Academic Libraries: SUNY Oswego’s Penfield Library Makes New 3D Printer Available for Campus and Community Use

From a SUNY (State University of New York) Oswego Report:

A new desktop 3D printer in SUNY Oswego’s Penfield Library recently built a model of a snake’s skull from a CT scan, marking the first student-created object for the new machine, available for campus and community printing projects with at least a week’s notice.
“One thing that’s very cool is we are one of the first colleges in the nation to offer this for the use of all faculty, staff and students,” said library Director Barbara Shaffer. On a priority basis, members of the community can request to use the machine as well.
Emily Thompson, learning technologies librarian, said a Technology Initiative Project Grant from college’s Campus Technology Services enabled the library to purchase a MakerBot Replicator 2 printer, rolls of spaghetti-thin, corn-based plastic filament in green, yellow, red, orange, blue and natural, and a scale.
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Shaffer and Thompson said applications for the new printer have already run the gamut from a prototyping project for a business class to making relatively small, usable objects such as iPhone covers and jewelry—provided the user supplies a computer file of types .stl, .obj or .thing. One professor plans to have students in an ergonomic design class make prototypes of utensils, Thompson said.

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