HOLLYWOOD, FLA. -- The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) announced that Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group (MTDG) has elevated its participation from Participating Member to Principal Member. As part of this expanded leadership role, Dean Bartles, Ph.D., CEO of MTDG has joined the AMGTA Board of Directors.

Principal Membership represents AMGTA’s highest level of engagement and is reserved for organizations demonstrating sustained leadership, strategic alignment, and a commitment to advancing sustainable and resilient manufacturing practices globally. As a Principal Member, MTDG will take on an expanded role in shaping AMGTA’s strategic direction, governance, and industry collaboration initiatives.

Dean Bartles brings decades of leadership across advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and industrial transformation. While widely recognized for his deep expertise in additive manufacturing, Bartles’ experience extends across the broader advanced manufacturing ecosystem - providing critical perspective on how additive technologies integrate into larger production systems and economic strategies.

“Dean brings an exceptional combination of technical depth and ecosystem-level perspective,” said Sherri Monroe, Executive Director of AMGTA. “Additive manufacturing does not operate in isolation - it is part of a broader advanced manufacturing landscape. Dean understands that integration, and his insight will strengthen our ability to advance sustainability conversations that are both ambitious and grounded in industrial reality.”

AMGTA is the only independent, global organization bringing together companies across the manufacturing ecosystem to elevate and advance the conversation around 3D printing and additive manufacturing practices for improved environmental, economic, and resource-efficient outcomes. In an increasingly volatile and uncertain business climate, commercial 3D printing and additive practices are being adopted as critical technologies - supporting everything from new product design to reducing standing inventory costs and obsolescence.

Additive manufacturing technologies are now present across a wide range of applications, from medical implants and consumer electronics to aerospace, industrial products, and defense. Collectively referred to as additive manufacturing or AM, these technologies are enabling businesses to be more responsive, innovative, economically viable, and sustainable. Today - and increasingly in the future - the unique capabilities enabled by commercial 3D printing and additive practices are fundamentally changing how organizations compete and succeed in a rapidly evolving global economy.

“AMGTA’s mission sits at the intersection of innovation and responsibility,” said Brian Neff, Chair of the AMGTA Board of Directors. “Dean’s leadership experience across advanced manufacturing strengthens our Board at a strategic level. His ability to connect additive technologies to broader industrial transformation efforts will be invaluable as we guide AMGTA’s next phase of impact.”

“Additive manufacturing is a transformative capability within advanced manufacturing,” said Dean Bartles, CEO of MTDG. “I am honored to join the AMGTA Board and support its work in advancing sustainable, economically viable manufacturing practices. The industry has an opportunity - and responsibility - to ensure that additive technologies contribute meaningfully to long-term resilience and competitiveness.”

Dean Bartles’ appointment is effective February 1, 2026.