3D Printing
Maps, Land Formations, Prosthetics & More!
Help us get our own 3D Printer
We are currently using a printer at the Montrose Makerspace, which is great because it is low cost, however it has its limits and it is not extremely convenient. We would like to get a 3D printer for Blind Endeavors so that we can use it on demand and take it with us during school visits.
The printer we are looking at is a Raise 3D N2+ as it has a massive build area (great for prosthetics), dual extruders (for multiple color and/or materials), and it is a high quality machine without getting into industrial machines.
It is a little pricey at $4000 but the benefits should be priceless as we can provide maps to kids with visual impairments at schools, use models to explain land formations, describe trails and possibly build different types of prosthetics and adaptive devices for those with disabilities.
*Photo from Raise 3D
$25: Buys one roll of filament that can make 10-15 maps.
$41: Vic (Co-founder/Operations Manager) is helping out with the fundraiser for his 41st Birthday (January 22nd). $1 for every year he’s been alive.
$50: We’ll print a street map or we’ll send you something that we print. Let us know what we can print for you.
$100: Just 41 of these donations and we can buy the printer.
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DONATE
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Urban Exploration
3D maps are printed for tactile use while an urban explorer that is visually impaired is navigating a new town or neighborhood. This is a model of the streets around Northside Elementary in Montrose, CO.
The instructor whom this was made for can train a young student that is losing his eyesight on how to navigate the local streets. We are hoping to print the entire town of Montrose for this young child and other local resident that are visually impaired.
Notice the Black/White contrast? This is to help those with low-vision distinguish between the streets and buildings. The white is painted, however due to touching the maps, this will rub off, hence the reason we are looking for a dual extruder so we can load two materials contrasting in color without worry of paint rubbing off.
Out in Nature
Verbal descriptions of a landscape can only do so much for someone that is visually impaired. A tactile version of the Yosemite Valley as shown here can be an extra aid to describe the location of different land formations and give a relative height of everything around.
Adventure in Scale
Verbal descriptions of a landscape can only do so much for someone that is visually impaired. A tactile version of the Yosemite Valley as shown here can be an extra aid to describe the location of different land formations and give a relative height of the land.
Prosthetics
While we primarily work with those that have visual impairments, we also meet those that may be missing a limb or have other limitations. The cost for adaptive equipment and prosthetics can be rather outrageous. 3D printers can bring that cost down dramatically. With our 3D printer we can help out those requiring adaptive equipment as well.
* Photo courtesy of Raise 3D
