As North America’s largest and most influential additive manufacturing (AM) event for three decades, RAPID + TCT annually attracts the industry’s leading experts to speak on trends, case studies and outlooks shaping the future of 3D technology.
During RAPID + TCT 2021 in Chicago, attendees will once again enjoy a laudable lineup of speakers encompassing healthcare, aerospace and defense, automotive, tech and more.
With dozens of “additive alphas” scheduled to educate, entertain and enlighten, we thought it might help to provide some brief background on the Main Stage speakers from each day.
RAPID + TCT 2021 Main Stage Speakers | Day 1
Keynote | 9 AM
How AM is Disrupting the Aerospace Industry: Opportunities & Challenges on the Road Ahead
- Explores the circumstances in which AM provides value, covers the challenges associated with AM disrupting aerospace manufacturing and considers what is required to scale AM.
Keynote Speaker
VP of AM at The Boeing Company
- Over the span of her career, Melissa Orme has held senior leadership roles at startup technology companies, including chief scientist and head of clinical research. An early AM pioneer, her work has resulted in 15 U.S. patents.
Thought Leadership Panel | 10:30 AM
Breakthrough to Manufacturing with AM - What You Need to Know
- Learn more about the impedances to deploying AM for production and hear strategies, tactics and actions to overcome them.
Panel Moderator
President & Founder of T.A. Grimm & Associates
- Todd Grimm is a 31-year veteran of the AM industry. His work as a consultant, writer, author, speaker, editor and advisor led him to be named one of The TCT Magazine’s 20 most influential in the AM industry, and has been twice nominated for the TCT Hall of Fame.
Panel Speakers
Cost Engineer at General Motors
- At GM, Jerone Anderson uses models to estimate costs of additively manufactured components, evaluates possible business cases and helps vehicle programs select cost-effective manufacturing solutions.
Advanced Lead Engineer at GE Additive
- Nic Sabo has spent almost a decade in industrial design, with a huge focus on aviation and additive manufacturing. In the last 6 years, he's authored 8 patents ranging from AM processes to applications in thermal management.
Graduate Research Assistant at Virginia Tech
- Callie Zawaski’s doctoral research at Virginia Tech was focused on enabling new materials for fused filament fabrication AM by modifying both the material and machine for printing.
Thought Leadership Panel | 12 PM
Industrial Manufacturers Discuss the Production Readiness of Additive Manufacturing
- Learn the challenges and successes of large-scale manufacturers working to implement AM into their business.
Panel Moderator
AM Applications Engineer at GM Additive Design & Manufacturing Group
- Brennon White works on interior applications for the General Motors Additive Design & Manufacturing Group. He also supports organizations like SME, where he has been a Conference Advisor and Session Chair since 2013.
Panel Speakers
President of StaceyD Consulting
- Stacey DelVecchio’s career is focused on the business of AM. She is an advisor with SME’s AM Technical Community Committee and a previous industry peer review panelist for Oakridge National Labs Manufacturing Development Facility.
Director of the Boeing Additive Manufacturing Intelligence Center
- Nicholas Mulé develops the modeling, simulation and digital tools required to accelerate adoption and implementation of AM at Boeing.
Director of AM Solutions at Desktop Metal
- Adeola “Addy” Olubamiji is a technologist with 10 years’ experience spanning a variety of AM disciplines. She currently leads the Production System customer adoption and industrialization program at Desktop Metal.
Thought Leadership Panel | 1:30 PM
Supply Chain Transformation: Driving an Agile and Networked Ecosystem
- Focus on key supply chain themes—including evolution, resiliency, responsiveness, flexibility, value driver, inventory reduction, geographic footprint and more.
Panel Moderator
CEO of MxD
- Chandra Brown oversees all technology investment, partner relationships and project execution for MxD’s large portfolio of AM technology, cybersecurity and workforce development research.
Panel Speakers
VP of Supply Chain Digitalization at Eaton
- Brian Fifarek enjoys "taking a shot on goal," challenging the status quo, strategic planning and networking. He has broad industry, technical experience and exposure to diversified industrial power control products.
Co-Founder & CEO of Fast Radius
- As the co-founder and CEO of Fast Radius, Lou Rassey helms a global technology-based manufacturing partner. Previously, he was a partner at McKinsey & Co., leading efforts in Industry 4.0 — including 3D printing, digital design, advanced robotics, industrial data and breakthrough business models.
Co-Founder & CEO of 3D Control Systems
- Michelle Bockman’s main focus at 3D Control Systems has been, and currently is, transforming industrial companies from analog to digital — providing new and different business models that drive growth and differentiation.
