From Superhero Rings to Tangled
Plastic Spaghetti: Our Year With a
3D Printer
Wendy Prince
Greg Toth
Ken Wierzbowski
The College at Brockport
3D Printer
Introduction
● The Drake Memorial Library has been working with a MakerBot
Replicator 2 for almost a year.
● The initial excitement was quickly tempered by questions of
logistics, management, application, and policy.
● During the Spring 2014 semester, we made an effort to answer
these questions, establish a place for the 3D printer in the library,
and garner interest on campus from students, faculty and staff.
● We will discuss the challenges we encountered as we try to move
from a knick-knack factory to active faculty and student
involvement.
Spring/Summer 2013 Timeline
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Spring 2013
o LITS (Library, Information & Technology Services)
purchases a MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printer
Summer 2013
o 3D printer is moved to the Drake Memorial
Library
o Library also receives a NextEngine 3D scanner
through a Faculty/Staff Technology Grant
 Summer spent learning how to operate and
use the 3D printer
● Librarians enraptured. Stare at printer
for upwards of 2 hours each day.
 MakerBot is brought to the Faculty/Staff
Opening of School Convocation in late
August.
Drake’s 3D Tech Work Space - Fall 2013
Fall 2013 Timeline
Fall 2013
o Received approval from library director
to offer prints for free for the
semester
o Acquired a dedicated student assistant
and a student volunteer to work
exclusively with the 3D printer.
o Created a 3D Printing libguide portal
http://library.brockport.edu/3d
o Accepted project submissions from
campus community through webpage
form
The Nitty Gritty
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Filament supply chain secured through library secretary
All submissions reviewed by staff
o “We reserve the right to refuse any request. This includes requests for
multiple copies of the same item, weapons and *ahem* "inappropriate"
objects.”
o Received submissions for shot glasses, non-working gun
Statistics kept through submission form application, MachForms (similar to Google
Forms)
Patrons informed via email that their projects were ready to pick up
Projects generally printed in order they were received, as submission numbers
boomed projects were printed in batches by print color
Vast majority of files sourced from the Thingiverse
The Numbers
We were inundated!
● 172 submissions during the Fall
2013 semester until we shut down
the submission form to catch up.
● Primary submitters were
students.
● Most popular color was clear.
● A few ‘enthusiastic’ patrons
requested multiple builds
“Mistakes were made.”
Challenges
● Hardware offered a
learning curve
● “Hobbyist” printer, quirky
procedures & frequent
breakdowns
● Overwhelming demand
● Unprintable or
inappropriate requests
Obstacles in the Printing Process
Interlude: Overview of
3D Technologies
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Computer-Assisted design
3D Contour Mapping
CGI simulation
Data-generated imaging
Medical Imaging/Scanning
Drawing: Computer-Assisted Design
Drawing: Sketchup Study of Drake Main Floor
Scanning: Contour Mapping
Lockheed-Martin Flight Simulator
Plot: Space Junk Tracker
Medical Imaging
Melvil Dewey
Homer Simpson
Diagnostics
Applications of 3D Technology: A Not-Very
Technical Schematic
Display
Print
Create/Capture
--copy
--draw
--scan
--generate
--plot, etc.
3D File
Replicate
Modify,
Remix,
Mashup,
etc.
Animate?
NextEngine tabletop laser scanner
Replicating a Solid Object
Spring 2014 Timeline
● Scanning
● Printing scanned objects
● Art Faculty member’s test
objects
● Pay-for-printing system
● Student assistants’ Scholars Day
presentation
● Presentation to faculty to
promote academic use
Pay System Shift
1st semester free printing
2nd semester developed payment
system
● Decide on price
● How to inform patrons of
change
● How to convey potential cost
o Size/Cost Example Chart
● How to accept payments
Printing Requests per Semester
Promotion any way we can
Academic Use
April 4, 2014
● Effort to inspire academic use
● Presented at CELT
(Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching)
Student Presentation
April 9, 2014 - Scholars Day
Joint presentation by student
employee, Evan Spencer, and
student volunteer, Brian Fitzgerald
Poster presentation earned an article
in the online campus newspaper
What’s Next?
● Grant for 2 more printers and a
filament recycling machine in
collaboration with Art Dept.
● How will collaboration with Art
Dept. work?
● Training for classes/groups,
individuals?
● Create a Makerspace: location?
scope of projects?
Q&A