E-nable is an organisation that makes technology fun and useful for physically challenged children. They design 3D models for anyone to download and make their own copy of a prosthetic hand for free. This is an inspiring venture.
I jumped on the band wagon by downloading an online model of the Raptor Prosthetic hand at thingiverse. It is great how everything is accessible online. The model, the printing configuration and the screws needed to fix the 3D parts were all mentioned online. It only required some time and interest on my part.
I wanted to try my hand at 3D printing for two reasons. One, I had a really cool model of a 3D Prosthetic Hand (Raptor by E-Nable) and also that I wanted to watch how a 3D printer created something from plastic threads.
The DesignLab at UTwente was a surprise to me. It is a heaven for designers and dreamers. The lab has a vibe to it that oozes creativity from you. Lego blocks, artificial sand and sketch boards help you imagine and conceptualize your ideas. And then there is a wood workshop and an e-workshop that contain most of the equipment that you would need to build your idea. This includes a 3-D printer, a laser cutter and several other machines.
When you have a really great idea that you want to see become reality, all you need to do is walk into the COCKPIT at the DesignLab and bother dear Minuto.
Andrea Minuto, one of the managers at the DesignLab helped me with suggestions and changes to the model. He was great with questions too.
Though the 3D printer took hours to print, it was a negligible hindrance to what I visualized would be my end product. I began with scaling the fingers to my size. And then followed the assembly instructions at instructables.com. This led to the following.
After hours of printing followed by finding the right threads and screws, my hand began to become something really cool.
Thank you all kind people at the DesignLab for this beautiful device. I cannot wait to pick my next model for another 3D printing venture.
For more work done by the E-Nable team, please read their event schedule here.
