10 Year Old Ryan Golditch Making 3D Printed PPE | Customer Spotlight

We are excited to share our first 3D Universe Customer Spotlight feature on 10-year-old Ryan Golditch, who has been spending his free time during the COVID-19 lockdown by putting his 3D printer to work making 3D printed PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for his local healthcare heroes and essential workers in Rhode Island!

When asked what got him interested in 3D printed PPE for his local frontline workers, Ryan explained, “This all started with my Mom buying me a math mask since math is my favorite subject in school. The elastics hurt my ears and made it very uncomfortable to wear. I realized I could print an ear saver on my Toybox printer with one of the files Toybox had on their app. It was then I realized that frontline workers may have the same, if not more discomfort I experienced since they wear their masks for such a long period of time.”

Ryan shares, “I make ear savers, mask hooks, and N95 clips to help not just healthcare workers, but anyone who needs them. The ear savers take about 20 minutes to print, the mask hooks 7 minutes, and the N95 clips 13 minutes. I 3D print in limited quantities, 100 at a time, and have a variety of colors.

To date, Ryan has donated 3D printed PPE to Hasbro Children’s Hospital’s Emergency Department and Landmark Medical Center’s ICU. Currently, he is working on a request from Oak Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation.

“It feels GREAT to know that my (3D) prints are going to help people, especially those on the front lines. The reason I wanted to give back to them was because they are working hard helping to save lives while I get to stay home and be safe.“

Donating to Help Ryan Make 3D Printed PPE

Ryan reached out to us here at 3D Universe and asked if we might be able to donate a spool of filament for him to continue making 3D printed PPE with an email that started with “Dear 3D Universe, Hello, my name is Ryan. I am 10 years old, I am located in Rhode Island, and I want to help people.”

We were extremely impressed with his drive, passion, and desire to make a difference in the lives of others at his age and shipped him a roll of Kodak PLA+ Filament to help with his efforts!

He recently emailed us with an update, “I used the filament donated by 3D Universe, and it helped A LOT! I like to use a variety of colors in my prints so the filament given to me by 3D Universe is not yet used up, however, my other colors are almost empty, and the roll donated will soon be one of the only ones left!” Ryan goes on to share, ” I would estimate I could make approximately 1,000 ear savers with the donated filament. I especially love that the roll is more durable than my other rolls.“

We have 2 more rolls of Kodak PLA+ heading your way Ryan! Expect some neon yellow and some red to add to your color collection for printing PPE!

Making a Difference at a Young Age

We asked if Ryan has ever thought about creating other things with his 3D printer that could help people. Ryan explained, “I have thought about other ways I can use a 3D printer to help. I would love to be able to print shields for healthcare workers as I know there is a high demand for these but my Toybox printer is too small and not sophisticated enough. My ideal 3D printer to do that with would be the Ultimaker 2.”

“It feels great to be only ten years old and be able to help during this global health crisis. Healthcare workers are making sure all of us are safe, so it is my honor to be able to give back to them. Even because you are young does not mean that you cannot make a difference. Everybody can help in a different way. Kids can find that way, and act on it.”

Ryan Golditch – Age 10

We asked Ryan what interests him most about 3D printing as a 10-year-old. He shared, “I find 3D printing fascinating. It is so cool to see how the printer knows how to print an object and how much filament to take. 3D printing will be a big part of our future. Many things in everyday life will be automated, making life easier. 3D printed implants and prosthetics are already helping to increase the quality of life for many people. I want to be an AI engineer when I grow up, so this is a good start for me.”

Ryan, thank you for sharing your story with us and for being such an inspiration to other kids your age to show that people of all ages can make a difference in the world!

Do You Want to Share Your Story?

We are looking for “Real Life Hero” stories to share on our Customer Spotlight blog posts about those who are using their 3D printers, laser cutters or Mayku FormBoxes to create PPE in their local areas.

If you would like to be considered as a feature story on our blog, please fill out this form or shoot us an email at jen@3duniverse.org!

Want to help us support more volunteers like Ryan who are 3D printing PPE for medical workers? Consider making a donation! 3D Universe has already sent free filaments to dozens of groups working on producing and donating protective equipment for our medical workers. Your donation will help us to support more of those groups and individuals.