About OT 3D Resource
OT 3D Resource is a free educational website that teaches occupational therapists, students, and educators how to 3D print assistive devices. This page explains why the site was built, who it is for, and how it developed as a doctoral capstone project at Binghamton University. It also introduces the creator and the capstone team behind the project.
Purpose of the Website
New users usually have to cross multiple kinds of websites to print one device. Maker websites explain printers. File-sharing platforms host the models. Software tutorials cover slicing. Clinical sources handle the OT side. OT 3D Resource brings those threads together for occupational therapy in one place by explaining printers, slicing, and materials, and tying each device to OT practice. The website explains the steps of 3D printing. You find a device file, prepare it in slicing software, pick a material, print and assemble the device, then check whether it fits the task. Each device page shows photos, the print settings used, assembly notes, and the daily activity the device targets.
The site does not replace clinical judgment. Before printing or recommending any device, a practitioner still weighs the client's goals, abilities, diagnosis, environment, skin safety, hygiene needs, and task demands.
Who the Website Is For
The audience is occupational therapists, students, and educators who want a starting point for 3D printing assistive technology. A new user can review the equipment, files, software, materials, settings, and assembly steps before starting a print. A practitioner who already owns a printer can skip the unrelated files on general maker sites and go straight to device pages built around specific occupations. Students and educators can use the pages in coursework or lab sessions on adaptive equipment, assistive technology, and task modification.
Why 3D Printing and OT?
A standard assistive device sometimes does not match the person or the task. A client may need a wider grip, a one-handed bottle opener, a plug puller cut to fit a specific outlet, or a tool shaped to fit an object already at home. A printed trial part lets the practitioner test fit, comfort, strength, hygiene, and task performance before committing to the design. OT reasoning determines whether a device aligns with the client's goals, mobility, safety needs, daily routine, and home setup. The website encourages that reasoning by tying each file and print detail to a specific occupation.
How the Project Developed
The project grew out of OT coursework, capstone planning, literature review, and repeated work with 3D printers and assistive device files. The early idea focused on the gap between general 3D printing resources and occupational therapy practice. Many resources explained printers, software, or file sharing, but they did not show an OT student or practitioner how a printed device connects to client needs, daily routines, and assistive technology use. As the capstone plan developed, the project narrowed into a website focused on beginner instruction, printable assistive devices, and OT-specific device pages. Early website development included learning about web design, building the page structure, collecting open-source assistive device files, and deciding what information belonged on each device page. The project then moved into printing and testing. Devices were printed, assembled, photographed, and organized into pages that show the device's purpose, print settings, material used, assembly process, and connection to OT.
Guest Lecture for OCT 615
The website concept was presented in OCT 615, the assistive technology course in Binghamton University’s OTD program taught by Dr. Orkwis. The lecture introduced 3D printing through physical device examples, printed material samples, a live printer demonstration, and a 3D-printed prosthetic hand assembly activity. During the class, students handled printed parts, compared materials, watched the printer run, and assembled the prosthetic hand components.
The class discussion and informal course input helped identify areas where beginner users needed clearer instruction. Those areas included file downloading, slicing software, material selection, device assembly, print troubleshooting, and examples connecting printed devices to occupational therapy practice. The website was revised to include more beginner guides, device photos, assembly steps, linked videos, and more in-depth device descriptions.
About the Creator
Luke Shotts
Doctoral Occupational Therapy Student at Binghamton University
OT 3D Resource was created as part of my doctoral capstone project, but my interest in 3D printing started before the website took shape. I first got into 3D printing during graduate school. I had always liked the idea of it because I enjoy building and fixing things, but it seemed too complicated to start. My capstone gave me a reason to finally buy a printer and teach myself the process. What started as a school project turned into something I use almost every day.
Most of what I learned came from trial and error. Early on, I tried putting an STL file directly onto a USB drive and could not figure out why the printer would not print it. I did not yet know that the file had to go through slicing software first. Moments like that shaped how I built this website because they reminded me how much basic information can be missing for someone brand new to 3D printing.
