UF students have more opportunities than ever to build their knowledge of 3-D printing technology.
UF science librarian Sara Gonzalez, who helped create a proposal to get new printers, said Marston Science Library and the Health Science Center Library will have two new 3-D printers within a month.
“I hope students can get comfortable in the library,” she said, “and then move forward to the Fab Lab.”
UF’s Art and Architecture Fabrication Laboratory, known as the A2 Fab Lab, has provided 3-D printing in UF’s architecture building since 2009, said Mathew Chandler, the manager of the A2 Fab Lab.
“This is a wave that’s been coming for a long time,” he said. “Now it’s going into something that average people are asking for.”
The MakerBot printers coming to UF’s libraries will have a lower resolution, which means less detailed prints and a lower cost of printing in comparison to the A2 Fab Lab.
The two new printers, retailing at about $2,200 and $2,800, are funded by UF technology fees and will allow all UF students to bring a file and print whatever they want for a cheaper price, Gonzalez said. Prices are based on time spent and materials used.
Jennifer Curtis, associate dean for research and facilities in UF’s College of Engineering, said she believes 3-D printing is the future.
“I think it’s huge,” she said. “It really has the ability to transform small business and manufacturing.”
Gonzalez said a website will be launched within a month to give students more information about the new printers.
“It gives you the ability to print something out, hold it in your hand and look at it,” she said.
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/11/2014 under the headline "Some new UF library printers not just for paper anymore"]
