CARIBOU, Maine — The Caribou Public Library has been working on expanding their STEM offerings by including cutting edge technology such as robotics and Raspberry Pi (a small and affordable single-board computer) via grant funding, but had been unable to obtain a 3D printer.
According to Library Director Lisa Neal Shaw, Bob Sowers of Oak Leaf Systems in Caribou donated a Da Vinci Jr. 3D printer, along with a couple filament packets, so people in the community can come in and learn how to use the technology.
“We’re anxious to see what people can come in and do with it,” said Shaw. “We’re not trying to bring people in and say ‘this is how you use it,’ we want people to come in and ask ‘What can I make this do?’”
Like an ink printer, the Da Vinci Jr. works by taking data from the computer and transferring it to something tangible. Instead of a document or an image, the user creates a three-dimensional image with computer software and hits the print button, resulting in the creation of a physical object. While creating, the printer displays its current process so people can watch and understand its progress as it builds an object.
Instead of ink, 3D printers use filament that is melted down and reshaped based on the parameters set by the user. This is rolled up onto a spool, which dispenses more as it is needed.
Shaw says that, with more advanced printers, it is possible to create food and even human organs.
“I heard about one person who used a 3D printer to make his own invisalign braces,” Shaw said. “You can even 3D print the materials needed to build a house, and recycle coffee grounds into filament.”
Maintenance, according to to the Library Director, is better than it used to be.
“Some have a reputation of being glorified paperweights after a while,” said Shaw, “but this one has a pretty good reputation. That’s the nice thing about having someone familiar with the equipment make the donation.”
As software and technology exponentially move forward, there will be a need for the library to obtain newer hardware. For the time being, however, the donated Da Vinci Jr. will give Caribou an open door to the possibilities that lie ahead.
“If you can think it, you can do it, and that’s the beauty of this,” Shaw said, “The technology is there to spark the imagination, not to limit it.”
