3D Systems Partners With e-Nable Community Foundation

Rock Hill, S.C.-based 3D Systems has partnered with e-Nable Community Foundation (ECF), which is a global network of makers, inventors and designers using 3-D printing to make functional, prosthetic hands that are donated to people in need. The partnership leverages the company’s 3-D digital fabrication products, services and expertise to expand access to, improve the capabilities of, and educate the public about these life-changing assistive devices, according to 3D Systems officials.

“Our technology unlocks everyone’s potential to transform great ideas into real outcomes,” said Avi Reichental, President and CEO, 3D Systems. “By teaming up with the e-Nable community, we are giving more people the means and the skills to improve lives.”

3DS and ECF announced four key areas of collaboration as part of their partnership. Specifically, 3DS will collaborate with ECF to design an all-new hand. This design will be free, publicly-shared, customizable for sizing and optimized for printing on the Cube, CubePro and EkoCycle Cube. To encourage and support greater community participation, the organizations will publish a video tutorial on how to print and assemble the free hand file.

3D Systems will provide technical advisory, aiding ECF with key industry and technical expertise on 3-D technology, prosthetics design and more.

The company and ECF will identify four or more university-based labs to qualify them as e-Nable partners. These will be equipped with 3D Systems’ digital fabrication tools, including CubePro 3-D printers, premium material cartridges, Sense 3-D scanners, design software and the Touch 3-D stylus.

They will collaborate to develop learning materials for formal and informal educators, introducing and facilitating 3-D design and printing relating to ECF’s mission of sharing 3-D-printed assistive technologies.

“We are excited to welcome 3D Systems into partnership with ECF and look forward to leveraging their solutions and expertise to further our reach and impact,” said Jon Schull, e-Nable Community Foundation president. “It’s notable that 3D Systems has the vision to open-source their K1 hand so that all sorts of people can use it and learn from it.”

The prosthetic hand was designed by 3D Systems’ industrial designer Evan Kuester. Kuester also designed the “Iron Man” prosthetic for the University of Central Florida that was presented to a young boy by actor Robert Downey, Jr.

Mechanical, prosthetic hands that are intended for use in the United States are regulated under U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) product code IRA—which is categorized as “hand, external limb component, mechanical” and is exempt from 510(k) and good manufacturing practices, but do require establishments to be registered and comply with general record keeping and complaint handling. 3D systems will work with ECF partner labs to comply with the above outlined FDA requirements, according to the company.                                       

3D Systems makes 3-D printers, print materials and cloud-sourced custom parts. The company’s personalized medicine capabilities include end-to-end simulation, training and planning, and printing of surgical instruments and devices for personalized surgery and patient specific medical and dental devices.

3D Systems partners with e-Nable Community Foundation to provide prosthetic hands to people in need.