The Top 3D Printing Personalities of 2022
The year 2022 was a significant one for additive manufacturing. The industry faced many challenges due to uncertainty arising from the recent health crisis and economic consequences of war between Russia & Ukraine. Yet many of the industry’s leading companies and personalities have set a great example for resilience. It is clear that there has been an abundance of 3D-based innovation, and the value of these projects is high. But who exactly is behind this success? What was the market’s most notable achievement this year? Let’s get to know them together, here we present our ten 3D printing personalities for 2022!
Sophie Brac de la Perrière, CEO & Co-founder of Healshape
Sophie Brac de la Perrière is the CEO of Healshape, a French startup that has developed a regenerative medicine project aiming to produce bioprinted breast implants for women who have undergone a mastectomy following breast cancer. Healshape’s prostheses are 3D printed with a hydrogel that uses natural and biomimetic materials, allowing the breast to regenerate using the patient’s own cells, thus guaranteeing the safety of the graft. Prior to founding Healshape, Sophie Brac de la Perrière had 16 years of experience at Sanofi, one of France’s largest pharmaceutical companies, mainly in development and business management roles, helping to inform her work at the company. The startup raised €6 million in funding this year and won our ADDITIV Awards for the medical sector as 3D Startup of the Year 2022.
Sophie Brac de la Perrière was awarded at the ADDITIV Awards 2022, a 3Dnatives event to recognize innovation in the medical 3D printing sector (photo credits: 3Dnatives)
Avi Cohen, Vice-President Global Sales at Massivit 3D
Massivit 3D is an Israeli manufacturer of large format 3D printing machines. It has offices in Israel, North America, and Belgium. This year, we are including the company and Avi Cohen among the industry’s most influential 3D printing personalities in 2022 due to the development of the Cast In Motion (CIM) technology, first introduced at Formext 2022 with its Massivit 10000 solution. This technology allows automated production isotropic molds as well as tooling to speed up the production of composites. Massivit 3D sought a solution to accelerate mold production by up to 80% and reduce lead times from weeks down to days. Avi Cohen, Massivit 3D’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales, brought a wealth of experience to the table. His extensive experience in the additive manufacturing sector spans over 20 years. He joined Stratasys in 1999 as a director of sales and marketing in the healthcare industry. After five years as VP at XJet Ltd. and two years as EVP sales at Nanofabrica he joined Massivit 3D on October 20, 2022.
Avi Cohen, Vice-President Global Sales at Massivit 3D
Kristin Mulherin is President of Women in 3D Printing
Kristin Mulherin serves as the president of Women in 3D Printing. This association was created in 2014 to encourage, support, and inspire women in additive manufacturing. Over 23,000 members are currently a part of the association, which has more than 100 offices in 35 countries. Kirstin has over seven years experience in additive manufacturing. She was elected to the WI3DP board for 2020 and then became president in 2021. Her career began at LPW Carpenter Additive. She has also worked for Dyndrite, HP and NEXA3D where she gained leadership experience. AM-Cubed was established by Sheri in 2019, with the intention of helping companies to enter the additive manufacturing industry or accelerate their growth.
Kristin Mulherin is President of Women in 3D Printing
Easton LaChappelle, CEO at Unlimited Tomorrow
The Russian-Ukrainian War was undoubtedly one of the most important events in 2022. So we decided to include Easton LaChappelle, CEO of Unlimited Tomorrow, for the company’s contribution to helping Ukrainian amputees as a result of the war by providing them with 3D printed prosthetic arms. And this isn’t the first time we’ve mentioned Unlimited Tomorrow. It was established by Easton LaChappelle, who founded it in 2014. The company aims to provide affordable, high-quality prosthetic arms to all people who need them.
Easton LaChappelle, CEO at Unlimited Tomorrow
Sherri Monroe, Executive Director Of AMGTA
We’ve talked several times this year about AMGTA, the Additive Manufacturing Green Trade Association, which aims to promote the sustainability of additive manufacturing versus traditional production methods. Sherri Monroe is now the organization’s executive director as of 2022. Sherri Monroe worked as an independent consultant before being appointed to this role. She was also the American Red Cross’ regional director and executive director, as well the American Cancer Society’s director of marketing. She spoke about sustainability and 3D printing in Talk3D.
