Safe Power for a 3D Printing Workbench: Why Two CRST Power Strips Went to New Mexico

We receive our fair share of sponsorship and donation requests in the CRST inbox. But an email that arrived from Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 2026 made our team pause. The sender, Gary Lange, introduced himself as the founder of a grassroots project called AllHeartWarriorsMatter and asked if we might consider donating a few heavy-duty surge protectors for their 3D printing workspace.

As we exchanged emails, we learned the story behind that workbench.

Katherine and Her Half-Heart

Gary's daughter, Katherine, is eight years old. Unlike most kids her age, she was born with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) — a rare congenital heart defect meaning the left side of her heart is severely underdeveloped. Before she even turned two, this little girl had already been through three open-heart surgeries, around ten heart catheterizations, and over 40 blood draws.

Their family's journey was featured by KOAT News in New Mexico, and it resonated with many families across the state dealing with similar diagnoses.

Today, Katherine hasn't just survived against the odds — she's an active gymnast and a cheerleader for the UNM Junior Lobos. If you met her today, you wouldn't guess how many times she's been wheeled into an operating room. Watching his daughter push through every medical hurdle inspired Gary to do something for the families still on that same road. He knows firsthand the anxiety of waiting in a hospital room for the next update, and how much a small physical comfort can mean to a child stuck in a hospital bed.

That's why AllHeartWarriorsMatter was born.

3D Printers Running Around the Clock

Gary's approach is hands-on: he uses 3D printers to manufacture colorful heart-shaped sensory fidgets and precise anatomical heart models — the kind hospital Child Life teams use to explain complex conditions to families — and donates them entirely for free to children and pediatric hospitals.

As word spread and demand from hospitals grew, so did their physical footprint. Gary set up a dedicated production area equipped with two Bambu Lab P1S printers, a Bambu Lab A1 Mini, multiple filament dryers, and a packing station. They even brought in Dehnco Equipment & Supplies to design a custom workbench for the operation.

But with hardware expansion came a real electrical concern. 3D printing is a continuous-load process — print jobs can run for a dozen hours at a time, sometimes overnight. Running multiple printers and heated filament dryers simultaneously is not something you trust to whatever power strip happens to be handy.

Gary was upfront in his email: "The three printers and filament dryers may be operating at the same time, so making sure the power distribution is appropriately sized and protected is very important to me. If your team recommends separating certain equipment onto different strips, we would be happy to follow that guidance."

That last part caught our attention. He wasn't just asking for free products — he was asking us to help him set up his workspace safely.

How We Powered the Workspace

After reviewing their equipment list, we knew how to set them up. While the combined peak wattage of these desktop 3D printers falls within the safe range of a 15A circuit, continuous operation calls for strategic power distribution — not just enough capacity, but the right layout. We shipped two different heavy-duty strips from our California warehouse, each assigned to a specific zone:

The 3D Printing Zone — CRST 6-Outlet Mountable Metal Power Strip with Individual Switches (1200J)

This unit was selected for its independent per-outlet switches. Because 3D print jobs finish at different times, Gary can power down individual machines or dryers without yanking cords or killing the other active printers. The lighted toggles give him immediate visual confirmation of what's drawing power. And the metal mounting brackets let the strip bolt directly to the Dehnco workstation frame once it's built — keeping cables off the desk entirely.

The Packing & Computer Zone — CRST 8-Outlet Slim Metal Surge Protector (2100J)

The desktop computer storing Gary's 3D models, donor records, and project files doesn't need per-outlet switching, but it is highly vulnerable to voltage spikes. A surge that fries that machine would set the whole project back. The 2,100-joule rating acts as a solid buffer for sensitive electronics, and the slim, low-profile body with keyhole slots tucks neatly under the packing table.

Both strips are SGS certified and ETL listed to UL 1363 and UL 1449, the U.S. safety standards for relocatable power taps and surge protective devices, and manufactured in partnership with top-tier industry producers — a 14AWG copper cord, a resettable 15A circuit breaker, and an aluminum alloy housing, every detail built for the kind of continuous load a real workspace puts on them day after day.

A Quiet Arrival

A few days later, Gary emailed to let us know the package had arrived safely in Albuquerque.

"They are going to be a great addition to our 3D-printing and packing workspace," he wrote, "and I really appreciate your team taking the time to help us choose equipment that fits our needs safely."

He mentioned he wants to get the strips properly positioned on the new Dehnco frame before sending us photos — so the images show how they actually fit into the workflow. We'll update this post with those pictures when they come in.

Where Our Products End Up

We build heavy-duty power strips so that workshops, server rooms, and job sites can keep their equipment running safely and without interruption. But every so often, our products end up somewhere we didn't plan for. In a small studio in New Mexico, two CRST strips are quietly supplying electricity — keeping the machines humming so spools of PLA plastic can be turned into something a child holds onto during a hard day at the hospital.

You won't find that on a spec sheet. But it might be the best use case we've ever heard.

If you'd like to learn more about Gary and Katherine's story, or support their work, visit www.allheartwarriorsmatter.com.