Forest Hills — When news broke of the twin earthquakes that struck Venezuela in June, Brady Ashcroft sprang into action, putting his 3D-printing business on hold to make splints.
“There were like thousands of deaths and tens of thousands of injuries in the Venezuelan earthquakes,” Brady said. “The 3D-printing community, we all came together to help the earthquake (victims), and we all printed splints of all body parts and stuff, even pet ones, too.”
It was not the first time Brady has used his 3D printer to help others. He has donated items to Toys for Tots and gave a percentage of his business earnings to the Humane Society of West Michigan.
Brady said one of his goals in having a 3D printer was to help others.
“I saw the injuries and devastation caused by the earthquakes, and I just thought, ‘They don’t deserve that. I have a 3D printer, and I want to use it for something that matters — something more meaningful than just relieving anxiety and stress.’
“It’s so cool that 3D printers — it’s like the future — you can make so much with them, and you can help people with 3D printers, more than just making cool things.”
Name: Brady Ashcroft
School/grade level: Junior, Forest Hills Central High School
Passion: 3D printing
How old were you when this became something you were interested in? What’s the story there? “I was 14 years old when the business (Brady’s Fidget Factory) started. I’ve always wanted a 3D printer, and I think the family — well, we all just thought of the business.”
Brady said he has always enjoyed coding and science, technology, engineering and math classes and activities. He’s currently taking engineering courses.
The business started with one printer making fidget toys, he said. It has since expanded to include small animals, dragons, dragon eggs, various clicker fidget toys and name tags.
“We purchase the designs, but we make the name tags. So everything is from scratch with the name tags, but everything else we get from a file, like all the animals.”
The business also has grown from one printer to eight, which now take up a small office space in Brady’s home.
Where do you sell your items? “Etsy‘s our main thing, and then we also do craft fairs,” Brady said, noting he is also on TikTok and Shopify. “This winter, like in December, I will do a bunch of school (craft fairs) because it’s indoors and it’s just really good money-makers for Christmas. That’s the best time to do it.”
A few related accomplishments: He has helped make splints for victims of the Venezuela earthquakes, sponsored a cat at the Humane Society of West Michigan and given 3D-printed toys to Toys for Tots.
Last year, he worked with Principal Jonathan Haga to create desk nameplates for the staff. Brady estimated he’s made about 70 nameplates and is already working on ones for the new staff.
Is there a teacher or teachers who have had a big impact on you in this area? Brady said Rob Miedema, his engineering teacher, has helped him learn about design, and that Principal Haga has supported his business.
Do you plan to pursue this professionally? Envision yourself 10/20 years from now. “I’m looking more towards engineering because as years go on there’s going to be more 3D printers that people own. At the craft fairs, there’s people all the time that walk past and say ‘I have a 3D printer, I can make this.’ So I don’t know how much longer we can do this because there’s gonna be more businesses, more people with 3D printers who can make stuff of their own. We only have a couple of years left, but hopefully it can grow into something big. I’m not completely sure, but I’m probably going to pursue engineering so I can design things, and having this experience will really help me in the future.”
The biggest lesson you have learned from your involvement in this is: “Making a business requires a lot of work and it’s not just a piece of cake.” It also involves deciding on a name for your business, which was “a really hard process.” (It is also) “thinking about every big thing and small thing,” such as creating products, deciding on craft fairs, the table set-up and which items to add and eliminate. “It took us a month to get our first sale and now we’re getting like 10 to 15 orders a day, and it’s really hard to keep track of it and stay up with it.”
He’s also learned a 3D printer is versatile: “For example, the Venezuela splints, and there’s probably more stuff that I’ll be able to make that will help people.”
Other hobbies/interests: Brady enjoys rowing and is on Central’s rowing team. He also likes video games, and his family has seven cats, four of which he noted were ones they had fostered and kept.
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