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Women Leading the Way in Additive Manufacturing

Amy Bryson
By Amy Bryson Contributing Lead Editor, Smart Manufacturing
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Annie Wang is president of Senvol and a trailblazer for others pursuing careers in additive manufacturing.


Additive manufacturing (AM) is evolving. After decades in a supporting role, AM is ready for its closeup, revealing its potential as an engine of progress and commerce. For years, automotive and aerospace companies have benefited from AM, using the technology to design and make parts lighter without sacrificing strength. In healthcare, AM is revolutionizing the production of patient-specific medical products and solutions, such as tissue engineering, to significantly improve patient outcomes and quality of life. AM also has the capacity to disrupt traditional supply chains through on-demand production capabilities that could bolster resiliency and make manufacturing more responsive to market demands.

While AM technology is attracting innovators and engineers across verticals, disciplines and applications, only 13% of the industry is currently comprised of women. That’s according to a 2023 Additive Manufacturing Salary Report published by Alexander Daniels Global. To move the needle, SME wants to be part of an industry-wide effort to shine a light on women making an impact in AM. In this issue, we share the stories of 13 women knocking down barriers and proving what’s possible.

From young trailblazers creating new processes to industry icons sharing their knowledge with the next generation, these ladies are role models for anyone who loves math, science, exploration, problem-solving and questioning why something can’t happen.

At RAPID + TCT 2023, America’s largest and most influential AM event, SME Executive Director and CEO Bob Willig opened the show on the main stage, welcoming more than 9,500 attendees from 34 countries. “Together we believe in technology’s power and humanity’s innovation to advance our society and meet many of our biggest challenges,” Willig said. “We design new ways to understand and solve problems, and our solutions advance the next wave of inspiration. Working together as a cohesive and thriving community, we elevate the art of the possible.”

To achieve this goal, the entire industry must demonstrate determination and a willingness to step outside its comfort zone. The women featured here have done just that, and they encourage others to climb over obstacles and smash through ceilings by building supportive networks, advocating for self and others, and embracing learning.

We hope you are inspired by their stories, and take time to shine the light on others in the industry paving the way for future innovators.


Amber Andreaco
Materials & Process Section Lead, GE Additive

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Andreaco checks off a bucket list item with a trip to see Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

From the early development days of the material properties of GE Aerospace’s LEAP Fuel Nozzle to her current role as section leader of materials and processes, Andreaco has consistently pushed the boundaries of what is possible. “My role is to ensure that the combination of feedstock, machine, parameter and post-processing creates consolidated material optimized to meet the requirements for a given application,” she explains. “In short, I focus on making and breaking materials to understand how they behave.”

Andreaco gives design teams a robust knowledge of the properties of additive components and their variation in order to design, manufacture, analyze, qualify and certify aerospace components. Coming from a materials engineer perspective, Andreaco says she is excited about the potential to produce new materials via AM. But, she cautions, “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. I am very much a proponent of understanding the requirements for an application to guide the marriage between design for additive and material selection.”

When asked what needs to change in the industry, Andreaco offers one word: pedigree. “As much as AM is a digital process, much of the data required to define pedigree happens outside of the additive machine,” she says. “And it may seem trivial, but just ensuring one can trace the history of a tensile test result back through how the feedstock was processed—and everything that may happen in between—is crucial to understanding of the technology.” In addition, she believes that people in the industry must not only collaborate, but hold each other accountable to provide pedigree in a meaningful way that will help the trust and adoption of AM technology.

Considering the field of additive manufacturing has no shortage of problems to solve and plenty of mentorship opportunities, Andreaco looks forward to continuing to grow and develop professionally with the technology, as well as personally through activities and relationships outside of work. “At this point in my career, I’ve come to realize any future role must provide me two things: 1) a sense of purpose through problem solving and mentoring; and 2) the freedom to create a healthy work-life balance.”


Jennifer Coyne
Director of Programs, The Barnes Global Advisors

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Standing tall: Coyne atop the SLM800 when she led the additive manufacturing team at Wabtec.

At her core, Coyne is a problem-solver who applies new technology to solve technical and business problems. With a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech, Coyne is currently the director of programs at The Barnes Global Advisors, where she oversees project development and execution. Coyne leverages her previous experience leading the global additive manufacturing team at GE Transportation (now part of Wabtec Corp.), where she managed the launch of more than 50 production additive parts, and opened four global labs in the U.S. and India with a wide range of metal and polymer 3D-printing capabilities.

