There are many existing informative contents on the web about the technical stuff on this topic. I really want to go about this from a designer, a female fellow maker and a mom‘s point of view.
I started getting right into designing 3D printable models almost right away I started printing. Made some mistakes in the first few designs and went through a bit of a learning curve to get to know all of the critical technical constraints and properties of this technology. As I dive deeper into this, I realize that the amount of females in this hobby is much much less than make.
I have been wondering why this is the case.
Then I ran into some issues with my 3D printer. I was experiencing under extrusion issues - my hot end jammed. It meant that I had to purchase new tubing, new couplings (had to research and watch many videos to make sure I buy the right parts), then taking the hot end apart and re-assembling it back together while the machine is ON and heated! It was quite frankly a very frustrating exercise. Burnt my fingers a million times too. It Is not something that I thought most my girlfriends would actually enjoy doing. Then I thought maybe that’s why girls don’t do these things.
Then, one day, I found out there are some cool female content creators in the field like Heliox Lab. I immediately supported by subscribing and downloading her .stl. Printed it and tagged her on Instagram to get connected. I got a few more female followers after that, but still, the male and female ratio is nowhere near 50/50. Again, I wonder why this is the case.
I download and upload most of my .stl from Cults3d.com and thingiverse.com. These are both really awesome 3D printing communities, both have their own merits so don’t ask me which one is my favourite. Yet again, seeing that most of the designers and makers are male.
I am certain that there is a need for more females in this community to diversify the content.
There are millions of design out there and I think they can be simply divided into 5 categories
art
products
tools
educational materials
gaming
Here is why I think more ladies could benefit from 3D printing and especially if you are a mom.
I am mostly in the “products” category and sometimes “art” and “gaming” These are usually the more useful, beautiful, fun and cute things. I make and design mainly for the home and for my kids. 3D printing had allowed me to have more fun creating things that I would otherwise spend money to buy from the dollar store or from amazon. My kids would, from time to time, peek at my screen when I’m browsing for new .stls and requests for new toys. I have made many flexi-animals, flexi-Dino’s and video games related things, like an operable Pokeball, Pokémon figures etc. and THIS MAKES ME THE COOLEST MOM, according to my Instagram comments.
So, ladies, if you choose to pick up this hobby - ie. if you are already into pottery, knitting, crochet or crafting, this is really an extension of all of those “lady” hobby. And the bonus is your child will see you as the coolest mom ever! Trust me, I am certain that this makes them proud. Even my husband is a little proud of me for some of my work. 🤣
P.S. If you are one of these female 3D print makers out there reading this now, do reach out and let's get connected to support each other.
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