The Library’s new Makerspace has lots of machines to help you express your creativity, whether in support of an art class or to fulfill a personal desire. One of these machines is a MakerBot – a 3D printer, that can build just about anything you could imagine, either as a work in its own right or to create a part for another artistic endeavor.
To use it, you’ll need a STL file. This is a file extension for a 3D model – the instructions for the computer of how to print it out. Like a Word or PDF, but in three dimensions. There are many websites that offer ready-made STL files. These include free websites like Thingiverse, ones with both free and paid content like Cults3D, or fully paid sites like Etsy. There are also 3D modeling tools, some which are free like Blender and some which are paid like ZBrush. However, the learning curve for these programs is typically quite high. So if you’ve never done 3D modelling before, try starting out with a ready-made project. The MakerBot has a work area of about eight inches by ten inches by five inches, and can make objects up to this size.
The library offers a number of colors of plastic, including white, grey, black, blue, yellow, purple, orange, green, and more, and the staff are eager to help you get started. All output is suitable to paint or combine with other artwork. The machine works like a hot glue gun, feeding this plastic filament in through a heated tip to temporarily melt and shape the plastic. It can take a long time (in the picture below, for example, the Titanic took about four hours to print, and the bear took eight hours), so consider letting the library know in advance that you want to come use the 3D printer. While the library closes at 5 pm, we can run a lengthy print on it overnight, and have it ready for you the next day.
What you can make is almost limitless. You could craft a unique pot for a plant, business card holder, home decorations, game pieces (even a whole chess set)! Plenty of samples are on display to get your imagination racing. Many of the Halloween decorations currently in the library were made on the 3D printer, as well! One exception is a functional coffee mug – the MakerBot’s output is not microwave or dishwasher-safe. But it could easily make a mug meant to hold pens on a desk!
Feel free to schedule a time to come in and request assistance. Have questions? Just ask us at iueref@iu.edu!