At 3D Universe, we are very passionate about using 3D printing for the greater good and finding ways to use this technology to make a difference in the lives of others.

One of our favorite projects, e-NABLE, is very near and dear to our hearts. We have been working with the e-NABLE global community of makers, for over 10 years. As co-founders of this project, we love seeing new designs come from this incredibly talented group of change makers as they continue to create free open-source designs for 3D printable hands and arms for those in need.

We are excited to share that 3D Universe now offers e-NABLE 3D printed hand assembly kits for some of the newer designs that the community has created and you can find those in our shop along with other project kits that might interest you.

This e-NABLE assembly materials kit includes all of the materials needed to assemble any of the following designs, created by the e-NABLE volunteer community:

• Kinetic Hand
• e-NABLE Phoenix Hand v3
• Phoenix v2
• Unlimbited Phoenix
• Phoenix Reborn

This kit also includes sufficient materials for producing the Unlimbited Arm or Kwawu Arm, except that additional velcro straps will be needed.

See below for what is included in these kits.

e-NABLE volunteer John Diamond has prepared an assembly manual for the Phoenix v2, which is available here. He also produced a great video tutorial for the assembly process, which can be found here.

Mat Bowtell has created detailed documentation for the Kinetic Hand, which is included as a PDF within the Zip file, found on Thingiverse.

Jacquin Buchanan has prepared detailed documentation for the Kwawu Arm, which is included as a PDF wihin the file section on the Thingiverse page.

Hundreds of schools around the world have had great success using the e-NABLE program to help teach students about design-oriented thinking and incorporating empathy into the curriculum.

To help you get started in your classroom, be sure to check out the wonderful open source curriculum materials developed by e-NABLE volunteer and teacher, Lyndsey Wells. They are organized by grade level and are aligned with the latest New York State Learning Standards and the Next Generation Science & Engineering Practices.

It has been such a gift to watch educators in K-12 as well as Universities around the globe using the e-NABLE project to give their students examples of how they can use 3D printing technology to solve real world problem and kick start a spark of creativity to think outside of the box and see what else could be possible.

Bambu Lab 3D printers are an excellent choice for those making e-NABLE devices. Offering exceptional capabilities at a great price, these printers can handle both rigid materials like PETG as well as flexible materials like TPU, both of which are required for making a Kinetic Hand as shown in the photo above.

For those of you who are interested in creating more life like e-NABLE devices for recipients who prefer to blend in with more natural looking skin tone colors than stand out with vibrant colorful 3D printed hands, we offer our PETG material in four unique skin tone colors!

Shown above (from left to right): Light Tan, Desert Tan, Chocolate Rose, and Coffee Bean. PETG is easy to print like PLA, but it has a higher temperature resistance and improved strength. This makes it ideally suited for printing e-NABLE assistive devices. Click here to see these materials.

Want to make a hand for someone who actually needs one? Please consider joining the e-NABLE community. It is a unique and wonderful group to be a part of. Get involved! It's wonderfully rewarding, and anyone can participate!