Diana Kalisz, Vice President, Materials for 3D Systems
Diana Kalisz, Vice President, Materials for 3D Systems has been announced as the next recipient of the Additive Manufacturing Users Group (AMUG) Innovators Award.
The accolade, which has previously been awarded to industry pioneers including Chuck Hull, Scott Crump, Carl Deckard, Fried Vancraen, Gideon Levy, Hans Langer, and Andy Christensen, spotlights individuals who have 'cultivated innovative ideas' that have advanced the AM industry. Kalisz is the first woman in 3D printing to receive the award.
Speaking about Kalisz's contribution to the industry over the last three decades, Mark Abshire, AMUG president, said Kalisz's influence is often overlooked "because she does her job so well and doesn’t seek out recognition."
Abshire commented: “Diana’s contributions to innovation in additive manufacturing centre around bringing innovative ideas to life. In that vein, she has played a pivotal role in delivering new machines, materials, and software. And she not only nurtured innovations, but she also enabled those around her to innovate.”
Abshire added, “Diana is the reason why I joined the additive manufacturing industry. Nearly 30 years ago, I worked with Diana as a customer of 3D Systems. Her passion for and dedication to the technology was infectious.”
Following a career in aerospace, Kalisz joined 3D Systems as a project manager for the large-format SLA 500 system. Over the last 30 years, Kalisz has managed engineering and development programs across multiple 3D Systems hardware, software, and materials products, and now is focused on developing production applications for the company’s Figure 4 platform.
In an interview with TCT back in 2020, Kalisz described her early experiences in AM as, "a bit like magic," adding that, "being able to work in such an innovative field, and then digging into what it takes from a technical standpoint to make a real, usable product made it exciting."
Diana is also a member of P.E.O., a women’s philanthropic educational organisation that supports higher education for women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship. This small organisation has raised and given hundreds of millions of dollars to support women’s education over its 153-year history. Abshire also noted that Kalisz was "instrumental" in AMUG's early days, often listening to user wishes and turning them into R&D projects.
Attendees to the 2023 AMUG Conference will be able to hear from Kalisz in the annual Innovators Showcase spot, a conversational interview which allows attendees to get to know the person behind the innovation and gain insights into their industry experience.
The 2023 AMUG Conference will be held March 19 – 23, 2023, at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago, Illinois, and will feature nearly 150 presentations, workshops, and hands-on training sessions.
