Joe Allison honoured with AMUG Innovators Award

Companies & MarketsNews
October 10, 2024

October 10, 2024

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced Joe Allison as the recipient of its Innovators Award (Courtesy AMUG)
The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced Joe Allison as the recipient of its Innovators Award (Courtesy AMUG)

The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced Joe Allison, principal of 3D Ventures and CEO of Gentle Giant Studios, as the recipient of its Innovators Award. This award is presented to those who have cultivated innovations that have advanced the Additive Manufacturing industry.

Since 1988, Allison has been instrumental in innovations that delivered value to those that use Additive Manufacturing, starting with patented advancements in Stereolithography. Over his 34 years in the industry, the innovations include software tools, process improvements and technology refinements. In that time, he has also led companies such as Solid Concepts, Stratasys Direct Manufacturing, Evolve Additive Solutions, and Gentle Giant Studios as their CEOs.

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Commenting on the announcement, Allison stated, “I was in the CAD/CAM world when I saw a 3D printer for the first time. I immediately called my recruiter because I wanted to work for that business. That’s how I got my start at 3D Systems in 1988 as a process development engineer. And that was the launching pad of my whole career.”

Allison will be presented with the Innovators Award at the 2025 AMUG Conference. Previous recipients include industry luminaries Chuck Hull, Scott Crump, Carl Deckard, Fried Vancraen, Gideon Levy, Hans Langer, Andy Christensen, Diana Kalisz, and Greg Morris.

Shannon VanDeren, AMUG’s President, added, “Joe Allison has played a pivotal role in the industry over more than three decades. AMUG is recognising him with this award for his impact on the industry and its users. That impact extends back to the earliest days of the technology, and his continued contributions of knowledge and input carry us further with each day.”

Allison made significant advancements in Stereolithography during this time at 3D Systems, which led to 12 patents over three years. In 1991, he co-founded Solid Concepts, reportedly one of the first Additive Manufacturing service bureaus. As the CEO of Solid Concepts for 24 years, Allison led the company in championing the adoption of various additive technologies for prototyping and, ultimately, for end-use production.

Allison contributed to innovative technologies, such as the world’s first automated support generation software, Bridgeworks, for Stereolithography and the first universal CAD viewer, SolidView. These programmes significantly increased the accessibility to Additive Manufacturing and fuelled its adoption.

Other Solid Concepts achievements included being the first third-party supplier to Boeing for flight-certified Selective Laser Sintering parts, perfecting and championing the application of Direct Metal Laser Sintering for prototyping and production.

By the time Stratasys acquired it in 2014, Solid Concepts had grown to become the world’s largest additively manufactured parts supplier. With millions of unique parts being manufactured under his leadership, Allison reportedly played a vital role in the global adoption of Additive Manufacturing to revolutionise manufacturing processes across various industries.

For nearly four years, Allison served as CEO of Stratasys Direct Manufacturing and Executive Vice President of Stratasys. In those roles, he oversaw the integration of Solid Concepts, Harvest Technologies (another acquisition), and Stratasys’ RedEye service bureau to achieve substantial revenue growth.

Allison said, “In both of those roles, I continued my career’s work to enable agile production technologies through the integration of 3D printing with conventional manufacturing processes.” He continued, “Success demands an appreciation of how and when to apply them and securing qualifications for production applications.”

Bruce LeMaster, AMUG’s Director at Large, said, “Joe has been a role model for me since I entered the industry in 1996. On my first trip to Valencia for training at 3D Systems, I slipped away to visit Joe and his team at Solid Concepts. I was blown away by his expertise and willingness to share. Since then, he has always been willing to help out and give advice when asked. He is truly deserving of the AMUG Innovators Award.”

After departing Stratasys, Allison co-founded 3D Ventures, a venture capital group. He is currently a principal for the group and has seeded over a dozen startups in the Additive Manufacturing space. Allison is also Chairman of the Board for Evolve Additive Solutions, an organisation he led as CEO for two years during the launch of its new Additive Manufacturing technology. Most recently, he took on the CEO role at Gentle Giant Studios.

Throughout his career, Allison received numerous honours, including recognition by Inc. 5000 for leading one of America’s fastest-growing private companies. He also received two AMUG Distinguished Innovator Operator (DINO) Awards for his contributions to both Stereolithography and Selective Laser Sintering technologies in their early stages of development. From 1996 to 2000, Allison served on AMUG’s executive board.

On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, Allison will take the stage for a casual, conversational interview during the AMUG Conference. In this Innovators Showcase, he will respond to questions asked by the host with the intent of getting to know the person behind the innovations and gaining guidance from his experiences. The Innovators Showcase is structured as an intimate conversation between two acquaintances witnessed by AMUG Conference attendees.

www.amug.com

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Companies & MarketsNews
October 10, 2024

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