Probably the most sharing, caring, creative, even moving 3D printing initiatives in the newborn collectively creative, locally productive, open global community is the e-NABLE project.
It has grown from the seed of a simple idea – giving a hand to someone who really needs one – to a global network of people 3D printing hand prostheses for those who need them but cannot afford traditionally made ones. Now Ultimaker, a company built on open source creativity, pitched in by donating €10,000 worth of instruments to help the e-NABLE community help many more people.
The Ultimaker-e-NABLE initiative will provide 3D printers to members of a global community of over 1400 volunteers who not only offer to make parts for hands, but who are also assembling them and shipping them off to children and adults they may never meet for no reward other than the joy of helping others in need, while providing a common knowledge database for and more more people to follow.
The first machine has already been delivered to Dr. Albert Chi’s lab at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr Chi, a trauma surgeon and an expert in high tech prosthetics, will use it to create devices for his patients, while providing feedback on how to improve designs.
Ultimaker has recently stepped up its communication strategy in the best way possibile, by embracing noble causes. It will be sponsoring the upcoming e-NABLE conference at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Ultimaker’s co-founder, Erik de Bruijn will be presenting as Gold Sponsor guest speaker during the dinner on the possibilities opened up by open source 3D printing technologies in the health care and other industries to improve lives.
Ultimaker machines are also 3D printing a life size elephant to help raise awareness on animal cruelty and more is likely to come, from Ultimaker as well as from e-NABLE and its vibrant community.