Thought Leadership Panel | 3:00 PM
Additive Manufacturing in the Department of Defense
- Hear from military and industrial leaders as they provide an overview of the AM technologies available — including the overall vision to increase usage and implementation of AM in support of DoD modernization.
Panel Moderator
Mechanical Engineer & AM Technical Lead at U.S. Army - CCDC - Ground Vehicle Systems Center
- Michael Nikodinovski’s core research is on AM, with a focus on sustainment reduction-related technologies.
Panel Speakers
Joe Kott
Branch Chief for AM at U.S. ARMY Combat Capabilities Development Command
- Joe Kott has supervisory responsibility for all associates within the organization’s Materials Division — working and supporting additive work.
Army TAC-1, Advanced Materials & Manufacturing at U.S. ARMY Combat Capabilities Development Command
- James Zunino works for the U.S Army CCDC Armaments Center. He serves as Army Futures Command's Manufacturing Principal and leading subject matter expert on AM and transformative manufacturing.
Debra Lilu
VP of Maintenance & Sustainment Business Development at National Center for Manufacturing Sciences
- Debra Lilu has over 30 years of experience in the automotive and aerospace industries, and in working with the Department of Defense.
Chief Scientist at Advanced Manufacturing Operations Cell, Marine Corps Systems Command
- Kristin Holzworth provides AM and rapid fabrication support, evaluates emerging AM technologies, conducts prototype experiments and serves as a subject-matter expert for the Fleet Marine Force and Program Management Offices.
Larry “Eddie” Preston
Chief Engineer, Advanced Manufacturing at Rapid Sustainment Office, U.S. Air Force
Principal Materials Scientist at U.S. Air Force
- Howard Sizek works in the Propulsion, Structures and Manufacturing Enterprise Branch of AFRL’s Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies Division. His experience ranges from mechanical testing to modeling metal working processes and more.
RAPID + TCT 2021 Main Stage Speakers | Day 2
Keynote | 9 AM
An Industry 30+ Years in the Making
- Gain a perspective of the past to better understand the future, recognize the obstacles that prevent organizations from realizing the benefits of AM and learn what your organization can do to take advantage of what AM has to offer.
Keynote Speaker
Principal Consultant & President of Wohlers Associates
- Through Wohlers Associates Terry Wohlers has provided AM consulting assistance to more than 275 organizations, authored 435 books, articles, and technical papers and given 165 keynote presentations on six continents. He is a principal author of the Wohlers Report, the undisputed industry-leading report on additive manufacturing and 3D printing worldwide for 26 consecutive years.
Thought Leadership Panel | 10:30 AM
Materials: From Selection to Market
- Insights, lessons learned and material development methods and strategies for aerospace, medical, automotive, energy and industrial requirements, and how these methods can be applied to future AM materials.
Panel Moderator
Northrop Grumman Fellow at Northrop Grumman
- Eric Barnes is responsible for AM at Aeronautics Systems and has led the implementation of polymer and metallic additive manufacturing on multiple platforms at NGC.
Panel Speakers
Assistant Director, Digital Design and Additive Manufacturing at University of Delaware
- As the assistant director of the newly created Digital Design & Manufacturing Center at University of Delaware, LJ Holmes helps create an interdisciplinary forum for bringing materials, processing and manufacturing together by digital design and AM.
Section Leader, Materials & Process at GE Additive
- Amber Andreaco is passionate about 3D technology and is actively engaged with both internal and external customers to drive the rapid adoption of AM. She currently leads the GE Additive Materials & Process team, focusing on laser and binder jet modalities.
Sr. Director, Additive Manufacturing at ATI Metals
- Richard Merlino is responsible for the integration and management of the additive business unit within ATI. A leader in metal AM for aerospace, his previous company was one of the first in the U.S. to produce metal, 3D-printed components for flight critical applications.
Business Development Manager at QuesTek Innovations
- Ron Adams has over 30 years of developing manufacturing processes in aerospace, electronics and medical industries. Over the past seven years, he has supported the growth of the metal AM industry in various roles and capacities.
Technical Leader, Additive Manufacturing at Ford Motor Co.
- Ellen Lee is responsible for leading the technical development of advanced polymer AM materials and technologies for functional use in the automotive sector. She sets the strategic direction for AM and its integration across the enterprise.
Product Manager, Additive Manufacturing Division at Hexcel
- Regina Pynn has over a decade in aerospace — owning the engineering, fabrication, testing and qualification of complex engineered systems. She is product manager for Hexcel’s AM business, including the HexPEKK, which is flying today in space, commercial and military platforms.
Thought Leadership Panel | 12 PM
Design Workflow for Additive Manufacturing: Lessons Learned from the Trenches
- Hear how industry leaders implemented a design workflow process into their AM floor. Learn where their journey started, what challenges they faced along the way and how their process has evolved over time.
