Hunma Khan founded Astro Mechanical Testing Lab to create a testing and qualification lab specific to Additive Manufacturing. Her customers are most of the notable firms in New Space, defense and government that work in 3D printing. That kind of success did not come overnight though. Humna spent years at SpaceX, NASA JPL and at the US Air Force. In this episode of the 3DPOD, Humna tells us of her journey in 3D printing and space technology. It´s a fascinating tale and we hope you enjoy it as well.

Ian Yang is the founder of Gantri, a startup which uses desktop 3D printers to make lamps. We love Gantri because it deploys 3D printing for consumer products and is one of very few firms to do so. Gantri is pushing our technology into your living room and bedroom. So, how does the company manage to do that? We follow the company's path, software, and design sensibility. We look at how they use 3D printers that you may have at home and tried to make their own. Ian tells us why they manufacture in California, even though it's expensive, and what they do to make their lights look so good. This episode details the future of a much expanded technology. This is a must listen!

Frank Herzog, alongside his wife, commercialized Concept Laser. The firm was later sold to GE to become the core of GE Additive, and Frank stuck around to build out GE's operations in Lichtenfels. Later, Frank and Co. started an R&D center, a seed capital fund and a Venture Capital firm all united under the HZG Group. Frank tells us his extraordinary tale of family and entrepreneurship. We learn of his principles and what he thinks make companies successful. We could have easily spoken with Frank for a few hours more and really enjoyed this show.

Meld is one of the most exciting metal 3D printing startups out there. Its additive friction stir deposition is a solid-state process that can print very large metal parts that no other technology can without the use of a chamber. On this episode of the 3DPOD, we have a veteran guest returning. Tim Bell, Chief Operating Officer at MELD Manufacturing Corporation, returns to us to explain the technology and the company. We talk about the possibilities and the applications, including making gradient parts and new alloys. We also discuss huge tank hulls and Navy parts in this episode about a very different kind of metal 3D printing.

Ben Schrauwen was a Professor of Machine Learning who also had a few startups under his belt when joined Autodesk and worked on the CAD giant's 3D printing software. He then started Oqton, a software firm later sold to 3D Systems. In this episode of the 3DPOD, Ben goes into depth with us to explain machine learning, AI and the opportunities there. I really enjoyed his explanations of machine learning and what it is and isn't. He then goes on to talk about Oqton and the future of 3D printing.

Scott Volk has deep experience in additive and, over the decades, he's stood at the forefront of polymer and metal implementations, working for such firms as Incodema3D and GPI Prototype. Upon leaving Keselowski Advanced Manufacturing, where he served as Vice President of Business Development & Strategy, in 2022, Scott's a free agent via his own firm, Advanced Additive Innovations Inc. Now, he can speak freely and he does so extensively in this episode of the 3DPOD. We get a well-informed, no-holds-barred look at 3D printing through his eyes and experience.

Martin Eichenhofer took his research from ETH Zurich and turned it into an exciting startup, 9T Labs, which hopes to make its two step carbon fiber 3D printing technique suitable for large-scale volume production of programmable carbon fiber components. Carbon fiber and other CFRP parts could replace metal, make elements lighter, and represent a new method for altering the form factor of many objects today. Bikes, drones, and consumer electronics could be just some of the areas impacted. In this episode of the 3DPOD, Martin takes us through the founding of his startup and how the company is developing, including how it is working on more sustainable composites.

Matt Smith started his firm TCPoly while he was a researcher at the Georgia Institute of Technology. He parlayed this small business into manufacturing filament that is thermally, but not electrically conductive conductive. With a thermal conductivity of 6 W/m-K, TCPoly filament can be used to create structures with properties that other parts simply cannot have. TCPoly has expanded to manufacturer panels that could help keep large buildings cool.

Matt's story is one that really illustrates how tough it is to get something really innovative going in the world of technology. It also demonstrates how, while 3D printing filament might be a good thing in itself, much better heat management for buildings could be even better.

As Head of Business Development, Marketing and Sales, Ole von Seelen has been helping trinckle 3D grow in the 3D printing space for years now. Starting out as a package for managing online services, the firm expanded to become a productivity software until pivoting again to become a customization software vendor. Now armed with investment from the HZG Group, it wants to accelerate its growth into making mass customization and personalization easy for anyone to do. On this episode of the 3DPOD, we get a great look inside the goals and strategy of trinckle 3D.

Samantha Snabes, co-founder of re:3D, is extremely humble, but as we dive into her story in this episode of the 3DPOD, we learn just how exciting, fascinating and fun her life has truly been. It is a story of high-speed entrepreneurship for good.

Max and I are swept away by her story and that of re:3D, which has brought a family of large- and medium-format 3D printers to life. re:3D's Gigabot systems have good intentions but are also being used in serious applications at NASA, Lockheed Martin and the Air Force.  And that’s not all. Beyond re:3D, Samantha is an IEEE Member and currently volunteers as the Global Chair of the IEEE Entrepreneurship Steering Committee.