Sherri Monroe, Executive Director at AMGTA
Ramon Pastor is Global Head and General Manager 3D Metals at HP
The year 2022 will also be the year HP finally unveils its long-awaited 3D Metal Printing technology. We wanted Ramon Pastor to be included in our 2022 3D printing personalities. He is the Global Head and General Manager 3D Metals at HP. Ramon Pastor joined HP in 1992. He has been responsible to the large format printing industry for strategic marketing. He also held various positions in operations and research and development. He holds a Master’s Degree in engineering from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia, a degree from the IESE Business School and a bachelor’s degree in literature. Ramon Pastor commented on the launch of HP’s Metal Jet technology at the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in September, “3D printed metal parts are a driving force for digital transformation, and the new Metal Jet S100 solution provides our customers with a best-in-class metal offering, from initial designs to production, but most importantly, it helps you realize the unlimited potential of digital manufacturing.”
Ramon Pastor is Global Head and General Manager 3D Metals at HP
Shai Terem is the CEO of Markforged
Shai Terem, a former CEO at Kornit Digital Ltd. Stratasys since October 2020 has taken over Markforged. A Tel Aviv University graduate with a degree and MBA, Shai Terem is currently the CEO of Markforged. He has helped to make the company a success in 2022. Markforged was able to enter the binder-jetting market by purchasing Digital Metal, an Swedish company that has been a major player in metal binding since 2003 for $40 million.
Shai Terem is the CEO of Markforged
Toshikazu Umatate is the CEO of Nikon
Toshikazu umatate joined Nikon as an employee in April 1980. He served various roles until becoming the company’s CEO in June 2019. Although he is well-known as a leading figure at Nikon, he also has the potential to be a major player in the additive manufacturing industry. Nikon bought SLM Solutions, a manufacturer known for metal additive manufacturing machines, in this year’s acquisition. This is a strategic and carefully planned move by the Japanese camera specialist. Toshikazu Umatate explained: “We are focused on digital manufacturing as a growth driver and will create value through the promising market of metal additive manufacturing for our stakeholders. 3D Printing will revolutionize mass-production by enabling our clients to manufacture highly complex parts, reduce cycle time, carbon emissions, energy costs and waste.”
Toshikazu Umatate is the CEO of Nikon
Blake Teipel is the CEO and co-founder of Essentium
Blake Teipel holds a Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from Texas A&M University and a B.S. Colorado State University. Entrepreneur at heart, he founded Essentium Materials in 2013. Since then, the company has grown to become what it is today. Under Blake Teipel’s leadership, the company has raised $22.2 million and announced plans to go public. Blake Teipel indicated that the project was currently on hold. “We appreciate the Atlantic Coastal team’s support and guidance throughout this process, and we are disappointed that market conditions prevented the parties from consummating this agreement. We will continue to leverage the strength of our additive manufacturing technology and product system validated by the Department of Defence to continue to advance additive manufacturing globally.”
Blake Teipel, CEO & Co-founder at Essentium
Eshchar Ben Shitrit, CEO and co-founder of Redefine Meat
Redefine Meat’s co-founder and CEO is Eshchar Ben Shitrit. After graduating from Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a law degree and a master’s degree in business administration and gaining professional experience in business and law, he founded Redefine Meat in 2018. It was one of the first companies to use 3D printers to produce non-animal food with the same taste, look and feel as animal meat. It has seen rapid growth since its inception. You can find their meat in over 200 restaurants in Israel, as well as in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin. The company has now over 150 employees and raised $135million in an investment round.
Eshchar Ben Shitrit, CEO and cofounder of Redefine Meat
What do you think these individuals did to shape the market for 3D printing in 2022? Let us know in a comment below or on our Linkedin, Facebook, and Twitter pages! Don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter here, the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox! You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.