Belgian professor wins Bower Award for 3D printing research

Belgian professor Jean-Pierre Kruth has won the 2015 Bower Award and Prize for Achievement in Science, one of the most prestigious science awards in the United States.

Professor Kruth (pictured) leads a team in the University of Leuven’s mechanical engineering department, within the production engineering, machine design and automation section. He has been pioneering research on 3D printing – also called additive manufacturing – since it emerged in the 1990s.

The award is conferred every year by the Franklin Institute to a distinguished member of the international scientific community for work in a specific discipline, which changes annually. This year’s discipline was additive manufacturing. The award comes with a cash prize of $250,000 (€200,000).

According to the Bower Award jury, professor Kruth’s work has led to many technological innovations and several global companies. “His work has inspired further research, enabled the creation of many patents and built the foundation for others’ businesses,” the jury stated.

Among the companies to benefit from Kruth’s innovations are the KU Leuven spin-offs Materialise and LayerWise.