Ultimaker 3
Ultimaker 3
Ultimaker has donated more than 20 3D printers to American high schools in a bid to raise awareness and grow entrepreneurship opportunities for young women in 3D printing technology.
The company has made the donation through the Additive Edge national outreach programme in partnership with America Makes.
Announced on International Women’s Day earlier this week, Ultimaker printers will be distributed to secondary schools that successfully recruit female students into additive manufacturing courses. Ultimaker is working together with America Makes to open up opportunities for women in the additive manufacturing sector in which, according to the 2019 Additive Manufacturing Salary Survey, only 13% of the engineers are female. The organisations believe this figure is unlikely to shift without a ‘coordinated effort’ from companies, civic organisations and educational institutions.
“We’re passionate about making professional 3D printers, software, materials, and services that are versatile and easy to use for everyone,” commented Greg Elfering, President of Ultimaker Americas. “But more importantly, we want to add sustainable value as a company and foster an environment of equity that enables the next generation of female engineers to leverage 3D printing and solve the world’s challenges with additive manufacturing. Together we can make it happen.”
Ultimaker has previously made a similar donation of printers to support the MakerGirl’s national #MakerGirlGoesMobile campaign that conducts 3D printing sessions for young girls in rural, underserved communities. In teaming up with America Makes, the company has reinforced its commitment to support the pursuit by young women of careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
“We are delighted that Ultimaker has provided its 3D printing technology – a critical resource we need to grow the representation of women in both technical fields and engineering – particularly additive manufacturing,” added Josh Cramer, Education and Workforce director at America Makes. “We believe increasing the number of women pursuing these types of careers will not only benefit the additive industry but all of manufacturing.”
Want to discuss? Join the conversation on the Additive Manufacturing Global Community Discord.
Get your FREE print subscription to TCT Magazine.
