Charles Hull on 3D printing
From Printing What’s Possible: The Chuck Hull Story · · National Inventors Hall of Fame - NIHF
“I did it, Anntionette. I cracked the code. And the world as we know it will never be the same.”
On , Charles Hull, Co-Founder, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer of Regenerative Medicine & Director Emeritus at 3D SYSTEMS CORP, spoke about 3D printing during Printing What’s Possible: The Chuck Hull Story on National Inventors Hall of Fame - NIHF.
About Charles Hull
Charles Hull, co-founder and chief technology officer of 3D Systems, has continued to discuss the origins and evolution of 3D printing, which he invented in 1983. Hull has described how he developed stereolithography while working at a company that used ultraviolet light to cure coatings, realizing he could stack thin layers of cured plastic to create prototype parts. He has said that he filed for a patent in 1984 and was granted U.S. Patent No. 4,575,330 in 1986, and that he subsequently founded 3D Systems. Hull has noted that the technology was initially used for rapid prototyping in industries such as automotive, but has since expanded into healthcare, dental, jewelry, and direct manufacturing. Hull has spoken about the company's Figure 4 technology, which he has described as a fast, modular printing system designed for automated plastic production. He has stated that the system can produce millions of parts per year and that it is intended to be competitive with plastic injection molding. Hull has also commented on the broader impact of 3D printing, saying that it provides a link between the digital and physical worlds and that it has opened up new possibilities for innovation. He has expressed optimism about future applications, including regenerative medicine, and has said that "most things have not been invented yet."