Meet Andrew and Aidan.
They are a father and son team who volunteer their time with the e-NABLE Community. They work together to create free 3D printed hands and arms for those in need. Their family is based out of Michigan and they have been creating assistive devices for limb different children, who like Aidan, were born missing fingers or hands.
Aidan received his first e-NABLE hand from volunteer Michael and his son Carter (of Claws For Carter) in 2017. Soon after, they created a non-profit called “Nub Werkes.”
Andrew shares, ” I got involved with e-NABLE after watching my son, Aidan receive his first 3D printed hand. Mike really took the time to help get my foot in the door and introduced me to some local people for guidance.”
Though he didn’t start diving into 3D printing until he was introduced to e-NABLE – Andrew, as a natural-born tinkerer, had been curious about 3D printing for quite some time before then.
“I had first looked into 3d printing around 2010. The prices for the prebuilt machines at this time were still relatively high. I didn’t trust the sources of information enough to piece together my own kit,” he said.
Andrew explains, “I started printing hands and arms for e-NABLE in April 2017. To date, I’ve printed two or three dozen devices. Most have been designed specifically for users. There have been some that I’ve sent out to groups for them to assemble and donate. Others I’ve made have just been blind donations for ‘hand camp’ events.”
3D Universe Gift Card and Hand Kit Donation Program
Some of those devices that Andrew has created for recipients would not have been possible without the generous donations from sponsors of the e-NABLE Community through 3D Universe’s e-NABLE Gift Card and Hand Kit donation program. Through this program, we were able to send Andrew some much-needed filament when his supplies ran low.
Andrew shares, “I used a lot of the 3D Universe filament to print out kits for a Girl Scout Troop in Eastern Michigan. I’ve also donated a hand that was sent to a hand camp event for Sarah and Cam from Different Heroes to give to a recipient in need.”
3D Printing Collaborations And Problem Solving
Things have slowed down a bit this summer. Andrew shared that he was able to donate one of his unused printers to one of his recipient families so that they could continue making devices for their own child. However, he and Aidan have worked together on a few other projects this year.
When asked what they have been collaborating on, Andrew shares, “We’ve worked together to make these special straps that allow Aidan to hold drum sticks. We also worked together to form a special holder for a Yamaha Recorder. He will be in the fifth grade this year, so I will assume that as he gets older this will become more frequent than it currently is.”
“I always like hearing how he does things, so I can try and improve the way that he does things. Sometimes the best way is to create something, and sometimes it is faster for him to do it the way he has taught himself.”
Thank you, Andrew and Aidan, for sharing your story with us and for making a difference in the lives of others!
If you would like to donate a gift card or an assembly kit to help offset the cost for other e-NABLE Volunteers who are making devices for recipients or to help underserved schools who would like to get 3D printing technology into their STEM classrooms, please visit the links above or contact us directly for more information.
Every donation helps the e-NABLE Community continue on its mission to “Give The World A Helping Hand.”
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” – Scott Adams