A Printrbot Simple
A Printrbot Simple

A PrintrBot Simple, donated to Desmond-Fish Library by Dave McCarthy and Tightrope Interactive, was assembled with the help of parents and children from the library’s Project Code Spring computer science club. The 3D printer will help library users become more comfortable with this technology and build on the community’s resource base for STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education.

The printer will be shared with Haldane and GUFS throughout the school year and library staff will help train teachers in using the printer.

Instead of using ink, a 3D printer uses plastic filament on spools. The 3D printer melts the plastic and forms it into three-dimensional objects; the library’s unit can create items up to 4 inches high. The process is similar to a hot glue gun melting glue. Blueprints for objects can be drawn using 3D modeling software or found pre-made on sites such as thingiverse.com. Projects can take as little as 10 minutes or as long as 18 hours or more to print.

For more information, visit desmondfishlibrary.org/codespring.

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