Harris County Public Library Makerspace

3-D Printing 

3-D printing, also called additive manufacturing, is any of various processes used to make a three-dimensional object from a digital file.  Material (in our case plastic) is laid down in layers to build the object.  The interior of the object is not filled with a solid; rather it has a honeycomb structure which keeps the object light while giving it strength.

The Library has a Bambu Lab P1S; it uses polylactic acid filament (PLA). PLA is a bioplastic made from renewable resources such as corn starch.  

Procedure

Objects to print can be found on Thingiverse.com, pinshape.com, makerworld.com, or you can create your own using 3-D modeling software such as:

Tinkercad (free, online)
Blender (free, download)

You will need to download the print file in .STL format onto a USB drive.  You can preview and/or scale the object with the software above.  Look closely at the dimensions.  If you make changes, such as scaling, it will need to be saved again.  

3-D Printing Policy

The library’s 3-D printer may be used only for lawful purposes. The public is not permitted to use the 3-D printer to create items that are:

• Prohibited by local, state or federal law.
• Unsafe, harmful, dangerous, or pose a threat to the well-being of others.
• Obscene, sexually explicit, or inappropriate for the library environment as determined by library staff. 
• In violation of another’s intellectual property rights.  For example, the printer may not be used to reproduce objects which are protected by a copyright, patent, or trademark.

The library reserves the right to refuse any 3-D print request.

The 3-D printer will only be used by designated staff and volunteers.

The library is not responsible for the subsequent safety of any item made with the 3-D printer.

Cost

$0.20 per gram of filament used

Submit the following to request 3-D printing.  Once your request has been received a staff member will contact you to schedule a time for your print.