The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced its keynote speakers for the 2023 AMUG Conference, which will be held in Chicago, Illinois, from March 19-23, 2023.

Co-presenters Robert Ducey of LAIKA Studios and Nicholas Jacobson of the University of Colorado’s Anschutz Medical Campus will take the stage on Tuesday, March 21. Max Haot of Launcher will address the audience on Thursday, March 23.

Ducey and Jacobson will present “Collaborations Between an Animator, an Architect, and a Surgeon: The Keys to Impactful Innovation in Medicine.” This collaboration has resulted in innovative designs for pediatric epilepsy, cardiology and cleft palate. Ducey’s work with additive manufacturing began with LAIKA’s first feature film, “Coraline.” The team pioneered additive manufacturing for the facial animations of main characters in a stop-motion production. Ducey received a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 2016. He is responsible for integrating additive manufacturing technology with LAIKA’s production processes, which are used on the company’s sixth feature film, “Wildwood.”

Jacobson’s work involves the development of novel solutions for complex surgeries, leveraging disparate computational methods from fields including architecture, animation, fashion, regenerative medicine and structural engineering. Jacobson’s work focuses on patient-specific needs in diagnostics, prosthetics and implants. He has worked with over 50 surgeons in operating rooms to understand the opportunities for new and creative designs. Jacobson designed buildings for aerospace, residential, music and medical uses.

Haot, founder and CEO of Launcher, will share an overview of the breakthrough additive manufacturing innovations in Launcher’s E-2 liquid rocket engine and the Orbiter space tug programs. Haot founded Launcher in 2017 to develop the world’s most efficient rockets and transfer vehicles for delivery of small satellites to orbit.

Rounding out the featured stage presentations are Insights and Highlights on Monday, March 20, and the Innovators Showcase on Wednesday, March 22. The keynotes and featured presentations will kickstart each day of the conference and set the tone for nearly 200 presentations, panel discussions, workshops and hands-on training sessions.

For more information, visit www.amug.com.