A FOAM DRONE EATEN BY ANTS isn’t exactly your standard design constraint, but it was one of the problems Emily Levin encountered through her work as a 3D print application engineer at HP, helping customers figure out how additive manufacturing can fit into their actual workflows.
Levin works across industries, but her main focus is on the drone space. That’s how she found herself involved with anti-poaching drones in South Africa: The Eye Above, a non-profit conservation project, had tried all kinds of off-the-shelf drones, Levin said, but none could quite handle the harsh conditions of South Africa.
“Other additive methods didn’t work for that application either, and [they] landed on HP’s MJF [Multi Jet Fusion], which could deliver something both strong and consistent enough for that environment,” she explained.
The drones are designed to monitor wildlife populations, detect traps set by poachers, and support local communities in protecting the wildlife around them. “I love this project because it’s not just about the manufacturing, right? It’s about making a real impact on the world,” she said. “They empower local communities to become the custodians of the wildlife by giving them the right tools.”
Custom Approaches
At HP, her job goes beyond sending someone a printer and hoping for the best. It means understanding the problem and the production plan. Depending on the customer, the appeal of additive may be performance, customization, on-demand production, or the ability to create complex geometries that traditional processes would struggle to deliver.
“It’s very different than ordering a printer on Amazon, and being on your own with operating it,” Levin said. “We have a lot of resources that we provide to our users.”
HP’s MJF process, she explained, is set apart by three main factors: scalability, strength, and repeatability. The technology can support both prototyping and production, with parts strong enough for end-use applications and consistent enough for manufacturing environments. The materials are also designed with reusability in mind, reducing the amount of fresh material needed each time.
Another project brought Levin into healthcare through work with the Veterans Association (VA) and partners in orthotics and prosthetics. MJF is already used widely in the space, but a major barrier is the workflow around it.
Clinicians are medical professionals, not CAD or 3D modeling experts. Levin described the project as helping automate more of the body fitment process so clinicians can scan a patient, provide medical input, and rely on a more digital workflow from there.
Removing those technology barriers can transform the process by “drastically [reducing] the amount of time that they need to spend on each patient,” Levin said. “That allows them to see more patients, and it allows veterans to get faster and more consistent access to healthcare.”
“Many people still think 3D printing is just for prototyping. We like to emphasize the term ‘additive manufacturing’ not just as interchangeable language with ‘3D printing,’ but using that terminology to reflect the reality that the technology is ready for production.”
—Emily Levin, 3D Application Engineer, HP
Traditionally, Levin said, HP’s role might have stopped at providing the printer. Projects like this expand on that. In that light, Levin sees additive manufacturing moving toward a future where it is not treated as a backup plan or novelty.
“Additive is starting to become a first-choice solution,” she said. “I made that term up, it’s not an official term, but we see that in some spaces. They’ve stopped treating additive as an alternative, and started treating it as the standard.”
Getting there will take expertise and a shift in mindset. Products need to be designed for additive from the start, not simply carried over from injection molding or another manufacturing process, she said.
And the language matters.
“Many people still think 3D printing is just for prototyping,” she said. “We like to emphasize the term ‘additive manufacturing’ not just as interchangeable language with ‘3D printing,’ but using that terminology to reflect the reality that the technology is ready for production.”
The growth mindset is something Levin appreciates being important to HP company culture, not just on a technology level, but also from the personal development side. “It can take a lot of self-reflection to even recognize when you’re limiting yourself—let alone overwriting those beliefs,” she said, sharing her takeaways from a professional development program she took part in.
Support and Community
Levin’s path into the field started with materials science. After completing her undergraduate at Northwestern University, she worked on solar panel research, electron microscopy, and did a research internship in Germany. In graduate school at UC Santa Barbara, her focus was on functional intermetallics, including thermoelectric materials used in applications such as the Voyager spacecraft.
“Every step of my journey has been collaborative,” she said. “From that high school teacher who encouraged me to pursue engineering to my PI in grad school, who was incredibly supportive of women in the field.”
Levin also credits communities like Women in 3D Printing and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE) with helping luminate her path.
“Women are still really underrepresented in STEM, but the growth that I’ve seen since undergrad has been amazing,” she shared. “And [those] communities provide that supportive network for people to share experiences, advice, and understand challenges in a way that outsiders often just can’t.”
Now, Levin tries to offer the same support to others entering engineering and additive manufacturing.
“There were people who were there for me and picked up the phone when I had questions, and I will always try and pay that forward to people who come after me,” she said.
Sarah Alburakeh is strategic content editor.
Levin’s early love of chemistry was sparked by a high school teacher who “just really loved setting things on fire,” and got interested in material science after watching PBS NOVA specials.
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