Defiance Public Library MakerSpace Gifted New 3D Printer

An anonymous donor recently gifted a new, state-of-the-art 3D printer, along with a handheld Einstar 3D scanner, to the MakerSpace at Defiance Public Library, 320 Fort St. The printer, a Bambu Lab H2C, arrived Feb. 19, and is already expected to make a big impact.

The Bambu Lab H2C is a powerful, fully enclosed 3D printer designed to make professional-quality printing fast, reliable, and easy. It offers a generous build area of approximately 330 × 320 × 325 mm, ultra-fast print speeds up to 1,000 mm/s, and the ability to automatically switch between multiple nozzles for multi-color printing.

Unlike the library’s other printer, which requires filament to be flushed before switching colors, the H2C’s switchable extruder heads reduce plastic waste and significantly lower print costs. It will also help reduce demand on the library’s Bambu Lab X1C, which has been running almost nonstop. The library is also phasing out its MakerBot Replicator+, as the machine is no longer supported.

“The other printer was always going; I had a huge queue of prints,” said Cara Bolley, Emerging Technologies Lead at Defiance Public Library System.

The cost savings are already clear. Tennis ball magnets recently printed for Defiance High School students’ lockers — roughly the size of half of a real tennis ball — cost $1.22 each on the new printer, compared to $4.11 on the X1C.

The donor also gifted a handheld 3D scanner, which will be available for public use once the video card is installed. The card was expected to arrive Feb. 24.

Community members interested in 3D printing can design their own creations using Tinkercad (tinkercad.com) or download ready-madefiles from sites like Thingiverse (thingiverse.com) and MakerWorld (makerworld.com).

“We are very grateful for our donor, who has made it possible for us to provide this service to the community,” Bolley said.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment to try it out for yourself, contact Bolley at 419-782-1456 ext. 1108 or cbolley@defiancelibrary.org