3DPrinting Supplies for Riley Children's Hospital

At Riley Children's Hospital, there is a small makerspace whose sole purpose is to make someone's day better.

Barely large enough to fit two people, this space helps kids design their own toys using Tinkercad, print existing designs from online, or even design entirely new ways for kids to interact with the world (like custom game controllers or mounts), all entirely for free.

The makerspace is scrapped together with whatever materials they can find, and I've partnered with Jacob Lovrinic, the administrator of the makerspace and General Fixer of Things, and the Riley Child Life Zone to raise money for two Prusa MK4 printers to replace their existing donated machines. The two machines they have run around the clock to make toys and models for kids, and between hardware failures and general lack of budget, they need replacements they can count on.

In the above picture, you can see a model of human skin on the left and a Berlin Heart, a mechanical implant that can keep a child with severe heart failure alive until they can get a donor. The makerspace also provides models of other devices for nurses, like hearing implants. What about a model of the inside of a MRI machine, sized for a toy MRI? A visualization of exactly what sickle cell anemia looks like? These models help kids and parents get a better understanding of what's happening.

To work in accordance with Riley's rules and to make sure we get materials directly to the makerspace, I am raising money directly to buy the printers and deliver them to Riley Children's Hospital. I will use any additional funding to purchase filament in bulk orders in as many different colors as I can and deliver those to the hospital as well. All raised money will be used for 3D printing supplies for Riley.

About me: my name is Joe Kaufeld and I run FilamentColors.xyz, a website devoted to helping you choose 3D printing filaments for your next project across different types and manufacturers based on color. I volunteer on a weekly basis with Riley Children's Hospital to spend time with inpatients, playing games, talking about 3D printing, and generally having a grand time.

I've seen first-hand the absolute unbridled joy that a printed figure of their favorite character can bring, the fascination with designing something on the computer and then holding it in your hand, and the calm that comes with having an understanding of what's happening to your body. A smile means the world, and a distraction is frequently a welcome visitor; join me in helping to uncover a few more smiles.