Tom Suarez

Suarez is hardly an average sixth-grader. The (at the time of TDIA) 12-year-old app developer has started a movement for app clubs for schools. Thomas’ inspirational TEDx talk has attracted nearly 2 million online views. Suarez attends middle school in the South Bay and is in the sixth grade. He has established his own company, CarrotCorp, which sells mobile applications (all of which he has made). He has been fascinated by computers and technology ever since a very young age — since kindergarten, in fact — and has self-taught himself to develop apps like ‘Bustin Jieber.’ Keynotes by Thomas Suarez including one for TED inspire inventors, no matter how young or old, to embark on a quest for knowledge, as well as educators, to provide these opportunities for those willing to learn.

Recently, at 15, he has patented a fast new 3D printer, capable of printing at speeds which are 10 times greater than current technologies available today. Suarez’s company has officially unveiled their high-speed machine, and although general specifications have yet to be revealed, the ORB 3D Printer seems to be quite revolutionary. The ORB uses several technologies new to the industry. These include a modular setup, allowing for customization and the rapid switching of particular components. It utilizes a spinning disc architexture, similar to that of a record player. The platform rotates rapidly, thus translating into print speeds which are 10 times that of your typical FFF/FDM 3D printer. Additionally, the ORB printer will be able to use special magnetically enhanced filaments containing specks of metal, which enable it to heat up, melt, and extrude much faster than filaments you may be used to. This, combined with a new heating process which stacks several heating elements on top of one another with a small air gap in between, should equate to the ability to extrude large quantities of molten plastic within a short time frame.

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Twitter - @tomthecarrot