3D Printing at the University of Florida

Hannah F. NortonHealth Science Center Library

University of Florida

Development of Our Service• February 2013 – UF librarians and IT staff submit 3D printing

proposal for Technology Fee funding

• Summer 2013 – Technology Fee funding awarded

• October 2013 - March 2014 – Library staff experiment with printers, library IT creates interface for payment system

• April 2014 – Public 3D Printing goes live at Marston Science Library and Health Science Center Library

• March 2015 – Public 3D Printing goes live at Education Library

Current Equipment

MakerBot Replicator 2

• Extrudes layers of heated filament at ~210-230°C

• Uses Poly Lactic Acid (PLA), a corn-based plastic

• Build plate of 11.2" x 6" x 6.1" (285 x 153 x 155 mm)

• Layers are 0.1mm – 0.3mm http://3dprint.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/replicator-feature.jpg

Current Equipment

NextEngine 3D Scanner• Desktop, 360° laser scanning• File size ~20 MB• Steep learning curve for use

http://www.nextengine.com/

How the Library Service Works

Bring a .stl file to Marston Science Library, Health Science Center

Library, or Education Library

We will look at the file with

you and process it

Cost: $.06/gram

+ .02/minute. Prepay with a

credit or p-card

We will email you when finished to pick it up

• I acknowledge that my item(s) adhere to copyright restrictions and to UF's computer use policies.

• I understand that… The Libraries reserve the right to decline a print request that does

not comply. I will not be reimbursed for jobs that failed on my part, but I will

receive a voucher for jobs that fail on the library's part. The Libraries cannot guarantee a print time, however staff may be

able to provide an estimate based upon the print queue length. Priority is given to UF students, faculty, and staff, and also to class

assignments. Items printed that are not picked up with 14 days with become the

property of the Libraries. Items must be picked up by the individual who printed them.

User Agreement

• Ultrafine particle emissions• Polylactic Acid (PLA) vs.

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS)

• Ventilation• Post-processing

Environmental Health & Safety

http://cdn.youthnet.org/uploads/2012/09/healthatwork-WP.jpg

Marketing• LibGuide: http://guides.uflib.ufl.edu/3dprinter • Stand-alone sessions, “Introduction to 3D Printing”• Emailed to liaison groups, advertised on website,

printers prominently located

Usage by Library – # of Jobs

May 2015

April

March

February

January 2015

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April 2014

0 20 40 60 80 100

ScienceHealth ScienceEducation

Number of Jobs

Mon

th

Usage by Library – Hours of Printing

May 2015

April

March

February

January 2015

December

November

October

September

August

July

June

May

April 2014

0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800

ScienceHealth ScienceEducation

Number of Hours

Mon

th

Status of Printing Users by Library

Visitor

Undergraduate Student

Staff

Postdoc

Graduate Student

Faculty

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%

0.0%

73.3%

13.3%

0.0%

13.3%

0.0%

0.7%

26.8%

22.5%

1.4%

45.1%

3.5%

4.7%

76.8%

3.5%

0.0%

12.0%

3.1%

Science

Health Science

Education

Usage by Department – All Libraries

Usage by Department – Health Science Library

• Simulation lab staff (Anesthesiology)

• Brain model for clinical trial patient

• Pediatric patient trachea for surgery preparation and patient education

• Megalodon teeth for education (Natural History Museum)

Sample Uses

Outcomes and Next Steps• Creation of listserv on maker-spaces

and 3D printing in libraries: LIBRARYMAKERSPACE-L@LISTS.UFL.EDU• New equipment purchases – additional

printers and handheld scanners• Collaboration with Enabling the Future

Jessica Bergau, Enabling the Future

Hannah NortonUniversity of Florida, Health Science Center Library

nortonh@ufl.edu

Contact Information

References• SR Gonzalez and DB Bennett. 2014. Planning and implementing a

3D printing service in an academic library. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship. http://istl.org/14-fall/refereed3.html

• DB Short, A Sirinterlikci, P Badger, B Artieri. 2015. Environmental, health, and safety issues in rapid prototyping. Rapid Prototyping Journal 21(1): 105-110.

• C Sioutas, RJ Delfinom M Singh. 2005. Exposure assessment for atmospheric ultrafine particles (UFPs) and implications in epidemiologic research. Environmental Health Perspectives 113(8): 947-955.

• B Stephens, P Azimi, Z El Orch, T Ramos. 2013. Ultrafine particle emissions from desktop 3D printers. Atmospheric Environment 79: 334-339.

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