“Implementing new technology like AM in an old industry is hard,” Coyne concedes. “It’s typical to run into a culture of resistance, and cost pressure is real when designs and processes have been perfected and learned over decades or even centuries.” To address this, Coyne approaches challenges with practicality, advising customers on the best technology for each scenario. She’s also not afraid to say no. “People appreciate the realism, and wins speak for themselves,” she adds. It’s this directness that makes Coyne a role model for women in AM. “I’ve found AM to be a diverse and accepting space within engineering,” she says. “The industry culture supports women, and there are great organizations and networking groups that make it easy to network and find role models and mentors.”

Coyne is excited about the promise of AM, but notes that widespread adoption will require some change. “Costs need to come down by a combination of higher efficiency, lower cost of equipment and lower costs of feedstocks. We also need more available materials to choose from and standards for them,” she explains. Setting standards applies to all areas of her life.

As a mother of four, Coyne is passionate about raising her kids to be their best. “In our family, we put our faith first, and strive to live lives full of joy, love and gratitude.” Related to career development, Coyne says success isn’t about achieving the next promotion. Instead, her career goals are centered around loving what she does and growing as a leader and a person. “AM is one of those technologies that sucks you in. It’s also given me a community and provided an environment where I have learned so much about technology and business.”


Stacey DelVecchio
President, StaceyD Consulting

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DelVecchio excited to see a 3D-printed model of a solar turbine, printed by her team at Caterpillar, on display at a career fair in 2018.

DelVecchio is a champion for women in manufacturing. “I’ve made it my life’s mission to advocate for the women of STEM,” she declares. DelVecchio’s expertise, technical innovation and leadership in additive manufacturing are known throughout the industry. Her AM journey began in 2014 while looking internally for a new job at Caterpillar. “There was an insightful executive who felt the company needed to do more with additive manufacturing,” she says. “That’s where I came in.”

Her 25 years of experience in engineering and manufacturing Caterpillar components gave her insights into opportunities for additive. Identifying opportunities wasn’t new to DelVecchio. “Being a young female engineer in the 1980s and 1990s, I was definitely in the minority,” she explains. “While we still have only 18% women engineers in the industry, the numbers were worse during those early years of my career.”

Although far from being reserved, DelVecchio faced challenges in getting people to hear her ideas. “I’ve never been accused of being quiet, so it was not a matter of volume. It was more about the confidence I exhibited. It took me years to build up the confidence I needed to be heard.” She attributes that confidence to supportive managers. “I had several managers who helped me find a path forward, and most continued as my mentors beyond my years at Caterpillar,” she adds.

After 30 years at Caterpillar, she chose to start her own consulting business. “I help people develop a strategy for 3D printing, including what to print, what not to print and the business case for printing,” she says. “Looking toward the next phase of my career, I’d like to be on a corporate board of directors. I want to continue to guide the industry to change, not only in pushing the boundaries of additive manufacturing adoption, but also in leading the way in what it means to have an inclusive environment for women.”

An avid learner and reader, DelVecchio was recently elected to the board of directors of her local library. She also flexes her creative muscles through scrapbooking, enjoys hiking, plays the piano and spends time cuddling with her cat Tom. “I find all things related to advocating for women engineers to be a hobby, too.”


Amy Elliott
3D Printing Scientist and Group Leader, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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Elliott with the crew of The Big Brain Theory, a show on the Discovery Channel that she appeared on for a season.

Elliott caught the STEM bug from FIRST Robotics. “At the time, 3D printing was not well known, and I saw the printers as robots that can make me something,” she says. Studying mechanical engineering at Tennessee Tech University, she continued learning hands-on fabrication by building and racing student competition vehicles, such as the Baja SAE and NASA Moonbuggy, as well as interning at various NASA centers. Because of her fabrication experience, Elliott was cast on Discovery Channel’s “The Big Brain Theory,” a reality competition show for engineers, where she placed second out of 10 contestants. She also served as project lead for the world’s first 3D-printing vending machine, the DreamVendor, created by Virginia Tech’s DREAMS Lab. Now an R&D staff member at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Manufacturing Demonstration Facility, Elliott meets with industry leaders from across the nation to consult on proper application of 3D-printing technologies.

Elliott says the more she participates in these fields, the more she realizes how much policy plays a role, and how disconnected policy can become from reality. “We need more researchers addressing policy so we can get to a good balance,” she explains. Outside of work, Elliott can be found tinkering with hobby 3D printers or appearing on Science Channel’s “Outrageous Acts of Science,” a series explaining the engineering behind viral video clips.

