Chuck Hull (Charles W. Hull; born May 12, 1939) is an American

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

who is the co-founder, executive vice president and chief technology officer for regenerative medicine of 3D Systems. He is one of the inventors of the SLA 3D printer, the first commercial

rapid prototyping Rapid prototyping is a group of techniques used to quickly fabricate a scale model of a physical part or assembly using three-dimensional computer aided design ( CAD) data. Construction of the part or assembly is usually done using 3D printing ...

technology, and the widely used STL file format. He is named on more than 60 U.S. patents as well as other patents around the world in the fields of ion optics and

. He was inducted into the

National Inventors Hall of Fame The National Inventors Hall of Fame (NIHF) is an American not-for-profit organization, founded in 1973, which recognizes individual engineers and inventors who hold a US patent of significant technology. Besides the Hall of Fame, it also operate ...

in 2014 and in 2017 was one of the first inductees into the TCT Hall of Fame. Hull was elected to the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American Nonprofit organization, nonprofit, NGO, non-governmental organization. It is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), along with the National Academ ...

in February of 2025.

Early life

Chuck Hull was born on May 12, 1939, in Clifton,

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, 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 The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, the University of Colorado Denver, and the U ...

in 1961. He is also a distinguished alumnus of Colorado Mesa University.

Beginnings of stereolithography

Hull first came up with the idea in 1983 when he was using UV light to harden tabletop coatings. But on July 16, 1984, Alain Le Méhauté, Olivier de Witte and Jean Claude André filed their patent for the stereolithography process. 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). The claimed reason was "for lack of business perspective". Hull coined the term "stereolithography" in his entitled "Apparatus for Production of Three-Dimensional Objects by Stereolithography" issued on March 11, 1986. 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 A photopolymer or light-activated resin is a polymer that changes its properties when exposed to light, often in the ultraviolet or visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. These changes are often manifested structurally, for example harde ...

. 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.

Commercial rapid prototyping

In 1986, commercial

was started by Hull when he founded 3D Systems in

Valencia, California Valencia is an unincorporated community in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The area, west of Interstate 5, is expanding with residential development and already includes major commercial and industrial parks. It stra ...

. He realized that his concept was not limited to liquids and therefore gave it the generic name "stereolithography" (

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

), 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 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

technologies such as data preparation via triangulated models (STL file format) and slicing, and exposure strategies such as alternating hatch directions. The salary for his role as 3D Systems CTO was $307,500 in 2011.

Recognition

*2014 winner of the

European Inventor Award The European Inventor Award (formerly European Inventor of the Year Award, renamed in 2010), are presented annually by the European Patent Office, sometimes supported by the respective Presidency of the Council of the European Union and by the Eur ...

in the Non-European countries category awarded by the

European Patent Office The European Patent Office (EPO) is one of the two organs of the European Patent Organisation (EPOrg), the other being the Administrative Council. The EPO acts as executive body for the organisation

*2015 winner of the

Industrial Research Institute Innovation Research Interchange (IRI) is a division of the National Association of Manufacturers, a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit association based in Washington, D. C., United States. IRI was founded as a private non-profit association in 1938 ...

's IRI Achievement Award for his invention of

stereolithography Stereolithography (SLA or SL; also known as vat photopolymerisation, optical fabrication, photo-solidification, or resin printing) is a form of 3D printing technology used for creating models, prototypes, patterns, and production parts in a laye ...

. *2020 winner of the

Royal Photographic Society The Royal Photographic Society of Great Britain, commonly known as the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), is the world's oldest photographic society having been in continuous existence since 1853. It was founded in London, England, in 1853 as th ...

Progress Medal. *2023 Recipient of National Medal of Technology and Innovation awarded by President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

for outstanding contributions to America’s economic, environmental, and social well-being. *2025 Election to

for his invention of

References

External links

3D Systems Web site: http://www.3dsystems.com

Forbes Magazine Profile, Charles W. Hull https://www.forbes.com

Executive Profile: Charles W. Hull, http://www.businessweek.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Chuck 1939 births Living people 21st-century American engineers University of Colorado alumni American chief technology officers