Chuck Hull

Chuck Hull was born on May 12, 1939, in Clifton, Colorado, the son of Lester and Esther Hull. His early life was spent in Clifton and Gateway, Colorado. He graduated from Central High School in Grand Junction, Colorado. He received a Bachelor of Science in engineering physics from the University of Colorado in 1961.{{cite web|last=3DSYSTEMS|title=Charles W. Hull Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer|url=http://www.3dsystems.com/files/downloads/3D-Systems-Charles-W-Hull-Executive-Bio.pdf|access-date=17 May 2014}} He is also a distinguished alumnus of Colorado Mesa University.{{Cite web|title=Distinguished Alumni – Colorado Mesa University|url=https://www.supportingcmu.com/distinguished-alumni|access-date=2021-11-09|website=www.supportingcmu.com}}

Hull first came up with the idea in 1983 when he was using UV light to harden tabletop coatings.{{cite news|last=Ponsford|first=Matthew|title=The night I invented 3D printing'\|url=http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/13/tech/innovation/the-night-i-invented-3d-printing-chuck-hall/|access-date=14 February 2014|newspaper=Cable News Network|date=14 February 2014}} But on July 16, 1984, Alain Le Méhauté, Olivier de Witte and Jean Claude André filed their patent for the stereolithography process.{{Cite news

|first = Andre

|last = Jean-Claude

|title = Disdpositif pour realiser un modele de piece industrielle

|newspaper = National De La Propriete Industrielle

|url = http://bases-brevets.inpi.fr/fr/document/FR2567668/publications.html }} It was three weeks before Hull filed his own patent for stereolithography. The application of French inventors were abandoned by the French General Electric Company (now Alcatel-Alsthom) and CILAS (The Laser Consortium).{{Cite web|url = http://3dprint.com/65466/reflections-alain-le-mehaute/|title = 3dprint.com|date = May 15, 2015|access-date = |website = Alain Le Méhauté, The Man Who Submitted Patent For SLA 3D Printing Before Chuck Hull|publisher = |last = Mendoza|first = Hannah Rose}} The claimed reason was "for lack of business perspective".{{Cite news

|first = Alexandre

|last = Moussion

|title = Interview d'Alain Le Méhauté, l'un des pères de l'impression 3D

|newspaper = Primante 3D

|date = 2014

|url = http://www.primante3d.com/inventeur }} Hull coined the term "stereolithography" in his {{US Patent|4575330}} entitled "Apparatus for Production of Three-Dimensional Objects by Stereolithography" issued on March 11, 1986.[https://patents.google.com/patent/US4575330 U.S. Patent 4,575,330 ("Apparatus for Production of Three-Dimensional Objects by Stereolithography")] He defined stereolithography as a method and apparatus for making solid objects by successively "printing" thin layers of the ultraviolet curable material one on top of the other.

In Hull's patent, a concentrated beam of ultraviolet light is focused onto the surface of a vat filled with liquid photopolymer. The light beam, moving under computer control, draws each layer of the object onto the surface of the liquid. Wherever the beam strikes the surface, the photopolymer polymerizes/crosslinks and changes to a solid. An advanced CAD/CAM/CAE software mathematically slices the computer model of the object into a large number of thin layers. The process then builds the object layer by layer starting with the bottom layer, on an elevator that is lowered slightly after solidification of each layer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.photopolymer.com/stereolithography.htm |title=Stereolithography |access-date=2008-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080214125415/http://www.photopolymer.com/stereolithography.htm |archive-date=2008-02-14 |url-status=dead }}

In 1986, commercial rapid prototyping was started by Hull when he founded 3D Systems in Valencia, California.{{Cite web|url=http://www.wtec.org/pdf/rp_vi.pdf|title=Rapid prototyping in Europe and Japan|last=|first=|date=|website=|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830061713/http://www.wtec.org/pdf/rp_vi.pdf|archive-date=2017-08-30|access-date=2019-10-23}} He realized that his concept was not limited to liquids and therefore gave it the generic name "stereolithography" (3D printing),[https://web.archive.org/web/20120425045548/http://www.labgrab.com/timeline/event/first-3d-printer-3d-systems History of 3D] and filed broad patent claims covering any "material capable of solidification" or "material capable of altering its physical state".

Hull built up a patent portfolio covering many fundamental aspects of today's additive manufacturing technologies such as data preparation via triangulated models (STL file format) and slicing, and exposure strategies such as alternating hatch directions.[https://web.archive.org/web/20060820222043/http://bettamachinetools.com.au/dls/HistoryanddevelopementofDMLS_net.pdf Microsoft Word – LANE-2004-EOS-DMLS.doc]

The salary for his role as 3D Systems CTO was $307,500 in 2011.{{cite news |title=Charles W. Hull Profile |url=https://people.forbes.com/profile/charles-w-hull/135 |work=Forbes |access-date=28 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120505184431/http://people.forbes.com/profile/charles-w-hull/135 |archive-date=5 May 2012 |url-status=dead }}

• 2014 winner of the European Inventor Award in the Non-European countries category[http://www.epo.org/learning-events/european-inventor/finalists/2014/hull.html Invention: 3D printing (stereolithography)] awarded by the European Patent Office
• 2015 winner of the Industrial Research Institute's IRI Achievement Award for his invention of stereolithography.
• 2020 winner of the Royal Photographic Society Progress Medal.{{cite web |url=https://rps.org/news/bristol/2020/october/rps-awards-2020/ |title=RPS Awards 2020 Recipients Announced |quote=The Progress Medal is given to Charles (Chuck) Hull, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of 3D Systems in recognition of his invention of stereolithography, the first commercial 3D printing technology. |last=Lee |first=Rebecca |date=21 October 2020 |access-date=6 April 2021}}
• 2023 Recipient of National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President Joe Biden for outstanding contributions to America’s economic, environmental, and social well-being.{{Cite web |date=2023-10-26 |title=3D Systems’ Co-founder & Chief Technology Officer, Chuck Hull, Awarded National Medal of Technology and Innovation {{!}} 3D Systems |url=https://www.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-co-founder-chief-technology-officer-chuck-hull-awarded-national-medal |access-date=2024-06-27 |website=www.3dsystems.com |language=en}}
• 2025 Election to National Academy of Engineering for his invention of stereolithography.

• [http://www.3dsystems.com 3D Systems Web site: http://www.3dsystems.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20120505184431/http://people.forbes.com/profile/charles-w-hull/135 Forbes Magazine Profile, Charles W. Hull https://www.forbes.com]
• [https://archive.today/20120711074157/http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/people/person.asp?personId=308410&ticker=DDD:US Executive Profile: Charles W. Hull, http://www.businessweek.com]

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Category:1939 births

Category:Living people

Category:21st-century American engineers

Category:University of Colorado alumni

Category:American chief technology officers