Evolve Additive Solutions Names Jeff Blank New CEO

Evolve Additive Solutions, provider of industrial 3D printing solutions, is entering a new era in its leadership by appointing Jeff Blank as its new chief executive officer (CEO), which it says follows a successful two-year term served by former CEO and industry veteran Joe Allison.

Under Allison’s leadership, Evolve achieved significant product advancements and early commercial growth. He joined Evolve as CEO in early 2022 and guided the company through numerous, pivotal milestones, including the appointment of Jeff Blank as the company’s president and COO, chartering him with delivery of hardware, software and materials products. Evolve lauds these achievements as Allison transitions to become chairman of its board of directors. 

Experienced Industry Veteran

Blank brings a wealth of experience to his new role. He is an industry veteran with experience in both 2D and 3D printing spanning over three decades. Blank has a diverse engineering and business background with a master’s of science in mechanical engineering from Stanford University and an MBA from the University of Portland. After spending nearly 20 years delivering 2D printers for Tektronix and Xerox Corp., Blank joined 3D Systems to lead all engineering and product delivery organizations, and initiatives worldwide. After that and just prior to joining Evolve, he served as COO for NanoVox/Vadient Optics. The company says Blank specializes in architecting and developing reliable, transformative products and solutions, and scaling them from concept to commercial success.

This experience combines with the positive impact Blank has made during his existing tenure at Evolve is said to ensure continuity in strong leadership and a seamless transition to CEO. 

“I joined Evolve two years ago because I believe in the combination of our technology and people — and their unique abilities to address critical gaps in scaling additive manufacturing for production,” Blank says. “Evolve, and our STEP Technology, are at the beginning of an incredible journey to deliver immense value in manufacturing. My vision is that soon we will see STEP on factory floors right alongside injection molding machines.” 

Additive Innovator

Allison’s career in additive manufacturing (AM) began in 1987 as an R&D engineer at 3D Systems. He went on to pursue entrepreneurial passions and founded Solid Concepts, one of the earliest and over time, one of the largest, 3D printing and manufacturing service bureaus in the world, where he served as CEO for over 23 years before selling the business to Stratasys in 2014. He has dedicated more than 35 years to spearheading practical demonstrations of new software, printing and manufacturing processes, and materials to meet the requirements of challenging applications. In recent years, Joe has been an active investor and advisor to many companies in the AM space, including Evolve Additive Solutions. Joe earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Southern California and remains a prominent and active figure in the industry.

A Solutions Company

Founded in 2017, Evolve Additive Solutions offers AM production equipment, materials, software, parts production, application and consulting services. Evolve enables manufacturing flexibility, creating uniquely functional products while increasing speed to market and efficiency securing supply chains. Evolve’s patented STEP technology is able to efficiently produce commercial-grade production parts and create unique products that cannot be manufactured with traditional methods.