Vote for the TCT Top 20

TCT is 20 years old - gulp - that makes me feel old. 

As part of its celebrations to mark this anniversary the magazine is currently taking votes from readers and the industry at large to find the Top 20 Influencers to the Additive Manufacturing industry (no mention of 3D printing but I think 3D printing people will get voted anyway!). The results are to be published in an upcoming issue.. This is a great feature — last carried out 5 years ago for the 15 year anniversary — and over a 1000 votes were cast back then. With the explosion of online activities and social media in particular, I would expect the vote numbers to be exponentially higher this time round. I will be very keen to see the results too, so much has changed in just five years in this vibrant industry, which continues to evolve apace.

I urge you to vote, and, if, like me, you want to recognise the work of more than one of the many fantastic individuals within this industry that dedicate their careers to driving it forward technologically and/or help people to understand it, you can vote more than once, although the Editor might frown at you a little (sorry Jim). I've voted three times. After which I kept thinking of more people that I really should vote for too. But I've made my choices and I'll stick to them. However, below is a list of people that I think will make the grade based on the work they have done in the last five years, although it should be noted that one has left the industry recently and one (maybe two) is due to formally retire. 

Can't wait to see if I get close:

In alphabetical order ie not my preference order or where I think they will come in TCT's Top 20 line up.

Adrian Bowyer, Bath University / RepRap

Phill Dickens, Loughborough Univeristy

Todd Grimm, T.A. Grimm & Associates

Lisa Harouni,  Digital Forming

Dan Johns, Bloodhound

Hod Lipson, Cornell University

Jason Lopes, Legacy Effects

Gary Miller, IPF

Vanessa Palsenberg, iMaterialise

Bre Pettis, Makerbot

Jeremy Pullin, Renishaw

Julie Reece, previously ZCorporation

Abe Reichental, 3D Systems

Martin Stevens, A1 Technologies

Scott Summit, Bespoke Innovations

Graham Tromans, GP Tromans & Associates

Wilfried Vancraen, Materialise

Peter Weijmarshausen, Shapeways

Terry Wohlers, Wohlers & Associates