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3D Printing

What is 3D Printing?

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the process of building physical objects from digital models. Successive layers of material (filament) are laid down in thin layers to create a physical object.

About the Library's 3D Printer

The D. Samuel Gottesman Library provides 3D printing technology as part of its mission to provide resources and services that support and advance the education and scholarship of the Einstein community.

The Library has a Makerbot Replicator 3D printer (5th generation) which has a single extruder and uses 1.75 mm polylactic acid (PLA) filament. PLA is a bioplastic made from renewable resources such as corn starch.

  • The MakerBot creates prints using .stl file types.
  • We use MakerBot Print software to prepare (slice) the 3D files to print
  • MakerBot Print is a FREE, easy-to-use slicer software that converts a digital 3D object into a .makerbot format understood by MakerBot printers.
  • The Makerbot Replicator has the following build volume:
    •  28.5 L x 15.3 W x 15.5 H cm (11.2 L x 6.0 W x 6.1 H in)
  • The measurements of items should be designed in millimeters, not inches.

This project was funded in part by a Technology Grant from the New York Metropolitan Library Council (METRO).