Elliott says her biggest passion, besides raising two toddlers, is being a role model for girls in STEM. And she walks the walk. Elliott’s alter ego is a character she created called Amelia Gearheart, a young girl who inspires others to discover the superpower of STEMT (science, technology, engineering, math and trades). She’s created a YouTube series showing girls the amazing career options in STEM and trades. “My advice is to study lots of material science, since those are the biggest questions right now.” Having been on multiple TV shows and explored the world, including the salt flats of Australia to pit crew for one of her friends, Elliott keeps it all in perspective. “It’s just been a blast. When you learn how to use STEM and trades to build something new or cool, it feels like a superpower.”


Eliana Fu
Industry Manager, Aerospace & Medical, Trumpf

With a master’s degree and PhD in materials science from Imperial College London, Fu performed post-doctoral research at Loughborough University (U.K.) and Clemson University in South Carolina. After working extensively in the traditional manufacturing world with TIMET, the biggest titanium manufacturer in the U.S., she jumped to additive manufacturing at SpaceX and Relativity Space. She is currently the Women in 3D Printing Ambassador for Las Vegas, and is on the Technical Advisory board of Hyperion Metals (now called IperionX). Oh, and she was named TCT Women in 3D Printing Innovator for 2022. But when you ask Fu what she does, she simply states, “I’m an engineer. I’m someone who uses science to make things better.”


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Fu (pictured front, center) with the team at Relativity Space. (Photo provided by Relativity Space)


Making things better is no easy feat. Among the challenges Fu has faced is the “glaringly obvious reality” that women engineers have a hard time moving up the corporate ladder in a traditional metalworking company. “On the contrary,” she notes, “the amazing thing about 3D printing is that the technology allows women to become designers, entrepreneurs and business owners.” Looking toward the future, Fu has some opinions about what needs to change in the industry. “We need to go about AM processing with sustainability in mind. Just because you can print a thing, does not mean you should print a thing,” she stresses, adding that the rate at which AM standards are developed needs to dramatically accelerate. “This can only come about by consensus, sharing more data and being more transparent,” she asserts. “I understand that cooperation and competition don’t go hand in hand, but for critical applications in aerospace and medical, things will not change until this happens.”

Outside of work, Fu is a huge fan of Tottenham Hotspur, a professional football club that competes in the Premier League. Her enthusiasm for soccer is matched by her passion for advocating for her community. “I lead the Asian & Pacific Islander (API) Working Group of the The Minerals, Materials & Metals Society’s DEI committee,” she says. “I encourage everyone to reach out and learn how you can participate to end anti-Asian hate and promote, uplift and encourage members of the API community in both traditional and additive manufacturing.”


Melanie Glennon
Vice President, Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Stratasys

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Glennon (front row, far left) at The Squadron, an F-35 simulator leadership training facility in Israel during a teambuilding event for the Stratasys Quality & Regulatory Affairs leadership team in 2022.

Glennon was introduced to additive manufacturing years ago, but didn’t get involved on a professional level until joining Stratasys. “My brother Nicholas has been a role model and mentor for me,” she says. “He’s been a 3D-printing hobbyist for years and has a YouTube channel to sell 3D-printed items and educate people on the topic. He told me that if there was one company to work for in this field, Stratasys is the one,” she adds.

In her current role, Glennon raises the quality standards, practices and culture for additive manufacturing end-use production applications at Stratasys. “With AM moving from prototyping to end-use manufacturing, part quality and consistency are critical. To do this, processes, software and hardware are being created and stringently monitored to ensure they are delivering what our customers need.” Glennon, a mechanical engineer by education, training and background, is in a key position to move Stratasys into full end-use manufacturing. Her work helps Stratasys develop systems, practices and policies, as well as the necessary leadership culture, that will enable Stratasys to meet the quality expectations required by customers for end-use manufacturing. Her unique perspective is pushing the company to take advantage of a multi-billion-dollar opportunity and overhaul the role of 3D printing in manufacturing.

In defining success, Glennon sees opportunity in the here and now. “My mindset has been one of always wanting to do great things in the role I am in, and if I get rewarded with a promotion, or greater responsibility or a new growth opportunity, then great,” she explains. “I just want to continue to develop myself and others, and make an impact on the business, customers and industry. This is what guides my career.”

Outside of her professional role, Glennon is passionate about diversity and inclusion as part of corporate culture. She has led employee resource groups for the LGBTQ+ community and served in leadership roles for several non-profit organizations that support homeless or marginalized LGBTQ+ youth. “I spent a big part of my early career being in the closet,” she says. “After becoming an executive and not having any role models, I came out with a mission to be the change I didn’t see in my workplace, which also allowed me to bring my best self to work and inspire others to do the same.”


