A disabled duck, known as Buttercup, will be receiving some help that most ducks will never get an opportunity to receive. Buttercup is expected to get a new webbed foot prosthetic with the help of NovaCopy and Joel Graves, their 3-D printing engineer, The Tennessean reports.

Engineers at the copier reseller, based in Nashville, never dreamt they would be helping a duck. However, once they heard Buttercup’s story from the Memphis waterfowl sanctuary, they agreed to donate their expertise, time and technology to help the injured duck.

Buttercup hatched last year in a high school biology lab and it was immediately clear that he had a backwards foot. After being given to Feathered Angels Waterfowl Sanctuary in Arlington, Tenn., Buttercup’s second owner, Mike Garey knew the duck would not be able to survive with the condition.

“When he would walk outside, his leg would start bleeding,” said Garey, according to The Tennessean. “I knew Buttercup would be better off as a peg-leg duck than a duck with a disable foot.”

Garey said he considered the options of 3-D printing because the foot model for the mold could be done with extreme precision.

3-D printing is gaining rapid popularity in many different industries. The service is still expensive for consumers, but many companies are purchasing their own printers or hiring outside firms to quickly build things such as prototypes.

Garey said he looked at many different printing capable companies in the state, but was most impressed by NovaCopy because of its unique and high-resolution technology. NovaCopy is the only 3-D printer reseller in the state.

The design of Buttercup’s foot was created by Garey himself, after viewing photographs of a similar duck’s foot. Through the use of 3-D design software, he was able to combine the two. Once the design was complete, it was sent to Graves at Novacopy and a 13 1/2 hour printing process began.

Once Garey received the new prototype from NovaCopy, he obtained the materials to make the actual prosthetic foot. The same night he received the prototype, he took Buttercup to get a cast for his peg-leg so the new prosthetic would fit properly.

The next step was pouring the mold for the prosthetic foot.  There is a 16 hour long setting process involved. The finished prosthetic is expected to be ready for Buttercup by Sunday afternoon.

NovaCopy has printed several prototypes in the past year. The company president, Melissa Ragsdale, told The Tennessean that this technology is typically viewed as a manufacturing tool. For Buttercup, the technology means the ability to walk and swim better.

Garey describes Buttercup as being an ambassador for other domestic species of ducks and geese.