b. 1939
Chuck Hull
United StatesManufacturing
Background
An American engineer and co-founder of 3D Systems.
Contribution
Invented stereolithography (SLA), patenting the process in the 1980s and originating the STL file format that underpins much of additive manufacturing.
Popular credit vs. the record
Widely credited with '3D printing', but comparable photopolymer methods were developed independently (e.g. Hideo Kodama), and other processes (SLS, FDM) arose separately.
Associated inventions
Collaborators & contemporaries
Sources & further reading
Each citation names the publisher and the exact reference title.
- Engineering and Technology History Wiki (ETHW)IEEE / United Engineering Foundation · Professional body
- United States Patent and Trademark Office — patent recordsUSPTO · Government / archive
Direct source link pending editorial verification.