Nadia Kouraytem
Assistant Professor, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Utah State University

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Kouraytem (pictured on right) is in her element, sharing knowledge and inspiring others to pursue careers in additive manufacturing. (Photo credit: Matt Jensen at Utah State University)

As a leader in AM, Kouraytem is quick to give credit to the mentors and leaders who helped her along the way. “My first training in additive manufacturing was during my postdoctoral tenure starting in 2017 at the University of Utah where I investigated the process-structure-property relationships in laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing,” she explains. “I have been mentored by Dr. Ashley Spear, who continues to be a role model, and I performed research and received mentorship from Dr. Anthony (Tony) Rollett at Carnegie Mellon University.”

More recently, Kouraytem has established a network of scientists and professors who inspire her with their own achievements and stories. This sense of community is clear in her work as an assistant professor at Utah State University leading efforts for the characterization of additively manufactured metals for applications in defense, energy and aerospace. She is helping to prepare the next-generation workforce of advanced manufacturing in Utah through classroom education, mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and involvement with the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s STEM Talent Challenge, which aims to build STEM training systems to strengthen regional innovation economies.

As part of her role in teaching and performing research on 3D-printed metals, she says a lot of work needs to go into understanding the processes, the material structures and their properties to help qualification and certification of those materials. Kouraytem says she uses experiential techniques to test the strength of materials in environments similar to their operating conditions, with the aim of providing more confidence to critical industries to adopt the use of these 3D-printed metals.

Her biggest piece of advice for other girls and women considering careers in AM is simple: “Don’t doubt yourself, and don’t wait. Get involved in research early.” Looking to the future, Kouraytem is excited about the prospects of AM from the development of new materials to a better understanding of the variability observed in the processes. “We are on a trajectory where additive manufacturing is supporting various industries,” she adds. Outside of her professional role, Kouraytem spends time with her family, exploring nature in Utah, traveling to learn about new cultures and cooking great food to introduce her Lebanese culture to friends.


Melanie Lang
Co-founder and CEO, FormAlloy

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Lang co-founded FormAlloy in 2016 to help realize the potential of directed energy deposition (DED) technology, systems and services.

As co-founder and CEO of a rapidly growing company, Lang focuses her attention on keeping an energetic and innovative culture, and helping customers solve their manufacturing and component performance challenges. “My background is aerospace engineering,” Lang says. “I began my journey in AM as a hobbyist, initially interested in how it was being applied to art and fashion. I quickly realized the impact it could have on industrial applications.”

After 15 years as an engineer in A&D, Lang’s desire to form, enhance and repair metallic components that go beyond the bounds of traditional manufacturing led her to co-found FormAlloy in 2016. “AM is ready for prime time,” Lang asserts. “Some AM technologies are in use in labs, which is important, but they are ready for industrial adoption.” She says that the industry and community need to improve the manufacturing readiness and put AM technology to work. “Directed energy deposition (DED) is a game-changing technology that is ready for adoption,” she explains. “It will be one of the most widely adopted AM technologies in the future, enabling not only aerospace but energy systems, general industrial applications and even consumer goods.” FormAlloy’s DED systems boast both IR and blue wavelength lasers with improved build quality, high powder efficiency and the ability to print with a comprehensive list of metal alloys.

Regarding the future of AM, Lang looks forward to industries taking back control of their supply chain, and, over time, improving product and component performance through advanced applications such as multi-material components and embedded sensors. This focus on achieving the impossible translates into Lang’s passion in and out of work.

A proud dance mom, Lang can be found cheering loudly for her three girls, who are following their own passion. “It’s amazing what challenges can be solved when people love what they do,” she adds. “My advice to anyone interested in AM is to start showing up and asking questions. Hobbyist and industrial AM technology can now be accessed through local maker spaces, schools and libraries, where you can learn about the technology and get some hands-on experience. Other than just diving in, finding a mentor that can help make introductions to events and people is also important.”


Sarah Moss
Senior Staff Scientist, Advanced Solutions Life Sciences

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Moss in the lab with BioAssembly Bot (BAB) 400.

