Formlabs Hires Former Apple Hardware Chief Dan Riccio as Strategic Advisor

Formlabs has brought on Dan Riccio, Apple's former Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, as a strategic advisor and investor. The appointment is part of a broader board restructuring that includes a new chairman, a new president, and the departure of co-founder Natan Linder from the board after fifteen years.

What Riccio brings to Formlabs

At Apple, Riccio oversaw product design and hardware engineering for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. His new role at Formlabs will focus on product development, design rigor, and operational scaling as the company pushes further into industrial and professional additive manufacturing.

Riccio did not mince words about why he is joining. "Formlabs has quietly built one of the most complete hardware, software, and materials platforms I've seen outside of a handful of the world's best consumer companies," he said. "The attention to detail in how these systems are engineered, and the ambition to make industrial-grade manufacturing accessible, is exactly the kind of problem I want to spend my time on."

The board changes

Maxim Lobovsky, Formlabs co-founder and CEO, moves up to Chairman of the Board. Dávid Lakatos, the company's Chief Product Officer since its earliest Kickstarter days, has been named President and joins the board. Board member Rob Willett, former CEO of Cognex Corporation, is increasing his stake in the company alongside Riccio.

Linder steps down as Chairman but stays on as a strategic advisor. The move completes a transition that started earlier in 2026, when Willett replaced Carl Bass, the former Autodesk CEO, as a director. Two consecutive board changes signal that Formlabs is deliberately swapping founding-era representation for operating experience drawn from publicly traded industrials.

Why it matters for 3D printing

Formlabs is already the largest supplier of professional SLA and SLS 3D printing systems. Riccio's appointment suggests the company is preparing for a new phase of growth, likely centered on scaling hardware production and entering markets that require the same kind of manufacturing discipline Apple demanded for consumer electronics.

For professional and industrial users, the hire is a signal that Formlabs is serious about moving beyond its roots in design studios and dental labs. The company is building the kind of operational infrastructure that supports high-volume, high-reliability manufacturing hardware.