Lots of people are using Wernersville Library’s 3D printer

by Steve Reinbrecht

If you’re a local, you can use Wernersville Public Library’s 3D printer to make a three-dimensional model of anything you can draw, find a picture of, or even imagine.

Octopus, a human knee, the Coliseum,a sandcastle, a bird

For free. In fact, the staff will work hard to make your idea into a reality.

For example, one hobbyist needed a Landau bar for a model hearse. Librarian Samantha Heck helped the patron find a photo of the right ornament, import it into a 3D design program, get the dimensions correct, and print it out to take home.

The library got the machine in September 2015. Demand is increasing as everyone learns more about it.

If you’re interested, give the staff 24-hours notice to arrange a time to train you.

Eighty-eight people took the half-hour training in June, July and August, and about 60 of them returned to do a second project.

In the library last Saturday, the machine sits on a desk and whirs away, laying down micron-thin layer after layer of plastic. For eons, craftspeople created 3D by REMOVING material – carving, machining, chipping away at stone. Now, designers can create by ADDING material.

Over the past year, a local man used the library’s printer to make a prototype of a filter he hopes to put into production at his business.

A teacher made a nameplate for her classroom desk, then came back and made six more because other teachers wanted one.

Patrons have made parts for model railways and steampunk jewelry.

One woman made miniature settings for a science-fiction game.

Of course, using the library’s 3D printer is popular with children, many who just want to see how it works. Some have made gifts for family members. But some youngsters are starting to learn how to write and edit the code that tells the machine what and how to sculpt.

“Children learn fast,” said Christine Santoro, the library director. They often teach library staff something about the device.

The service is free for people who live in the three municipalities who contribute to its budget – Wernersville, Lower Heidelberg and South Heidelberg. Visitors from outside are charged a small fee.

The machine is a Lulzbot TAZ 5. It cost about $2,200. The material the printer uses to sculpt the projects is so cheap the library doesn’t charge anything for using it.

The models can be as big as 10 inches in each dimension. Ted and Linda Lavender, of Berks Fire Water Restoration, and Jeannine and Richard Campbell donated money to help buy the printer, the Reading Eagle reported last year.