Induction into the TCT Hall of Fame is considered one of the highest honors in the world of additive manufacturing. With this award, the British TCT Group honors individuals whose technical and scientific achievements have significantly shaped the development of 3D printing. The award is aimed at pioneers whose ideas have had an impact far beyond their own research and have set new standards in industry, science and society.
This year's award winners were announced at on June 4, 2025 as part of the TCT 3Sixty trade fair in Birmingham. The jury particularly praised Wilhelm Meiners for the lasting influence of the LPBF process on industrial production, the innovative power of the original patent and the continuous further development at Fraunhofer ILT.
The election to the Hall of Fame is a milestone and a signal: The early basic research in Aachen has found an international echo and raised additive manufacturing to a new level. Wilhelm Meiners is only the second German to receive this award: proof that the international community recognizes Fraunhofer ILT as a leading institute in the field of metallic 3D printing.
From doctoral project to key technology
At the end of the 1990s, Dr. Wilhelm Meiners was a doctoral student at Fraunhofer ILT researching the then fledgling idea of melting metal powder layer by layer using a laser. He developed the concept to industrial maturity and, together with Kurt Wissenbach and Andres Gasser, applied for the first patent for the process in 1996, which later became known as laser powder bed fusion (LPBF).
As a doctoral student, Meiners had the freedom to work experimentally in the first few years, without specific guidelines. This freedom was crucial for the breakthrough, as he emphasizes. "I would like to thank my team and the institute management at Fraunhofer ILT, who supported this idea, as well as the first users who believed in the process. It wasn't a sure-fire success; it didn't work straight away," recalls Meiners at the award ceremony in Birmingham.
The special practical relevance was part of the concept right from the start: Meiners and his team worked with industrially tested materials from the very beginning and adapted the process to them. This application-oriented perspective and the interplay of material, process and system technology shaped the research and laid the foundation for a success story that has now lasted for almost 30 years.
Long-term success through teamwork and technology transfer
The jury statement reads: "As a PhD student at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology, Wilhelm Meiners invented the groundbreaking Laser-Powder-Bed Fusion of Metals (PBF-LB/M) process, a cornerstone of modern metal additive manufacturing (AM). Over two decades, he developed machine technology and applications, making a significant contribution to the transition of rapid prototyping to AM."
Over three decades, the LPBF team at Fraunhofer ILT has continuously developed the technology, refining it and adapting it to new industrial requirements. This has resulted in machine designs with multiple lasers, optimized exposure strategies, automated process chains and a wide variety of materials, innovations that have continuously opened up new industrial applications. According to the AMPOWER Report, LPBF is one of the most relevant additive manufacturing processes today.
Many former companions have remained loyal to the process, today working as professors, department heads or managing directors of successful spin-offs. "We are well networked, meet regularly and exchange ideas," says Meiners. This continuity shows how well Fraunhofer’s concept – of transferring know-how through the finest minds – works.
Courage to confront the unknown: Research needs space
"This honor is a special distinction for Wilhelm and the entire team at Fraunhofer ILT, which has been driving the development of LPBF for decades," said Dr. Jochen Stollenwerk, Director of Fraunhofer ILT. "The international recognition shows the relevance of scientific pioneering work for industrial innovations and how important long-term research partnerships are for technology transfer."
The induction of Dr. Wilhelm Meiners into the TCT Hall of Fame is more than just a personal award. It exemplifies the staying power that technological breakthroughs require. It shows how a bold idea can become a manufacturing technology used worldwide.
Meiners wants to be a role model for young researchers: "I always have ideas, I still have the urge to try out new things, even if it is unclear whether they will actually work. I like to pass on this spirit. Fraunhofer ILT offers an excellent framework for real innovation – you just have to use it. What it takes is patience, perseverance and the joy of trying out new things."
New laser beam sources, advances in process monitoring or cycle-oriented material strategies open up further potential. Fraunhofer ILT will continue to work with partners from science and industry to make LPBF more productive, more sustainable and more widely accessible.
„Wilhelm did pioneering research and laid a foundation that we are still building on today, for the potential of LPBF is far from exhausted,“ said Dr. Tim Lantzsch, Head of Department Laser Powder Bed Fusion at Fraunhofer ILT. “We are working every day to make the technology more productive, sustainable and robust. For our team, this award is both a confirmation and an incentive to continue innovating.“
Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT