The Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) has announced one of its keynote speakers for the 2026 AMUG Conference.Ronen Hadar, Senior Director and Head of Additive Design and Manufacturing at LEGO, will give a keynote presentation on March 19, 2026.The full conference runs March 15–19 in Reno, Nevada.
Hadar has spent more than 15 years helping guide how LEGO develops and uses additive manufacturing (AM).His work spans technology development, innovation management, and long-term manufacturing strategy.He holds a PhD in design and product development, with a focus on future manufacturing methods, from the University of Southern Denmark.
At LEGO, he guides how the company adopts and scales AM, moving the technology beyond prototyping toward real production applications.Hadar’s work also includes building and developing the team responsible for additive design and advancing new ways of integrating 3D printing into LEGO’s processes.LEGO Icons Holiday Express Train set.
Image courtesy of LEGO.The news follows LEGO’s recent move into mass-produced 3D printed parts, specifically the printed element included in the new Christmas train set that is now being sold by the brand.Before that, LEGO only used printed parts in small, limited-edition sets.
The company is now clearly moving into a more serious production phase.In fact, three months ago, when we first learned that this LEGO train set was coming out in time for Christmas 2025, Hadar posted on his social media, “I am very excited to share the next step in our Additive Manufacturing (AM) journey.As a part of the LEGO Icons set – Holiday Express Train – we are featuring our first large-scale AM produced element.
The element is a functional train combining several LEGO connectors and an internal functionality, only possible with AM.“The elements were produced using a Fine Detail Resolution platform, giving high accuracy and quality to the element, on par with our standard quality and safety requirements.This is only possible thanks to our incredible engineering teams.
What an amazing job.” LEGO’s Holiday Express Train set is currently available, but in high demand, as part of this year’s Winter Village lineup.This 3D printed train piece is part of the LEGO Icons Holiday Express Train set.Image courtesy of LEGO.
A Look Inside LEGO’s AM Strategy Hadar’s keynote at AMUG, titled “Additive Manufacturing at Scale in Consumer Goods: The Case of The LEGO Group,” will explain how a brand built on high-volume, low-cost plastic parts is working 3D printing into its manufacturing model in the toy business.According to AMUG, LEGO has been running a multi-year effort to co-develop new additive technologies, gather consumer feedback, and push AM toward real production, not just prototyping.This work has helped LEGO take 3D printing from early experiments to actual products on store shelves.
Alex Roschli, AMUG’s Director of Education and Conference, said the LEGO example shows how AM can support both creativity and learning.“Additive manufacturing is reshaping the manufacturing landscape, and The LEGO Group is a great example of how these innovations can inspire both play and learning.Its integration of additive manufacturing adds the ability to rapidly create new designs, prototype them, and move into manufacturing.
The AMUG audience knows LEGO bricks stimulate creativity while engaging in play, which is great for teaching engineering.With Ronen Hadar’s keynote, our conference attendees will receive creative stimulus to push the technology further,” Roschli noted.Brickset posted one of the first images of the LEGO 3D printed duck.
Image courtesy of Brickset.LEGO is one of the world’s most recognized consumer brands, and its move into 3D printed parts is one strong signal for the industry.If a company this big can adopt AM at this scale, it suggests the technology is maturing for mainstream use.
For AMUG attendees, Hadar’s session is expected to cover how LEGO has developed and integrated AM into its processes, the investments the company has made in equipment and digital tools, and the challenges of bringing new production methods into a high-volume consumer brand.He will also discuss how LEGO gathered feedback through pilot products and how the company works to maintain its quality standards as it moves further into advanced manufacturing.These topics fit well with the AMUG audience, whether they are new to AM or experienced engineers.
Hadar is one of several headline speakers planned for the 2026 conference.AMUG will also host a panel with its Diamond Sponsors on March 16, a second keynote on March 17, and the Innovators Showcase on March 18.In total, the event will include nearly 150 presentations, panels, workshops, and hands-on sessions.
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