Who should volunteer?
Anyone who has an FDM (filament-based) 3D printer that prints in fairly high quality. You should be willing to print files, assemble them, ship them, and communicate with me.
How do I volunteer
Contact me with your information (location, can you do design work?)
And/or sign up for the newsletter!
What is the process
- Someone asks me for a controller.
- I contact you, based on your location and ask if you want the job.
- You accept the job, and print the files.
- You take a picture of the files, fully assembled, then ship them to the supplied address.
- You contact me to let me know the files have shipped. Please supply the picture of the fully assembled files. If you require reimbursement, also provide a picture of the shipping receipt.
What if my printer breaks or I get busy with other things?
No problem! The most important thing is that you just let me know I should move the job to someone else. I don’t need to know why, I just don’t want to be waiting for no reason!
Do I need to pay for materials and shipping?
Most volunteers pay for this out of pocket, and I try to spread out the jobs to take advantage of that. Many people may only have 1 or 2 jobs per year, and the cost is usually less than $15 total. However, I can reimburse for shipping if needed. Please let me know at the beginning though, so I can set aside that money and document it.
Are volunteers allowed to post on social media?
Absolutely, go nuts! Just do not share the information of the person receiving the parts.
Is there a file I can print to see how hard it is or if my printer is dialled in enough?
Absolutely. Akaki’s single hand controller kits are very popular and a fantastic test to see if you can help out. Try printing and assembling this part without supports. You should be able to print the parts just fine, and after assembly, each part should rotate freely. I personally print it at 102% sometimes just so it is a tiny bit looser.
Why not just connect people directly to volunteers? Why keep yourself in the middle?
I’ve learned through years of experience that quality control and relationship management are extremely important. I need to ensure that people get what they’ve requested and if someone acts inappropriately, the situation will be handled properly.