Bringing Art to Life: Southington Library Boasts New 3D Printer

Jewelry, iPhone covers, figurines and building replicas are all coming to life these days at Southington Public Library.

It’s not the imagination sparked by the countless books or other media bringing these projects to life, however, but a new state-of-the-art 3D printer recently acquired as part of a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.

“This opens a world of new opportunities for us,” said Sue Smayda, director of the Southington Public Library. “This gives us something that is not readily available for most artists and gives people a chance to come to the library and physically make something.”

The 3D printer, a Makerbot Replicator 2, was acquired recently using a $4,000 grant and will provide a unique summer opportunity for local students as part of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) program, according to a press release from the Community Foundation of Greater New Britain.

The program is designed to open STEAM opportunities to students in local communities, the foundation’s website states.

Southington Public Library is now just the second library in the state to offer use of a 3D printer. Wesport Public Library also has a section dedicated to 3D printing and is available to library members.

Smayda said over the summer, students in middle school and high school will be part of an integrated production project that will involve middle school students developing stop motion films using iPads. High school students, including several that currently work with the Southington Cyber Knights robotics team, will then use the 3D printer to bring the stories to life, she said.

“It’s a program designed to create a partnership with our schools and help bring new opportunities to some of the town’s most talented students,” she said.

Once the program is complete, the 3D printer will be made available for public use beginning in September 2013. Residents will need to sign-up for certain times and remain at the station while conducting their work. Materials will be available free of charge, Smayda said.

The technology works by using programmed SD cards that allow users to design and select the work they wish to print, according to Makerbot Industries, LLC. The printer uses polylactic acid, or PLAs, made from dyed cornstarch to produce a plastic product, according to the company’s website.

In a demonstration Tuesday, Smayda offered a wide variety of finished products that included figurines of Santa Claus and animals, iPhone 4 covers, bracelets, building replicas, chains and more.

Smayda said she hopes the latest acquisition is just the start of an effort to make libraries not just a place of information, but a destination to make things.

“This kind of technology is something the public is now seeking and libraries are going through a change to be a place to make things, not just a place holding media materials,” Smayda said. “We are certainly hoping to use this as a starting point to make the library a destination with something for everyone.”

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