by Beth Staats
Quick Summary
Rochester Public Library recently concluded it's first year of offering 3D printing to its patrons.
Rochester Public Library recently concluded it's first year of offering 3D printing to its patrons. Jake Gauslow and Brian Lind, Reference Librarians at Rochester Public Library, presented an informative session at the Library Technology Conference on their first year experience with 3D printing, titled 3D Printing: Year One. With grant money they purchased an Ultimaker 2, made in the Netherlands for about $2500. Some initial concerns they had prior to the printing were:
- noise level of printer (turns out it's not very loud)
- smell/fumes from thermoplastics (this is not an issue with PLA)
- fragility of printer (it is kept in one place and not moved around)
- space and lack of it
- learning curve (they are still learning over 1 year into it)
Over the past year they have learned a lot about 3D printing. They can change the scale of objects and they can print objects including support pieces to hold up free standing parts. The slower the speed the printer is set on, the higher the quality of the printed object. They are not yet charging patrons for 3D printing because they still have grant money left but when that runs out they may consider charging by weight of object or by time it takes to print. The majority of what they currently print are pre-set designs. Right now at Rochester Public Library they have a soft printing limit of 4 hours per person. Library staff does the printing and lets the patron know when the item is ready. They allow two prints per person per month, and use a single color for each print. Patrons must sign off on owning the copyright and the item must be for lawful purposes only. Files are sent to library staff via email and take about 1-2 weeks.
