Hands from a hero

Photo By Staff Sgt. Abbigayle Williams | Tech Sgt. Zachary Zilm, 582nd Operation Support Squadron NCO in charge of group training, shows off his first, fully functional, 3D prosthetic hand July 3, 2018, on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. Zilm received approval to begin making the prosthetics during the 4th of July holiday. Zilm’s goal now is to put together a team to make the creation process smoother, which would allow more hands to be made. (U.S Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Abbigayle Wagner)  

FRANCIS E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WY, UNITED STATES

07.19.2018

Story by Airman 1st Class Abbigayle Williams 

90th Missile Wing

According to the National Adoption Center about one in every 2000 new born babies will have some form of a limb deficiency.
Though he could not fix congenital disabilities, Tech Sgt. Zachary Zilm, 582nd Operations Support Squadron NCOIC in charge of group training, is doing his best with the aid of a 3D printer, to help those children be better able to do simple tasks.
By volunteering his time and resources, Zilm creates 3D printed hands for children who do not have the option for traditional prosthetic devices. The hands are not fully functional devices, but tools.
Zilm is working through the organization, Enabling the Future, a global network of passionate volunteers using 3D printing to give the world a “helping hand.”
“I bought a 3D printer kit many years ago,” said Zilm. “But I’ve only been with the charity less than a year.”
And, during the 4th of July holiday Zilm received approval to begin making his first hand for someone.
Zilm noted that to print hands with the charity’s backing takes a lot of work. The prospective builder is required to print and assemble a fully functional hand from one of the charity’s designs, then submit it for testing. Once the approval comes in, the builder is free to take on any client.
“The first hand was pretty amazing to do,” said Zilm. “It was also great to see how interested the people around me were and how quickly they wanted to help.”
There is a real need for individuals to volunteer with the process, but it is not always clear where to begin.
“Not everyone has to have a printer to get involved,” said Zilm. “The process involves many steps and having a team working through it makes it faster and easier. Having someone coordinate with the clients, while another builds and a third assembles would allow more hands to go out.”
The process is mildly time-consuming, taking at least one month to complete, but the cost is low. Depending on the hand, it may cost Zilm $5 in materials and approximately 20 hours to print.
Although materials are low in cost, some of Zilms co-workers have helped contribute to the cause.
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Zilm says cost is not everything. The hands go to children who need them and would not otherwise be able to receive one. All the work that goes into making them comes at no cost to the receiver.
“Why not help?” said Zilm. “It doesn’t hurt to help, and the joy of helping others is a reward in itself.”
Now that Zilm has received approval to make hands, his goal is to involve other and put together a team to make the creation process smoother.
To learn more about the charity, go to http://enablingthefuture.org/.
If you want to hear more about Zilm’s process or to get involved with his team, email him at [e-mail].

• Date Taken: 07.19.2018
• Date Posted: 07.26.2018 16:00
• Story ID: 285886
• Location: FRANCIS E. WARREN AIR FORCE BASE, WY, US