My interest has always leaned toward functional prints. I like making things that organize a space, improve a tool, replace a part, or solve a problem. As I moved further into occupational therapy, that same problem-solving mindset started to connect with assistive technology and adaptive equipment. This website focuses on 3D-printed assistive devices, but it also reflects a larger goal of making 3D printing less intimidating for people who are new to it. I want OT students, educators, and occupational therapists to have a place where they can learn the printing process, find device examples, and understand how 3D printing can fit into occupational therapy.
About the Capstone Team
Alex Orkwis OTD, OTR/L
Lead Faculty Mentor
Dr. Orkwis is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University, with more than a decade of experience supporting individuals in the special needs community. He designs, models, and 3D prints assistive devices to address client needs, working both on his own and alongside engineers. His interests include assistive technology, environmental modifications, additive manufacturing, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
From the start, he helped me define what the resource was for, who it was meant to support, and how each section tied back to occupational therapy. He also invited me to give a guest lecture during the 3D printing unit of his Assistive Technology course. Teaching that class showed me what the resource still needed before it could work as a tool connecting 3D printing and occupational therapy.
Dr. Orkwis has been my Professor, Academic Advisor, Mentor, and one of the most consistent sources of guidance during this project and across my time at Binghamton University. He has helped me grow by getting me out of my comfort zone. Rather than handing me answers, he asked questions that made me work through my own ideas. His guidance is a large part of why I feel ready to enter the profession and keep searching for innovative ways to support the people we serve.
Blanche Leeman, EdD, OT/L, CHT
Content Expert
Dr. Leeman has practiced occupational therapy since 1997. She later earned her Certified Hand Therapist credential and has taught in occupational therapy education since 2012. She is an Associate Professor in the Occupational Therapy program at the University of St. Augustine. Her clinical and teaching background includes hand therapy, adult rehabilitation, upper extremity rehabilitation, orthotics, prosthetics, occupational therapy education, and 3D printing in occupational therapy.
As my Content Expert, she reviewed the device pages, tutorials, and website content through a clinical and educational lens, checking whether the resource would make sense to occupational therapy students, educators, and practitioners. Her review kept the project on track to become a useful 3D printing resource for occupational therapists.
Her feedback changed how I saw the devices on the website. I had to weigh client needs, upper extremity function, practical use in OT settings, and the clinical reasoning behind each item. That lens kept the website focused on occupational therapy rather than becoming another general 3D printing resource.
Jacie Schneider, OTD, OTR/L
Doctoral Capstone Coordinator
Dr. Schneider is a Clinical Assistant Professor and Doctoral Capstone Coordinator in the Division of Occupational Therapy at Binghamton University. Her clinical background includes adult outpatient, skilled nursing, and home care settings. Her interests center on assistive technology, advocacy, accessible durable medical equipment for older adults, and 3D-printed assistive technology for low-SES communities.
As my Capstone Coordinator, Dr. Schneider kept this project aligned with the requirements of the doctoral capstone from beginning to end. She met with me as the work developed to check on progress and make sure it stayed on pace with what the OTD program expected at each stage. With her tracking the requirements and the timeline, I was able to focus on building the resource, knowing the bigger picture was being looked after. Her oversight and steady support carried the capstone through to completion.
Acknowledgments
OT 3D Resource was completed with support from many people, not only the formal capstone team. I am grateful to my family, friends, classmates, faculty, clinical instructors, and other OT students who provided feedback, answered questions, listened to my ideas, or encouraged me as the project progressed. Those conversations helped me see the resource from different perspectives and kept the project connected to the people it was meant to support. Thank you to everyone who gave their time, advice, patience, or encouragement along the way.
Educational Use Disclaimer
OT 3D Resource is built for education. Nothing on the site is medical advice, a device prescription, or a substitute for evaluation by a licensed professional. The site links to third-party repositories, tutorials, and communities; it does not host the files, and a link is not an endorsement or a guarantee of safety, licensing, or accuracy. Anyone who prints, modifies, recommends, or uses a device from this site is responsible for checking its fit, safety, durability, hygiene, and appropriateness for the person, the task, and the setting. The site is provided as is, may change or become unavailable, and its accuracy is not guaranteed.