Haley Stump: “It Is Entirely Different To Stand Next To It Once It Is All Done”

Haley Stump is a new mom, photographer, and the 3D Coordinator at NOA Brands, based in Lafayette, Colorado. 

She graduated from the Art Institute of Colorado with a BA in Photography in 2014 and has a passion for all things creative. Haley has grown from an intern in the photography studio to being a go-to person for anything 3D at her company. NOA Brands is the world’s largest and most innovative producer of mannequins and other retail merchandising products. 

Haley has helped develop and refine a digital workflow for producing mannequins, larger-than-life props, and furniture for a variety of Fortune 500 companies, including the likes of Nike, Target and Dick’s Sporting Goods. NOA Brands competes in a fast-paced, very demanding sector where 3D printing has helped greatly increase product design capabilities and efficiency.

This digital workflow includes 3D Scanning existing products for digital archives or modifications, live model scanning, digital sculpting and ultimately, 3D printing. Under Haley’s guidance, NOA Brands has adopted several different 3D printing technologies for various project types.

Nora Toure: Haley, could you let us know about your background and what brought you to 3D printing in the first place?

Haley Stump: I started with NOA Brands as an intern in the photography studio during college which turned into a job shortly after graduation. I then began to help our team with 3D scanning mannequins for archiving and digital projects such as miniatures for clients. 

Since then, our adoption of 3D printing technologies has grown immensely to include many machines of various sizes and types. I have managed our machine purchases, vendors, and machine operation to enable us to print anything from a small piece of hardware to an 8ft tall Lombardi Trophy. 

Nora Toure: Can you describe your very first experience with 3D Printing?

Haley Stump: My very first experience with 3D printing was printing miniature mannequins on our 3D Systems machine. It was tricky given that they were very tiny and made of gypsum powder so I was extremely frustrated at how fragile they were. That was when I decided to research what else was out there and could better serve the kinds of things we were printing.

Nora Toure: You are now the 3D Coordinator at NOA Brands. Can you let us know about NOA Brands’ business and why manufacturing technologies such as 3D Printing are being used by the company?

Haley Stump: NOA Brands is the largest and most innovative mannequin manufacturer in the world which means we are often faced with some challenges from clients that require the latest technology and software to accomplish. For instance, a client may want to develop a highly realistic mannequin of an athlete which requires the latest 3D scanning equipment as well as the ability to print large scale models. 

Clients also love how 3D printing can help them easily iterate their design ideas and translate them into a physical object in much less time than traditional sculpting. 3D printing has been instrumental in some of our new capabilities such as larger than life props, lattice-work designs, or quick-turn prototypes.

Read the rest at Women in 3D Printing