There’s a brand new way to volunteer at Makers Making Change (new window)! We need your help 3D printing parts for events.

The way that we build many of the assistive devices that we deliver in Canada is through our community events led by our staff. We have volunteer makers assemble the devices at build events, which are then donated to local individuals, organizations, and hospitals. But each event requires a lot of prep work — all of the parts need to be 3D printed beforehand.

If you have a 3D printer, now you can become an MMC Certified Printer and print device parts for our events in Canada. We’ll post 3D print jobs in our Maker Wanted (new window) section, and you can choose how many of each component you can print, and once done, you’ll deliver them to your nearest Makers Making Change office.

Currently, this volunteer opportunity is only available at our Burnaby, BC office, and you must be located near the office in order to deliver the parts in-person. We will be expanding this program to our other Makers Making Change office locations in Calgary, AB and Halifax, NS in the near future.

A Maker’s Perspective

Alfred has been a longtime Makers Making Change volunteer, having printed off hundreds of device parts for our events over the past few years using his Prusa 3D printer.

In 2016, Alfred had a stroke, affecting the right side of his body. He uses a manual wheelchair, and has limited use of his right hand. 3D printing gives him an opportunity to use his skills to give back to the community.

“I enjoy doing it because it reminds me of the work I used to do in my career for the past 30 years. I was a quality technician, and I used to operate a coordinate measuring machine, so it’s essentially the same kind of work,” he says.

“Having this to work on is something that gives me some satisfaction and some purpose.”

While Alfred has been 3D printing parts for us for a long time, he was recently approved as one of our first MMC Certified Printers, getting to test out the 3D Print Jobs process and provide some valuable feedback.

He enjoys that it’s easy to claim print jobs and keep track of his progress.

“I’m really enjoying it,” Alfred shares. “You know exactly how many are done and how many are needed. This is a very convenient program.”

How Do I Get Involved?

In order to take on 3D print jobs, you must first register to become an MMC Certified Printer. Prospective volunteers who meet all the requirements below can apply to our survey (new window) to be certified:

• Have access to a 3D printer than can print in PLA
• Be able to contribute high-quality prints by the ‘commit by’ date of your choosing
• Be able to drop off completed prints in-person at our Burnaby office

Once you are approved as an MMC Certified Printer, you can find the jobs on the Maker Wanted (new window) page under the new ‘3D Print Jobs’ tab. There, you can decide how many prints you can make, and what date you can deliver them by. Whether you’re making five or 50 prints, we appreciate any amount you can help.

When you’re finished the prints, you will drop them off at our Burnaby office in a designated bin with your name on it.

For a more detailed breakdown of the process, you can visit our 3D Print Jobs explainer (new window).

Not located near Burnaby, but want to contribute when the program expands? Let us know via our survey (new window) or by contacting info@makersmakingchange.com.

This post originally appeared on the Makers Making Change (new window) website.