And, now, the story of one lucky 12-year-old. The story starts when Dorothy Babb saw a 3D printer demonstration at the Porcupine Freedom Festival, held by the Free State Project in New Hampshire in 2013. After seeing more and more videos and articles about the technology, Dorothy fell in love with 3D printing, eventually carrying her and her father, Jim Babb, to the Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo in New York, where the 12-year-old encountered her first bit of fortuity. She tells me:
The Inside 3D Printing Conference and Expo, in New York was incredible. We saw lots of exquisite demonstrations and entered a raffle for a LulzBot TAZ 3 printer. When I won the printer, I felt lucky and I was overjoyed. That was incredible. Unfortunately, they made us leave after the drawing, because I wasn’t old enough to attend the show.
Being directed to leave the industry event didn’t hinder her excitement and, immediately, she got printing. Dorothy and Jim were able to figure out their brand new TAZ and some 3D modeling software so that Dorothy could design her own series of 3D printed fridge magnets. And it couldn’t have happened at a better time as the next annual PorcFest was just around the corner.
Dorothy hauled her gear and set up shop selling her first product, a diverse series of liberty loving magnets to the PorcFest crowd. In no time, Jim tells me, she sold out, earning her $300 in cash, bitcoin, and silver. But the fun wasn’t over yet as, every year, the festival hosts the Agorist Pitch contest, a mini Shark Tank in which entrepreneurs pitch a business idea to a panel of experts, explaining what they’d do with their Agorist Pitch cash prizes. Jim explains, “Dorothy decided to enter at the last minute. Her pitch was to expand production capability with a dual extruder. She ended up winning first place, scoring an ounce of gold as a prize. The incredible prize of the Agorist Pitch contest was generously donated by Tim Frey, from Roberts & Roberts Brokerage.”
The young entrepreneur tells me, “When I won the Agorist Pitch contest, I felt successful because the competition was significant. There were many great projects presented,” and Jim, adds, “Can you imagine the excitement of a 12-year-old who, in the span of a few months, won a TAZ, learned how to create and output 3D models, used it to earn some money, then wins the Agorist Pitch contest?”
I certainly can! When I was twelve, I would have felt so empowered to have such a piece of exciting technology, so I asked Dorothy what sort of potential 3D printing offered her. To which she replied, “I think the advantages of the technology are that you can become a manufacturer without needing a manufacturing plant. You can create art, useful objects and medical devices on an individual basis.”
And, as an adult who has become empowered by 3D printing so late in life, I sympathize with Jim, who gave me what he sees as the technology’s strengths:
3D printing has opened up a new world of creative possibilities. I love watching my kids develop new skills. 3D printing is particularly interesting because of the combination of artistic, technological and entrepreneurial aspects. I know that the skills we are developing have a wide range of potential applications, in almost any field. We are just starting to see how vast the opportunities are, so I’m thrilled to see my daughter enjoying this so much. The decentralized nature of 3D printing, and the surrounding community are quite empowering. Operating a 3D printer is obviously more involved than a 2D printer, but the plethora of support resources make problem solving fairly easy. Learning the capabilities and limitations of new materials (like NinjaFlex) is something we are looking forward to. Mastering 3D modeling will provide us with challenges for years to come.
Though the story of how Dorothy won a 3D printer, earned $300, and won an ounce of gold may seem to come to end here, the fact is that her story is just beginning. Since winning, the duo has bought dual Flexystruders for their Lulzbot, which will allow Dorothy to develop her business. She explains, “I plan to build a website, expand the product line, experiment with different materials and fulfill custom orders. We have already received requests for custom design work.” To top it off, Jim adds, “Oh, and she got to be guest on a syndicated radio show.”
So, as Dorothy’s luck continues to grow, we’ll be sure to keep you updated. You’ll be the first to hear when Dorothy gets her website up and running so that you, too, can purchase some of her 3D printed wares.
