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The Makery: 3D Tech

Guide with resources for The Makery in Rose and Carrier Libraries

Laser Cutter

The Makery in Carrier has a Glowforge Laser Cutter.

3D Scanning

 

The Rose Makery has an Einscan SP 3D scanner available for use by all students, faculty, and staff.  It's located in the Virtual Reality studio.

3D scanning analyzes a real object and creates a 3D model.  Why?

  • Restoration
  • Prototyping
  • Scaling

3D Modeling

3D modeling through a software program allows designers to create 3D representations of surfaces and objects. 3D modeling is used in the humanities and sciences alike, as a skill in and of itself, and to support greater learning initiatives across disciplines.  

Check out the following software--they can all be used to design and prepare your object. 

3D Printing

The Makeries in Carrier and Rose have Fuse Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D printers, which are the most common type.  We supply PLA filament and assistance with setting up the print.

The Makery in Carrier also has a FormLabs Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printer.

Like the rest of the equipment in our spaces, the 3D printers are available to all students, faculty, and staff for personal and academic projects.

The Makery staff at Carrier and Rose can help you turn your vision and design into a tangible object using our 3D printers. Design or download your object file. We'll use a program called Cura to convert that design file to a set of instructions that tell the 3D printer what to do.

More Information

Build Volumes

This describes the maximum size that can physically be printed, and is represented as "length x width x height" (or: x, y, z).  Note that materials supply, equipment availability, and/or time constraints may effectively limit the size of your print as much or more than the printer's physical capacity.

  • Ultimaker 2 (Carrier) 8.78 x 8.78 x 8.08 inches
  • Ultimaker 3 (Rose and Carrier) 7.75 x 8.46 x 8 inches
  • Ultimaker S5 (Rose) 13 x 9.4 x 11.8 inches

Filament Types

We offer free 3D printing in PLA almost exclusively, and this is currently the only filament type you should assume we have in stock.  Projects requiring other filament types will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, are typically reserved for faculty projects, will require more planning with our staff, and you may need to supply the filament yourself.  The majority of our patrons' projects are well-served by PLA.

PLA

As mentioned above, PLA (polylactic acid) is the most commonly used filament at The Makeries and can produce strong, high-resolution prints. It is compatible with PVA filament.

CPE+

CPE+ (copolyester) is another filament we have available at The Makeries. It is stronger and more chemical and heat resistant than PLA, but tends to warp more during printing. It is also compatible with PVA. 

TPU

TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) is another filament we have available at the Carrier Makery. It is different from the other available filaments because it is a semi-flexible material.  

PVA

As mentioned above, PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) is a water-soluble filament used exclusively for support structure in dual-extrusion printers.  Please note that we've had extremely mixed results with it, and currently recommend against its use.

Finishing a Print

We DO NOT remove support structure from prints started by patrons. 

PLA Support Structure

Removal of PLA support structures can be done using either pliers or tweezers. If there are rough patches on the model after removal, sandpaper can be used to achieve a smoother finish. We have these tools available for your use in The Makery.

Painting

We have a large variety of acrylic paints available in Rose Makery for those who'd like to paint their prints.