Panel Moderator
Vice President, Advanced Applications Development at 3D Systems
- Patrick Dunne has been focused on Applications Development for AM since 2010 and has led the Application Development Lab based in Berkeley, California, as part of the broader global Application Innovation Group (AIG).
Panel Speakers
Executive Vice President & COO of Tangible Solutions
- Chris Collins has a mechanical engineering background with a strength in process development for AM and more. He also serves on multiple advisory boards and committees, advising on development of GMP and standards for AM in the medical device industry.
Co-Founder & CEO of ASTRO Test Lab
- Working in the space industry for over 15 years, Humna Khan specializes in the mechanical testing of additive material. Her company, ASTRO, is one of the premier testing laboratories for the design, development and advancement of flight technologies.
Associate Director of Programs at The Barnes Global Advisors
- Prior to BGA, Jennifer Coyne formed the original AM team at GE Transportation (now Wabtec), where she successfully led the launch of over 50 production additive parts and opened 4 global labs in the US and India—with a wide range of metals and polymers 3D printing capabilities.
Thought Leadership Panel | 1:30 PM
Hospital-Based 3D Printing: Better Patient Care Through In-House Manufacturing?
- This medical AM panel will walk through the critical steps to create a 3D printing lab and the many ways it can be used.
Panel Moderator
Adjunct Faculty, Dept of Radiology at University of Cincinnati
- Andy Christensen has spent his career focused on developing and expanding the medical applications of 3D Printing and AM. In addition to being a professor, he is also an associate editor for the journal “3D Printing in Medicine,” published by BMC.
Panel Speakers
Consultant in the Department of Radiology and Associate Professor of Radiology at Mayo Clinic
- At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Jonathan Morris’ group explores the use of 3D printing in medical, education, simulation, imaging research, forensic pathology and development of quality metrics.
Director of Services, 3D Medical Applications Center at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Peter Liacouras focuses on digital support and fabrication of 3D medical models for our Armed Forces and Veterans. He applies various AM techniques and routinely designs and supervises the creation of implants, surgical guides and prosthetic attachments for the DoD.
Assistant Professor of Radiology at VA Puget Sound Health Care System
- Beth Ripley is a staff radiologist and assistant professor of Radiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She specializes in translating medical imaging into virtual and 3D-printed models with the goal of changing how diseases are understood and treated.
Director of the 3D Imaging Lab at Montefiore Medical Center
- Nicole Wake specializes in creating 3D images from radiological imaging data. Specifically, she has coupled MRI data with a range of 3D printing, AR and VR technologies to create individualized anatomically precise models for pre-operative planning.
Thought Leadership Panel | 3 PM
Are You Using Additive the Best Way for Your Manufacturing Operations? CATCH UP!
- Explore, and consider, using advanced AM to optimize traditional manufacturing by first discussing the reasons for considering AM. Then, explore examples of how to take advantage of AM, and define how the technology impacts flexibility and functionality on the individual level and for automated system implementations.
Panel Moderator
President of Met-L-Flo
- Carl Dekker is the president of Met-L-Flo, president of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group, fellow of ASTM International, past chair of ASTM International’s F42 Committee on Standards for AM and a past chair of SME’s AM Technical Community Committee.
Panel Speakers
AM Applications Engineer at GM Additive Design & Manufacturing Group
- Brennon White, CAM-F, works on interior applications for the General Motors Additive Design & Manufacturing Group. He also supports organizations like SME, where he has been a RAPID + TCT conference advisor and session chair since 2013.
Associate Technical Fellow, AM Technical Focal & Initiatives Lead at Boeing Global Services
- Dan Braley, CAM-T serves sustainment of all Boeing military, commercial and derivative aircraft platforms through use of AM technologies and implementation of advanced composites
Director of Automotive Business at Stratasys
- Fadi Abro leads the automotive vertical for Stratasys in the Americas, managing a cross-functional team of sales and engineering staff that support automotive market leaders’ implementation of AM.
Strategic Development, Manufacturing - Polymers at General Motors
- Malini Dusey possesses expertise and advanced technical knowledge of plastic resins including extrusion, molding and product formulation.
RAPID + TCT 2021 Main Stage Speakers | Day 3
Keynote | 9 AM
How Technology is Changing Healthcare
- This keynote will explore how new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), deep learning, data analytics, genomics, home-based healthcare, robotics and 3D printing of tissue and implants are going to change how we care for our patients.
Keynote Speaker
Chair, Mayo Clinic Engineering at Mayo Clinic
- Mark Wehde is chair of the Mayo Clinic Division of Engineering, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a fellow in the Mayo Clinic Academy of Educational Excellence. He is the executive leader of a team of engineers, software developers and project managers with a focus on both product discovery and product delivery of solutions to problems faced by our healthcare providers.
