Twelve-year-old student Chinmay Arya of Laurel High School in Delhi, India, was first introduced to 3D printing through the 3Dexter technology lab at his school, sometimes staying until 7 pm when other students had already gone home. He was so fascinated by the school’s 3D printer that he decided to create one of his own – so that he could use it whenever he wanted. “The passion pouring out of his eyes and his will to locally procure all the elements of the 3D printer himself, forced us to focus on the person more than anything,” said Prem Kumar, Product Designer at 3Dexter. Arya worked diligently for 42 days and conquered several issues to build his Cuxem 3D Printer – which means “science” Arya insisted. With a build volume of 300 mm2 and a resolution of 100 microns, the 3D printer is the first to be built by someone of his age in India.
Arya has plans to create more 3D printers to contribute to the high-school’s 3Dexter laboratory, as well as to sell printers to his friends for their own personal use. His hope is that the next 3D printer he builds will have a metal body. The previous record for the youngest person to build their own 3D printer in India was held by 15-year-old Angad Daryani in 2014. His SharkBot claims to 3D print any material other than metal, and be available at a lower cost than those currently being imported into India. “We really want this story to go out and encourage people to make their dream a reality,” 3Dexter Co-Founder Raunak Singhi told online printing authority and news source 3DPrint.com recently. Started in 2015 by seven friends, 3Dexter has worked to change the Indian educational system by providing experiential learning and comprehensive technological solutions for education.