After a decade of surging growth around the world, Women in 3D Printing (Wi3DP) has found a new home at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers Foundation. Here’s what’s next for the organization, and how you can get involved.
Nora Toure founded Women in 3D printing a decade ago and nurtured the organization into a global community. It now sits at 13,000 members in more than 100 chapters in 30 countries. Throughout that expansion, Women in 3D Printing has been a side project for Ms. Toure, and she has turned to ASME to support its growth. The move could bring long-term stability, resources, and institutional support to one of the additive manufacturing industry’s most visible grassroots networks for diversity and inclusion.
“Women in 3D Printing has had an incredible 10-year journey,” Ms. Toure says. “Joining forces with ASME ensures that the spirit and impact of Wi3DP will be preserved, while gaining the structure and support needed to grow, evolve, and reach even greater heights.”
Women in 3D Printing is transitioning from its former status as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit to operating fully under the ASME Foundation. With this shift, Pooja Singh now guides the organization’s next phase, strengthening its operational backbone while preserving the vibrant, creative community that has always defined Wi3DP. While it is not yet a full-scale ASME program, it is evolving with clear intention. Nora Toure is currently overseeing the dissolution of the standalone nonprofit, and Wi3DP is moving toward becoming a signature program within ASME’s Programs & Philanthropy business unit under the Growth & Innovation portfolio.
A lot of dreams
In the next five years, Ms. Singh would like to increase the membership in Women in 3D Printing to 100,000. She has tentative plans to establish a scholarship endowment fund to offer (USD) $2,500 scholarships to women pursuing careers in additive manufacturing. She is also laying the groundwork for fellowship and mentorship programs to unite the global community.
“There’s just a lot of dreams there, but obviously, to get started, you need resources,” Ms. Singh says. “So, we’re also thinking of ways to expand beyond women, and to incorporate more underrepresented groups and more age groups.”
‘More age groups’ means grade school students, Ms. Singh says. She has partnered with a company called Matter Hackers, Harrisburg University, The LEGO Group, and an elementary teacher who is teaching additive manufacturing, to apply for an NSF grant to develop a Kindergarten through 12th grade summer camp in 3D printing. She is also exploring options for collaboration with other universities, including the potential to open chapters or hold one-off events on campus.
“I don’t know what that collaboration looks like, but that’s in the dream list,” Ms. Singh says.
The goal is not only growth in numbers, but deeper engagement and broader impact across regions and career stages.
It’s for women, but men are invited
ASME has entered at a critical moment for the 3D printing industry. According to Wi3DP research and Diversity for Additive Manufacturing reports, women make up just 13 percent of the Additive Manufacturing/3D Printing (AM/3DP) workforce, and only 11 percent of businesses in the sector are women-owned. Wi3DP has set the goal of helping raise those figures to 50 percent. By comparison, women represent about 16–17 percent of engineers in the United States overall, and roughly 9 percent of US mechanical engineers.
“An inclusive engineering community leads to more innovation,” said Stephanie Viola, executive director of the ASME Foundation. “Together, ASME and Women in 3D Printing can help address the workforce gap while also ensuring that engineering remains an open and welcoming field for all who aspire to contribute to solving global challenges.”
Wi3DP’s approach has always emphasized visibility and community. The organization regularly features women contributing to additive manufacturing through stories and interviews, and its chapters host monthly events that combine networking with hands-on learning about 3D printing technologies. While the focus is on women, the community is intentionally inclusive. Men are encouraged to participate as allies, chapter leaders, speakers, and advocates for gender-balanced workplaces and events. Engineers are welcome, but so are students, educators, designers, marketers, hobbyists, and anyone curious about additive manufacturing.
How to get involved
Women in 3D Printing remains an open, informal community, and getting involved is straightforward:
- Sign up for the newsletter. Subscribe through the Women in 3D Printing website to receive monthly updates, news, and event alerts from chapters around the world.
- Join a local chapter. Explore the list of chapters and upcoming events, then follow a chapter’s Eventbrite page to stay connected and attend meetups, panels, and workshops.
- Open a new chapter or become an ambassador. If there is no chapter in your area, you can help start one. Ambassadors lead local communities and typically organize at least three learning-focused events per year. Interested volunteers can reach out directly by email to wi3dp@asme.org to discuss starting a chapter, supporting global initiatives, or contributing in other ways.
As Wi3DP enters its second decade with ASME’s support, its core mission remains unchanged: to broaden participation in additive manufacturing and ensure that the industry reflects the diversity of talent needed to drive innovation forward.
For more information, visit womenin3dprinting.org.
