SME 2020 Additive Manufacturing Industry Awards Recognize Leaders in Rapidly Expanding Technology

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Nov. 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- SME's 2020 Additive Manufacturing Industry Awards will celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of individuals, teams and companies that have had significant impact commercializing additive manufacturing Nov. 19 in a virtual ceremony from noon to 1:30 p.m. EST. The awards ceremony, which will be held with a chat-oriented Career Development Forum for college and university students, faculty members and early careerists, represents more than two decades of SME recognition of notable, innovate leaders in the field of additive manufacturing.

"Additive manufacturing earned well-deserved attention this year as the industry stepped up to lead during the nation's pandemic response," said Angela Szerlong, industry manager, additive manufacturing for SME. "Even in a year where so many manufacturers achieved so much, some accomplishments stood out above the rest; SME is proud to recognize these heroes as leaders and examples of the very best of the additive manufacturing industry."

Awards Recognize Exemplary Industry Contributors

Szerlong cited the three key awards to be presented at the Nov. 19 award ceremony, including:

    --  Industry Achievement Award recognizes an individual or team for
        outstanding accomplishments that have had significant impact with the
        application of additive manufacturing in any industry through the
        application of additive manufacturing technologies. The award recognizes
        implemented or deployed applications in a commercial/industrial
        environment rather than just research.
    --  Digital Manufacturing Challenge, a call for action to inspire the next
        generation of engineers to rethink ways to design, create and utilize
        infrastructure-level systems that deploy engineering design and
        manufacturing solutions to strengthen infrastructure in the response,
        mitigation and/or prevention of such disruptive and devastating events
        and envision an optimistic view of healthy, robust, sustainable, smart,
        agile, peaceful communities. This annual competition invites student
        designers to use their imagination to arrive at an innovative design,
        which explores the geometric capabilities of direct digital
        manufacturing (DDM) to the fullest. Entries are welcome from
        college/university students and high school students; both categories
        are judged separately.
    --  Dick Aubin Distinguished Paper Award, for a scholarly paper which
        describes an innovative application of additive manufacturing processes
        and techniques. The award recognizes the authors for their contribution
        of ideas and information to the 3D printing and additive manufacturing
        industry.

The ceremony will be conducted live after the event's co-featured Career Development Forum, which will be an informal career chat for college and university students, faculty members and early careerists.

Career Development Forum Does Something for Young Manufacturing Professionals

Leading off the virtual event will be an hour-long Career Development Forum, presented in an informal format. The career chat will be run by more of the additive manufacturing industry's leading experts, sharing their insights on where the industry is going and how the future generation of viewers can be part of the exciting growth ahead.

Moderators for the career chat will be Jennifer Coyne, additive manufacturing leader for Wabtec Corp. and John E. Barnes, founding ADDvisor, managing director and CEO of The Barnes Global Advisors. In addition, four panelists will participate in answering questions and sharing ideas related to careers in manufacturing. They include Christine Gebara, mechanical engineer, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Ross Cunningham, PhD, project manager - additive manufacturing, Messer LLC; Chelsea Cummings, senior ADDvisor, The Barnes Global Advisors; and Jonathan Harris, PhD, lead application engineer, nTopology Inc.

About SME

SME connects manufacturing professionals, academia and communities, sharing knowledge and resources to build inspired, educated and prosperous manufacturers and enterprises. With nearly 90 years of experience and expertise in events, media, membership, training and development, and also through the SME Education Foundation, SME is committed to promoting manufacturing technology, developing a skilled workforce and attracting future generations to advance manufacturing. Learn more at sme.org, follow @SME_MFG on Twitter or facebook.com/SMEmfg.

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SOURCE SME