3D Printed Key to the City of Watts

With access to hundreds of 3D printers and thousands of 3D printing materials, MatterHackers is often the go-to source for when local Southern California businesses and organizations 3D printing initiatives and projects. Recently, we we were able to help with a very special project – 3D printing the key to the city of Watts!

Brandon “STIX” Salaam-Bailey Receives 3D Printed Key to the City of Watts

At a Juneteenth celebration in Watts, the 3D printed key to the city was presented to Brandon “STIX” Salaam-Bailey for his outstanding work as an individual in the community, as well as through his non-profit organization, ThinkWatts.  STIX, who was born and raised in Watts, has worked on connecting major LA-based organizations to raise funds for developing the community in a variety of ways, including (but definitely not limited to) building custom container housing solutions, developing free financial literacy courses, providing a weekly meal program for hundreds of residents, and building athletic facilities that are free for students. 

STIX’s next, and arguably most exciting endeavor, is creating ThinkWatts HQ. This center will be an educational hub for residents of Watts that will provide tools and resources needed to explore and encourage entrepreneurial ventures. Tools like 3D printers, sewing machines, computers for coding, and more will be available for the community to use for production and manufacturing. 

Having this kind of technology available “bridges the gap for underserved youth and empowers them to bring their unique offerings to the real world of business in Los Angeles and beyond,” ThinkWatts.

About the 3D Printed Key

This very special Key To The City of Watts is a custom, 3D printed piece. It was designed by Watts’ own Demar Matthews from offTOP Design to incorporate the Think Watts logo, and its core values of Art, Technology, Sports, Wealth Management, Entrepreneurship, and Community. 

We printed the key at MatterHackers HQ in Lake Forest, CA. It was printed on an Ultimaker S5 3D printer in 6 separate parts that were assembled. The gold material for the key was our MH Build Series Silky Yellow PLA – you can find it here. For the black writing on the key, we used our PRO Series Black PLA – you can find out PRO Series PLA here. 

MatterHackers and Phillips 66 Donate 3D Printing STEM Lab to ThinkWatts HQ

To support STIX’s vision for Think Watts HQ to be a premier education provider for the community of Watts and beyond, MatterHackers and Phillips 66 are donating a $5000 3D Printing Stem Lab to his new facility, including a number of PulseXE 3D printers made right here in Southern California by MatterHackers, materials ranging from plastics to stainless steel, as well as training and support.

To learn more about ThinkWatts and to make a donation, click here.