Thought Leadership Panel | 10:30 AM
Castings Roundtable Discussion
- This roundtable discussion will consist of a panel of casting experts and a metallurgist to help answer your casting and material questions. Speakers will also help attendees select the correct process for their specific need.
Panel Moderator
Cast Metals Engineer at Stellantis N.V.
- Thomas Sorovetz has over 30 years of experience in automotive design and engineering and more than 24 years of experience in rapid prototyping. Along with publishing numerous articles in the field, he has been a presenter and speaker at several technical conferences.
Panel Speakers
President of ZMC Consulting Inc.
- Zayna Connor is an independent consultant with more than 30 years working in materials, castings, forgings, extrusions and rolled products. She is active in the AFS committee activities, AFS consortium research projects, ASTM Additive Manufacturing Committee and more.
Manufacturing Simulation Application Engineer at Altair
- Drew Tucker is the lead for Altair's explicit manufacturing simulation solutions and is heavily involved in metal casting and prototyping. He is focused on bridging the gap between AM and traditional manufacturing technologies, specifically through the use of simulation software.
Founder & CTO of PostProcess Technologies
- Daniel Hutchinson leveraged training in radar interrogation and signal analysis to develop PostProcess’s patent-pending technology.
Sr. Director, Application Engineering & Business Development at Xerox
- Tim Schniepp leads the Application Engineering team and Business Development at Xerox responsible for supporting customers globally in the validation of high-value applications for ElemX liquid-metal AM.
Thought Leadership Panel | 12 PM
Being Agile Using Additive Manufacturing – When Does It Make Sense
- Answers questions like: When and where does it make sense to use AM for production in what kind of numbers? What are the hidden cost drivers for both traditional manufacturing as opposed to AM? How have recent supply chain disruptions made AM more cost attractive? What do we see in the future for using AM to supplement production?
Panel Speakers
AM Consultant at 3D Metal Konsulting
- Kevin Ayers has made 32 presentations at conferences nationally and internationally speaking on topics from AM, tooling and AM design. Ayers has served as a technical and event advisor for RAPID + TCT, AMUG and is a recipient of the SLA Dinosaur Award.
Product Manager, Metal Designlab at ExOne Co.
- Howard Rhett has extensive experience in both the CAD/CAE/PLM software and AM industries. He is the key driver for the innovative ExOne Metal Designlab product line.
Founder & President at FreeFORM Technologies
- Nate Higgins founded FreeFORM Technologies to bring freedom of design to the customer and change conventional thinking of manufacturing.
Director of Product Management at Jabil
- Tim DeRosett leads the strategic marketing activities for AM products and services, including 3D printing. He has 20 years of experience bringing advanced technology solutions to manufacturing.
Thought Leadership Panel | 1:30 PM
3D Scanning ― Why Do It and How
- This panel is made up of 3D-scanning experts who, between them, have over 80 years’ experience of using optical and CT scanners for both reverse engineering and inspection, all will be able to answer any questions the audience has not only about why the need for 3D scanning but what the available options are.
Panel Speakers
Commercial Business Manager for Structured Light Scanning at Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence
- Giles Gaskell is a recognized subject-matter expert and communicator in the field of 3D metrology and 3D scanning. He is a RAPID + TCT conference advisor for SME and a presenter of educational workshops at AMUG and RAPID + TCT’s conference for over 10 years.
Division Manager, Wisconsin Office at Exact Metrology
- With over 21 years of service experience Greg has followed 3D-scanning trends by helping implement scanning solutions to a broad spectrum of industries — from aerospace to the movie industry.
X-ray/CT Consultant at Nikon Metrology Inc.
- Andrew Ramsey has been involved in X-Ray computed tomography (CT) since 1992 and helped develop one of the world’s first PC-based X-Ray CT systems.
President & CEO of Direct Dimensions, Inc.
- Michael Raphael founded Direct Dimensions Inc. in 1995 as an engineering company to provide a “one-stop-shop” for 3D technical services, product representation, sales and support for all types of 3D-measurement solutions.
Southeast Technical Sales Representative at Pinnacle X-Ray Solutions Inc.
- Jake Rickter specializes in industrial DR and CT. He is experienced in applications/correlation studies and volumetric analysis via volume graphics and has unique insight into the processes and procedures required to qualify parts for critical applications.
Click here to view the full lineup of RAPID + TCT 2021 speakers. Register for the 2021 event here, and use the promo code RP21EXPO100 to receive a FREE Expo Pass providing access to all exhibits, special presentations, keynotes, thought leadership panels and more.