The Nancy D. Castle Collaboration Studio houses the library’s Maker equipment, including 3D printers, a laser cutter, and a vinyl cutter. Maker classes are regularly scheduled to introduce patrons to the equipment.
3D Printing
The 3D printer available at the library is an Ultimaker 2+, an FDM type 3D printer. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers melt a plastic filament which is extruded in layers onto a build plate based on a list of coordinates created by software. Once the build is finished, the final print can be removed from the printer and then be lightly sanded, painted, or otherwise treated like any plastic model.
In addition to our Maker classes, we will also accept print jobs from the public. To have us print your item you need to bring or send in the 3D file (techdesk@dkpl.org), in STL format. Pricing for jobs is by weight and the cost is $0.10 per gram. We check and prepare models for 3D printing using two pieces of software – Meshmixer and Cura. The maximum allowed print time for any job is twelve hours. If our preparation software indicates that the file has errors, is not 3D print ready, or will be over twelve hours, the job will not be printed and we will contact the patron to explain why. After making the necessary corrections, patrons are encouraged to resubmit their job for 3D printing. Staff cannot edit 3D print files on your behalf. 3D print jobs are added to the queue on a first come, first serve basis. The turnaround on any given job is based upon the length of the queue. We work as quickly as possible but the length of time needed to complete a given print job can vary. Jobs normally require a three day turnaround at minimum. You will be notified when your job is complete and ready for pickup.
Vinyl and Laser Cutters
The library has a Cricut vinyl cutter and a 60-watt laser cutter/engraver. These machines are for use only during Maker classes at this time. The laser cutter is a computer controlled cutting device that uses a laser to cut or engrave a design into various materials—including wood, acrylic, and glass.
