024 3D Printing Industry Awards?
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Featured image 2025 Technical Competition winners: Ryan Watkins, Rob Acton, Steve Geddes and Luke Hileman. Photo via AMUG.
