May 07, 2025 Tuan Tranpham shares his extraordinary journey from Vietnamese refugee to 3D printing industry leader, offering unique insights on industry evolution, technological innovation, and future trends. His global perspective bridges Eastern and Western manufacturing approaches while highlighting opportunities in continuous carbon fiber printing and microfactory development.
About our Guest:
Tuan TranPham is a passionate 3D Printing advocate and consultant at Additive Industries, and prior to that he spend 20+ years working for nine (9) of the largest 3D printing companies, such as Z Corp, 3D Systems, Objet, Stratasys, Arcam (a GE company), Desktop Metal, Arevo, Azul 3D and Anisoprint.
Tuan possesses a unique perspective and insight on 3D printing applications, challenges, opportunities, technologies and trends. Tuan is extensively connected within the 3D printing industry and has over 42,000+ LinkedIN followers. He was recently presented a Distinguished INnovator Operators award, known as “the DINO Award” within the 3D Printing Industry in 2019 by his peers.
Tuan earned a Business (Export) Engineering degree from the Danish Technical University (DTU) and gained business experience while working in Denmark, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam and the United States.
He speaks Danish, English and Vietnamese. Tuan is based in Exeter, New Hampshire where he lives with his wife Thao and son Sebastien.
Fun fact: He has travelled and completed all “7 Wonders of the World” – both the new and the old ones.
🎙 Episode Summary:
In this episode, we sit down with Tuan TranPham, a globally recognized 3D printing strategist with over two decades of experience in the additive manufacturing industry. Tuan shares his powerful personal and professional journey from his beginnings as a Vietnamese refugee in Denmark to holding key roles at Z Corp, 3D Systems, Stratasys, and Desktop Metal.
We explored his views on China’s surging 3D printing innovations, the convergence of 3D printing with AI and robotics, and his bold predictions for decentralized micro-factories. Tuan also discusses the power of personal branding through knowledge-sharing, which has helped him reach over 12 million viewers globally on LinkedIn.
🧠 Key Takeaways:
- 22+ years in additive manufacturing, with roles at Z Corporation, 3D Systems, Stratasys, and Desktop Metal
- Rising innovation from TCT Asia suggests China may outpace the West in AM
- Exciting future for AM through integration with robotics, AI, and decentralized manufacturing
- LinkedIn is a vital platform for building thought leadership and global reach
- Strategic insights into past and ongoing M&A activities, including Nano Dimension
🔍 Episode Topics:
🌍 Tuan’s Background
- From Vietnamese refugee to global AM leader
- Transition from semiconductors to 3D printing after discovering Z Corp technology
🏭 Industry Consolidation
- The impact of major mergers:
- The latest acquisition moves from Nano Dimension
🧪 Emerging 3D Printing Technologies
- Rapid Liquid Printing (RLP) – no post-processing required
- Manifest (formerly Vitro3D) – early-stage rotational volumetric additive manufacturing
- Bontech – multi-material printing with modular tool changers
🇨🇳 Innovation in China
- Tuan’s insights from TCT Asia
- How Chinese 3D printing and EV companies are disrupting Western incumbents like EOS and HP
💡 Building a Personal Brand
- Tuan TranPham’s LinkedIn – 12M+ views and 112K+ engagements
- Tuan’s formula: “Be brave. Share knowledge. Give more than you take.”
🤖 The Future: Automated Micro-Factories
- Vision of decentralized, AI-enabled production
- Micro-factories housed in shipping containers—scalable, mobile, and autonomous
📌 Resources & Follow-up:
- 🔗 Public slide deck (Link)
- 🌐 Tuan TranPham on LinkedIn
- 🗓 Follow-up episode planned on micro-factory technology and implementation
- Books recommendations from Jenny:
⚠️ Disclaimer:
This podcast is for educational and informational purposes only. The views expressed do not constitute medical, legal, or investment advice. Emerging technologies discussed may not be FDA-approved or commercially available. Please consult professionals before applying any information shared in this episode.
Related Links:
The 3D Frontier of Medical Devices: A Conversation With Sam Onukuri (podcast)
Episode #83 Show Notes: Ceramics, Conferences, and the Future of 3D Printing With Craig Rosenblum
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