Eight year old Cincinnati boy's life changed thanks to 3D printed functional assistive hand devices from Ultimaker
E-Nable Designs, Prints and Donates “Helper Hands” Free of Charge to Children and Adults using Ultimaker 3D Printers
Raising a child born without the use of his left hand, Gregg and Sam Dennison connected with e-Nable, a global network working to create and donate hand devices, to find a solution to improve their 8-year-old son Luke’s life. The Dennisons used an Ultimaker 3D printer to create a number of different functional hand devices for Luke. The hands are able to make a fist to hold and pick up objects and are printed in a variety of colors, designs, and sizes.
I feel a strong sense of pride as a father that my wife and I are able to provide our son with a new hand. Through e-Nable and our Ultimaker 2 3D printer, we are able to come up with a new hand whenever he needs one. Luke loves being able to pick the colors of his hand and show new designs off to his friends at school. E-Nable and Ultimaker have made it easy for us to give our son the life he deserves.
The Dennisons utilized e-Nable’s ready-to-print design files to custom print five assistive hand devices for their son on an Ultimaker 2. E-Nable is changing the lives of those without use of one or both hands by providing functioning hand devices free of charge. With a team of over 5,000 volunteers, e-Nable uses 3D printers to design and create models of hands that can be shared across the globe. E-Nable works with recipients to find a 3D printer near them to print and assemble the pieces or hand files can be downloaded and printed at home.
Being able to provide someone with a new assistive hand device not only changes their life but also mine and everyone working with e-Nable. E-Nable volunteers come together to create, innovate, re-design and give a “helping hand” to those that need it – whether it is helping to print parts, creating a completed device for or simply helping to guide others as they build one themselves.
The Dennisons used an Ultimaker 2 3D printer from Ultimaker to produce the hands for his son. The Ultimaker 2 is an industry leading desktop printer designed to give prints an accurate and precise finish. It is capable of fast and thorough printing, no matter the quantity and has the ability to create high-quality projects and creations.
Ultimaker is honored to be a part of this groundbreaking movement in medical technology. Our desktop 3D printers are the perfect tool for anyone to be able to print assistive hand devices at home with the help of e-Nable. Ultimaker is also excited to see where the organization takes the possibilities of 3D printed assistive devices in the future.
3D printing has opened doors for medical technology by enabling people to create their own assistive devices at home. E-Nable has started a worldwide movement of people who want to make a difference through this new technology. The assistive hand devices e-Nable designs provide the recipient with moving fingers if they are able to bend their wrist. The capabilities of e-Nable and the efficiency of Ultimaker 3D printers help to improve lives making assistive device dreams turn into reality.
To hear Luke tell his story visit: https://ultimaker.com/learn/meet-luke-and-his-3d-printed-e-nable-hand.
About Luke Dennison
Luke is an eight-year-old boy living near Cincinnati. Born without the use of his left hand, his father Gregg took it upon himself to find a solution to help his son. Gregg turned to 3D printing and with help from e-Nable and Ultimaker, successfully created functional assistive hand devices for Luke. To learn more about Luke visit: https://www.facebook.com/LittleCoolHandLuke/info?tab=page_info.
Since 2011, Ultimaker has built an open and easy-to-use solution of 3D printers, software and materials that enable professional designers and engineers to innovate every day. Today, Ultimaker is the market leader in desktop 3D printing. From offices in the Netherlands, New York, Boston, and Singapore – plus production facilities in Europa and the US – its global team of over 400 employees work together to accelerate the world’s transition to digital distribution and local manufacturing.