Who shaped the additive manufacturing market in 2019?

The year 2019 is coming to an end, with good results for the additive manufacturing market. This market is becoming increasingly industrialized because the technology is becoming a production-ready process, less reliant on rapid prototyping activity like it was 3 years ago. This growth is being driven by many players, companies and personalities who have made their mark on this sector through their research, innovation and desire to move additive manufacturing around the world. It’s time to look back on the 12 personalities who have left their mark on 3D printing in 2019!

The Israeli research team at the service of bioprinting

We will start our selection not with one person in particular but with a whole team of Israeli scientists who 3D printed a human heart the size of a rabbit’s heart. The organ was designed using human blood vessels and tissue, a first in the medical world! Tal Dvir led the project: at the time, he told us that “In the next 10 years, I hope there will be organ printers in the best hospitals in the world and that these procedures will be performed routinely.” There are still many challenges ahead, but this is a huge step forward in bioprinting and health care.

Randy Altschuler, CEO of Xometry

In 2017, the Xometry startup was one of our 3D startups of the month, aiming to facilitate on-demand production by connecting engineers and designers to manufacturers close to them. Two years later, Xometry raised over $50 million, driven by the vision of its CEO, Randy Altschuler. He explained that these funds would be invested “in growth, product development and global expansion initiatives.” A few months later, the US company acquired the German company Shift, Europe’s largest custom manufacturing market. A fine example of growth!