3D Printing in the Delia Makerspace. Our Journey

Transcription

1 3D Printing in the Delia Makerspace Our Journey

2 The Beginning The Spark March 2014 I attended the Southern Alberta Library Conference going to several sessions including Building a Makerspace, Hacking, Making, and Creating in the library, plus a mini Maker Faire with a demonstration of a 3D printer. Who is Interested? October 2014 Did community surveys with community members about a Makerspace and what programs, sessions, or equipment they would like to see the library have available.

3 Next Steps Project Conception: November 2014 Board reviews compiled data and puts together a Makerspace Committee January 2015 Community group presentations to seek support for project February 2015 A Board Member and myself toured the Olds Library and Didsbury Library Makerspaces. Discussed 3D Printing and issues surrounding it. Submitted our findings to the Library Board. Project Plan: March 2015 Delia Library Board decided to pursue Makerspace and purchase of a 3D printer. Committee tasked with creating a Makerspace Project Plan and Budget. May 2015 I presented our Makerspace Plan and Budget to our local Elks Group.

4 3D Printing in our Future Jun 2015 The Delia Library Board received grant approval from our local Elks group for purchase of a 3D printer. Now the real fun begins. Began researching 3D printers and spoke with several libraries and companies. Inez from Didsbury Library was very helpful and provided me with the information for Machina Corp out of Edmonton. I felt the Machina 3D printer was a better machine than the Makerbot and that Machina provided warranty, service, local setup, and some training on using the machine.

5 Other Resources Other companies I investigated and got quotes were from ReRap Warehouse, RePro Warehouse, Lulzbot, Cimetrix, 3D Printers Canada, CubePro Sep 2015 I took research and recommendation to the Delia Library Board and to the Friends of Delia Library group. Decision was made to go with the Machina 3D Printer. Oct 2015 Order was placed with Machina for the Machina X20MK2 with a heat bed, filament spool, delivery, software installation, setup and calibration, 2 hour training session, care and maintenance package for 1 year, 10 spools of filament assorted colors for $

6 3D Printing March 2016 Receive our 3D printer!!! Exciting and Nerve Wracking!!! Now what. Where do we house it? What do we charge? Who can use it? What can we make? Do we need a policy?

7 The Adventure Continues... Answering the Questions: In consultation with other libraries and Machina we decided we needed to house the printer close to staff so located it across from our circulation desk. I asked three interested students to also attend the printer training from Machina with me. I felt their help would be invaluable in future days which has proven true. They also have been great advocates among their peers.

8 The Other Questions? Decided only those who have attended a printer certification workshop could actually use the printer. Software a little tricky. Others could submit their designs or requests to staff to print. We figured out how expensive the plastic spools were and roughly how much they hold to come up with our 10 cents per gram charge. Machina and the other libraries showed us how to find 3D items and files to download on Thingiverse.com, Tinkercad, etc. Of course our first print was our school logo, The Bulldog!

9 Shaping the Future More 3D Design workshops Policy development More printer certification workshops Trying different types of filament like wood fiber Showcasing 3D designs and building users Exclusive 3D printer staff

10 Pitfalls and Successes Successes Brought teens into library and interested in hanging out. Created a buzz about library and services in the community, people stopping by to check it out. Created community pride and showed innovation, provided affordable access. Pitfalls Staff learning and allocation of time Printer operation Printing controls and costs

11 Additional Questions? Contact: Leah Hunter Delia Library Manager