3D printing involves creating a physical object from a digital model layer by layer. Typically, printers would have used melted plastic to do this but today a variety of material can be used including metal and ceramic.
The MakerSpace in the library has three 3D printers: two Ultimakers which use PLA (polylactic acid), a filament derived from renewable sources, and a Form 2 which uses a laser to precisely cure liquid photopolymer resin into solid parts.
3D printing has a wide variety of applications, from rapid product prototyping and medtech to jewellery design.
This guide will provide you with some basic resources for how to design your own 3D models, send them to the library to print, or prepare and print them yourself.