The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) presented its prestigious DINO (Distinguished INnovator Operator) Award for additive manufacturing expertise and service to six individuals at the 37th annual AMUG Conference held March 15-19, 2026, in Reno, Nevada. AMUG representatives presented the DINO Awards in recognition of tenure in the additive manufacturing industry, years of service, contributions to the industry, and active support of AMUG and its conference.
The newly named AMUG DINOs are Dr. Olga Ivanova (Mechnano), Daniel Landgraf (3D Spark), Brian Post (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Chris Prue (IperionX), John Thiell (Beehive Industries), and Annie Wang (Senvol). AMUG’s guiding principle is ‘For Users. By Users,’ and the newly named DINOs put this philosophy into action. Beyond the DINO Awards, AMUG also recognizes excellence in additive manufacturing applications and finishing techniques via the Technical Competition Awards.
AMUG 2026 Technical Competition Awardees
This year, a panel of industry veterans selected entries from REM Surface Engineering and B9Creations as Finishing & Post Processing and Advanced Concepts winners, respectively. Twelve AMUG DINOs comprised the judging panel. AMUG Members also selected REM Surface Engineering’s entry as the Members’ Choice winner.
Corey Wardrop, Technical Competition Committee Chair, sahred, “There were a lot of firsts this year. The categories were modified. The venue was new, as was the Technical Competition space, and many of the entrants were first-time competitors or even first-time AMUG attendees. We’ve come to expect exceptional creativity and expertise in the competition, but equally impressive is the courage and initiative shown by the competitors.”
Joshua Boykin (left) and Ethan Hartmann (right) with their winning entries.
The Finishing & Post Processing Category
Joshua Boykin, Ph.D., a senior research chemist with REM Surface Engineering, submitted the winning entry in the Finishing & Post Processing category. Boykin’s entry, titled “Breaking the Powder Barrier: Selective Chemical Declogging Enables Truly Free AM Design,” presented a production-ready chemical process that selectively removes stubborn, sintered powder from fully enclosed internal passages in metal powder bed fusion components without degrading critical thin-wall geometries. Validated through high-resolution X-ray CT analysis, the work demonstrated near-complete powder removal, preservation of structural integrity, and restoration of functional flow paths in complex TPMS-based heat exchanger architectures.
By overcoming one of additive manufacturing’s most persistent post-processing limitations, this approach expanded the feasible design envelope for high-performance thermal systems and established a scalable pathway for broader adoption across the aerospace and industrial sectors.
The Advanced Concepts Category
Ethan Hartmann, solutions engineer at B9Creations, submitted the winning entry for Advanced Concepts. His entry, “Additive-Enabled Miniature Silicone Component Manufacturing via Sacrificial Tooling,” demonstrated a novel workflow for producing true platinum-cure silicone components at the microscale using high-resolution DLP printing and silicone-safe soluble tooling.
The process enabled the creation of complex internal geometries and fine features of a few hundred microns in size—capabilities not achievable through traditional molding methods. Through careful development of print parameters, sacrificial mold design, and silicone processing techniques, the work achieved consistent mold filling, dimensional control, and repeatable part quality.
By leveraging a combination of commercially available materials in a highly engineered workflow, this approach expanded the practical manufacturing envelope for micro-scale silicone components. It highlighted the impact of additive manufacturing in enabling previously unmanufacturable geometries.
You can learn more about AMUG here. What do you think of the projects? Let us know in a comment below or on our LinkedIn or Facebook pages! Plus, don’t forget to sign up for our free weekly Newsletter to get the latest 3D printing news straight to your inbox. You can also find all our videos on our YouTube channel.
*Cover Image: Award recipients (from left): Chris Prue, Brian Post, Annie Wang, Olga Ivanova, Daniel Landgraf, and John Thiell. Photo Credit: AMUG