By Max Gauthier
Ada Public Library AmeriCorps volunteer
Imagine a world where you can pick an object and then watch it form before your very eyes.
What if I told you this technology has been around for years and is growing more popular everyday? All it takes is a 3D printer and a 3D model of your desired object (which can be obtained via the internet or can be made yourself using 3D modelling software) and you are on your way.
Welcome to the future.
The Ada Public Library received the opportunity to get their hands on one of these 3D printers for the month of December, and they will have it out doing demonstrations at various times throughout the month.
You’ll probably be able to tell when it’s out and running because you’ll be able to hear it printing away. Although it may clash with the classic library motto of silence, it’s such a cool of a piece of technology that the library is happy to have it out on display.
If you don’t know, a 3D printer is a machine that takes a digital file and converts it into a real, physical three-dimensional object.
Once you have your 3D model, you run it through a computer program called Cubify that turns it into a format that the printer can read and print. From there the printer constructs the object one layer at a time from the ground up and keeps building layer upon layer until the object is completed.
These layers are very thin, ranging from 70-200 microns for this particular printer (a third generation Cube). To put that in perspective, a micron is a millionth of a meter and the average diameter of a human hair is around 100 microns.
The materials used to construct these layers are thermoplastics, which means that the plastic becomes soft and moldable when heated up and returns to a solid once it cools down. The particular plastic material the library is using is made from organic materials such as cornstarch and sugar cane and can be composted at commercial compost facilities.
For more info about the 3D printer being used at the library check out their website at www.cubify.com/cube.
Some cool applications of 3D printing in the real world to check out:
• Full-sized, liveable 3D printed houses
• Full sized, functional cars (about 75% 3D printed)
• 3D printed prosthetics
If you haven’t met me yet, my name is Max Gauthier and I am an AmeriCorps member serving with Guiding Ohio Online at the Ada Public Library.
What that means for you is that I am available via scheduled appointment or walk-in to give you free assistance with any technological trouble you may find yourself in.
Even if you consider yourself to be a complete novice, I’d be happy to meet with you and start from the beginning to get you feeling more comfortable with your device.
You can find me at the library on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Tuesdays from 2-8 p.m. Appointments can be scheduled at the library or by calling the library at 419-634-5246.
