Hurt Duck Walks Again With Snazzy New 3D Printed Webbed Foot

This is your feel good story of the day, and it’s a tearjerker for sure. Once again 3D printing changes a life, and this time, it’s the life of a duck named buttercup. Buttercup was born with one backwards foot. He could only walk if he could endure the pain, and that left webbed foot was always riddled with infections and cuts from when he tried to walk on the side of it. However, Buttercup’s life is about to change thanks to a new 3D printed foot made just for him.

Mike Garey at the Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary decided it would be best to amputate Buttercup’s backwards foot, but he also wanted to replace it. NovaCopy, a 3D printing company, agreed to donate their services to make Buttercup a brand new webbed foot.

You can see a picture of Buttercup and his sister Minnie below. They used photos of Minnie’s left foot as a model for making Buttercups new 3D printed left foot. Typically 3D printed things are made from plastic, but Buttercup’s foot needs to be flexible. They created a custom mold to use to cast a silicone webbed foot. Of course they had to do this several times in order to get it just right.

Long story short, Buttercup’s backwards foot has already been amputated, and right now he’s walking around on a stump. In about two weeks, he will receive his new 3D printed webbed foot, and his life will be forever improved. If you’d like to follow Buttercup’s story as it progresses, you can connect with him on Facebook. What a great story, and a heartwarming use for 3D printing technology. I am looking forward to seeing the pictures of Buttercup walking around, pain free, with his new high tech foot.