After completing a master’s degree in biomedical engineering, which emphasized applied microfluidics in modeling cancer biology, Moss joined Advanced Solutions Life Sciences (ASLS) in 2018, where she studies blood vessels, specifically how to create and vascularize tissues for both research and clinical uses. “My focus is on creating enabling technology, so technology can be widely applied to a variety of tissues and tissue applications,” Moss says. “The foundation of our work is based on two core technologies—the BioAssembly Bot 3D bioprinter (BAB) and isolated human microvascular fragments (haMVs),” she adds. “We utilize both technologies to shape tissues and create biologically relevant vascular networks.”

Moss is known by her team as the “go-to” person for any new fabrication project, with her strategies and approaches serving as the backbone of a project. Her work is best exemplified  on the BioBone project in which a manufactured all-living, patient-matched bone solution is being developed, in coordination with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), for craniofacial reconstruction. Moss developed the fabrication methods and continues to lead the development of the BioBone graft as it moves into the distributed manufacturing solution being pioneered by the VHA.

“My role in the BioBone project is to help design and perform the experiments, analyze data and critically think about the next steps to move the project forward,” Moss says, explaining that her team was given inputs by a group of orthopedic surgeons about their ideal implant tissue. “It needed to be custom shaped to match the patient’s anatomy, and it needed to be entirely biological with no synthetic materials present,” she adds. “Based upon that feedback, we came up with a blend of pre-bone ink we can 3D print to match the patient’s anatomical defect.” Moss reports that her team has completed initial concept testing and is now working on improving the consistency of the product for clinical use cases. Every step of the way, Moss is gleaning insights and sharing that knowledge. “One of the key things we have learned is you have to let biology drive engineering and not constrain the biology based on the engineering.”


Lyndsay Motz
Product Manager, GE Additive

As a product manager for GE Additive’s AddWorks, the company’s consulting arm, Motz provides customers with practical knowledge to transform their business—from initial part selection and materials development to design and production. While her degree is in materials science and engineering, Motz spent years as a design engineer, driving one of the early additive products within GE Vernova’s portfolio.


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Motz and husband Geoff at the top of Angels Landing in Zion National Park.


With her recent transition from engineering to product management, Motz brings extensive technical background to the role, creating holistic consulting service packages that cover everything from feedstock to serialized production. “Additive manufacturing has allowed me to use creativity I didn’t even know I had to solve the most unique and challenging problems,” Motz explains, saying that more diverse perspectives and creativity in problem solving benefit the industry. “The additive community will always need diversity of thought and experience, and I think women bring a unique perspective to the table that helps advance the technology and broad adoption even faster.”

Motz loves watching customers and engineers have their “aha moments” when they discover what additive can do for them. And while additive may never entirely replace castings, forgings or other conventional manufacturing methods, Motz says she’d like to see the additive sector grow to be a crucial, complementary tool in the tool belt—to enable stronger, more sustainable, and more efficient products. As for the future, Motz says she wants to be in positions in which she is always innovating. “Whether I continue down a more commercial path or jump back to my engineering roots, my desire is to solve tough challenges both internally and for our external customers,” she says. “Family is also very important to me, and as life stages change, I plan to adapt my career goals to meet the desires and needs of my family.”

In her free time, Motz spends as much time as possible outside hiking, swimming, cycling, running and kayaking. “I have a great adventure buddy in my husband Geoff,” Motz says. “We love to travel, and we are making our way through the major U.S. national parks. We checked off Bryce Canyon, Zion and Glacier this year alone.”


Kirstie Snodderly
Acting Advanced Manufacturing Team Lead, Advanced Manufacturing Research Engineer, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

With a background in bioengineering, Snodderly’s journey into AM is a bit different than most. “I began as a lab manager in a tissue engineering and biomaterials laboratory,” she says. “My role exposed me to various bioprinters, and I quickly became knowledgeable of their operations and maintenance, sparking my fascination with the growing potential of bioprinting.” Since then, Snodderly has been a champion for women in manufacturing and shares her experiences in AM across bioprinting in academia, medical device printing, in research and standards development at the ASTM AM Center of Excellence, as well as her current position driving advanced manufacturing at the FDA.


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Snodderly kayaking in Delaware with adventure companion Scout. (Photo credit: Bret Snodderly)


Among her accomplishments, Snodderly is particularly proud of a project focused on evaluating the sealing efficacy of additively manufactured face masks funded through an internal FDA grant. “This initiative began at the onset of the pandemic and demanded careful planning and coordination to be completed within a rapid turnaround of six months,” she explains. Because the project required enhancement of lab capabilities, Snodderly procured, assembled and installed nine new 3D printers. “No work like this can be done in a vacuum,” she continues. “My colleague Magdalene was instrumental to the success of this work. As two of the only people in our building during those days, our close and efficient teamwork was instrumental to its success.”

