Fast Facts: 3D Printing at BALibrary
- We averaged 88 print jobs, resulting in 172 parts over the past three months.
- The average cost per part over that same time period was $1.65.
- We have two Bambu X1 Carbon printers that have a maximum print area of 10" x 10" x 10".
- We charge $.05 per gram of filament used.
- Prints must be less that 8 hours.
- The form accepts: .stl, .3mf, .obj, or .scad files
Items customers have printed:
- Prosthetic hands
- Parts for games
- Scale models
- Custom cases for electronics
About the materials:
- We use PLA plastic which is made from plant starch.
- Prints come out in one solid color.
- Choose from one of 8 available colors.
- We change filament color about every 45 days.
- View color options on the 3D print colors page
3D Models
There are two ways to get a 3D file - you can download a pre-made model or you can design your own file.
Free Design Software
Blender - Advanced Amateur to Professional
Blender is a free software that is used for many different purposes, from video animation to 3D modeling. The robust list of tools means there is more investment at the beginning of your modeling process, but it can pay off in the flexibility you get if you would like to use your 3D model in a number of different processes.
Fusion360 - Advanced Amateur to Professional
You may use Fusion 360 for free under the personal license, as long as you you make less than $1,000 in revenue for home-based, non-commercial products.
This modeling software is used by professionals and has a huge feature set, so there is a lot to learn! Once comfortable using the software, there are substantial efficiencies that can make complex designs much easier to produce.
Tinkercad - Beginner to Advanced Amateur
We recommend if you are new to 3D modeling you start with Tinkercad. It is a free, web-based software that is used in education, and it is most-often what we teach at the Library.
Download Pre-Made 3D Models
Bambu Lab MakerWorld (Beta Testing)
This is the newest of the 3D print repositories and it is currently in the beta testing phase. Bambu Lab's goal is to be able to introduce one-click printing or download of quality models.
Prusa printers are likely the most popular open-sourced printers available. Since there is such a large community of people sharing resources, this platform generally has quality models available.
Thingiverse is likely the most popular place for beginners to get started. There is a large variety of prints that have been built up over the course of many years.
MakerLab Essentials
Learn how to download or design your next project by taking these MakerLab Essentials tutorials.