Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Women in 3D Printing?

Women in 3D Printing is a global organization dedicated to promoting, supporting, and inspiring women who are using Additive Manufacturing technologies. Our mission is to increase the visibility of women in the Additive Manufacturing industry and encourage more women to use 3D Printing technologies. We are doing so by featuring, on a weekly base, women who are contributing to the industry, via a series of stories and interviews. We are also building a strong community by providing monthly meetings via our global network of chapters.

As for our legal status, we are a registered 501(c)3 non-profit as of December 2018.

• Why are you focused on women? 

Before embracing careers in 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing, most of us had, and some still have, passions, hobbies, and jobs in other fields. By the nature of Additive Manufacturing itself, because it is a manufacturing tool, it is meant to be used cross-industries. This is why we believe this industry should be enriched by the diverse backgrounds that compose its workforce. Unfortunately, we realize that because it is at the crossroad of tech and manufacturing, it is still male-dominated. Women in 3D Printing centers around the idea that we should embrace those diverse backgrounds because they are what makes this industry so rich and interesting. More than women, we really care about diversity in the Additive Manufacturing industry, which is why we named our yearly reports on diversity, #Diversity for Additive Manufacturing.

• Can men still be involved? 

Absolutely! We want men to be part of the discussion as it will take everyone to turn the situation and make the industry more gender-balanced and diverse. Men can be involved by leading chapters, attending our events, naming female talents to share their stories on the website or on stage, make sure to have gender-balanced events, and most importantly, making sure diversity is respected in their companies.

• I am not an engineer, is Women in 3D Printing still for me? 

Absolutely! Our founder and Board Directors are no engineers either. This group is for all. Should you be a student, retired, working in marketing, sales, design, engineering, or any other field, this group is for you. You don’t even need to be an Additive Manufacturing professional. Hobbyists and curious are welcome to join us and ask as many questions as they want as well.

• How can I get involved? How do I join the group? 

Glad you’re asking! We have informal membership (via email and social media). Sign up here to receive news, updates, and events alerts, or just to get in touch! Interested in joining one of our events? Check out of series and chapters and connect with the community.! Like to plan and build community? Reach out and contact us to become a local ambassador! Have a story to tell? got for it! Want to help? Send us a donation, or become a member! 

• What are donations used for? 

The Women in 3D Printing team is made of volunteers. Donations are used to cover the expenses of maintaining a beautiful website and associated services such as sending monthly newsletters, marketing expenses related to the promotion of our organization, and travel to industry tradeshows to meet with women in the industry.

• Where are you based? 

We are registered in California, USA. The community is global though, as we have over 60 chapters worldwide, in more than 20 countries, on every continent.

• How big is the community? 

As of end of 2019, we have a community of 10,000+ informal members.

• How do I join a local chapter? 

That’s easy! Check our chapters here and click “follow” on the Eventbrite profile page of the ambassador you are interested in following. You can also check at any time the list of all our upcoming events here.

• I am a company, how do I hire more women?

Glad you’re asking! If you have open positions, you can already list them on our job board. We will promote your listings on our social media and monthly newsletter. If you don’t have any open positions yet, but would like to talk about what actions you can put in place to be more attractive to a diverse workforce, we’d be happy to talk with you.

• How can I find female speakers for my events?

Women in 3D Printing is building a database of available female speakers, all experts in 3D printing. The database is open to all for consultation.

• Can Women in 3D Printing endorse female-speakers panels and other events? 

Absolutely! Contact us for more information about our event guidelines.

Can’t find what you’re looking for, or still have some unanswered questions? Contact us!