Snodderly is also a Women in 3D Printing ambassador for the Baltimore chapter and serves as a mentor for young engineers. To that end, she believes there is space in AM where people of all backgrounds and education levels can contribute to success, growing a more diverse workforce that could improve AM adoption. “There are currently too many positions that don’t consider candidates without PhDs, creating a barrier of entry into the field and increasing overall industry labor costs,” she explains. “The industry needs to think critically about the requirements needed for different types of work and positions, including roles that may not require college degrees, and develop more defined career paths.” For women considering careers in AM, Snodderly offers this advice: “Know your value and advocate for yourself. Understanding your own skills, knowledge and contributions, and knowing how to communicate them, will help you excel in your work, challenge stereotypes, negotiate fair compensation, and express your needs and desires within your career.”


Chloe Vollaro
Field Application Engineer, Protolabs

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An avid rock climber, Vollaro enjoys the view overlooking Pilot Mountain State Park in North Carolina.

Vollaro’s AM journey began by happenstance. During her junior year of college, an internship that was supposed to be in Connecticut, her home state, required her to spend eight months in North Carolina. She fell in love with the area. “When my internship ended, I typed in ‘3D-printing jobs in North Carolina’ and applied to the first job that popped up.”

That decision eventually led to a job with Protolabs in 2018. When the company ramped up its direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) offering for production applications, Vollaro moved into her current role where she works hand-in-hand with metal-3D-printing customers to educate them on all aspects of DMLS capabilities, limitations and risks. In a given day, Vollaro could work with a NASA engineer well-versed in 3D-printing design or a startup company exploring the technology for the first time. “Even before we start building parts, I work with companies to develop AM specifications for future projects. It takes a lot of cooperation internally with quality, manufacturing, process engineering and the customer so they understand our processes and can document everything to use in future projects.” The company’s popular Design Tips series is a collaboration between Vollaro and applications engineers, who address topics including beginner and advanced guidance for creating an STL file.

It’s this same prescriptive approach Vollaro uses in her “side gig” teaching rock climbing at a local gym, where she instructs people on all aspects of climbing techniques and safety. Her desire to learn and share knowledge comes as no surprise. As a child, she memorized a book of random facts and regaled her classmates with all sorts of insights. This curiosity and love of learning only strengthened with time. In fact, she recently started classes at North Carolina State University in pursuit of a master’s degree in material science.

For others setting goals and embarking on their own career journeys, Vollaro offers this advice: “Not everyone comes out the gate like their role model. People we look up to learned things by doing. Wherever you are coming into the field is fine. You don’t have to be intimidated by or compete with people you look up to. You will get there.”


Annie Wang
President, Senvol

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Wang enjoying one of her favorite pastimes: horseback riding.

Eleven years ago, while attending the Wharton Business School in Pennsylvania, Wang co-founded Senvol, an industry leader in data for additive manufacturing. She has since overseen the creation of the Senvol Database, the industry’s first and most comprehensive database for industrial additive manufacturing machines and materials, as well as Senvol ML, a data-driven machine learning software for AM. “I’m very excited about the application of machine learning to AM,” Wang says. “There are so many opportunities that we’ve barely begun to scratch the surface.”

Wang’s area of focus is analyzing the correlation among material properties, process parameters and feedstock properties. She is also deeply ingrained in the AM community, having served as vice chair for the SAE Data Management Committee, on the Data Integrity Advisory Group and Commercialization Advisory Group for America Makes, and as a member of the ASTM F42 Committee for Additive Manufacturing Technologies. She has also been published in top industry journals and been a featured speaker at numerous industry trade shows and conferences, such as RAPID + TCT, Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium and AMUG.

With all of her professional achievements, Wang wants to set an example for more female representation in the industry. “AM is a great place to be,” she asserts. “My best advice is to learn about it. Attending a conference such as RAPID or AMUG is a great place to start,” she adds. “Don’t be afraid to ask questions and be curious! There are no bad questions. Be confident and believe that you can add value to the industry.” Those are wise words from a woman who has done just that.

Outside of her professional and community work, Wang is passionate about horses. “I’ve been a serious rider for many years,” she says, recalling a recent five-day horse riding trek in the Caucasus Mountains, a volcanic zone that extends over a large area from southern Georgia into Armenia and southwestern Azerbaijan. That curiosity to explore and take on challenges applies to everything Wang does. And there are certainly many more adventures to come.

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