3D Printing @ Hofheimer Library: 3D Printing Process and Procedure

Follow these steps in order to have your object printed.

1.  Read Policy Statement located on the "Home" page.

2.  Find or create your 3D object.  

3.  Complete a consultation appointment.

4.  Send your .stl or .gcode file to library@vwu.edu or sshiplet@vwu.edu.

5.  Pick up printed object once you receive an email informing you of its completion.

This bust of John F. Kennedy took 6 hours and 41 minutes to print.

Dr. Mortenson (left) is holding a larynx printed on the Ultimaker 3 that was scaled by Mrs. Ames (center) and printed by Sophie Rondeau (right).

Various 3D objects.

What to print?

There are several websites where you can browse and download objects to print but the most popular is Thingiverse with over 33,000 objects.  Just browse and download the .stl file.

Thingiverse: from the website

What is Thingiverse?

Thingiverse is a thriving design community for discovering, making, and sharing 3D printable things. As the world's largest 3D printing community, we believe that everyone should be encouraged to create and remix 3D things, no matter their technical expertise or previous experience. In the spirit of maintaining an open platform, all designs are encouraged to be licensed under a Creative Commons license, meaning that anyone can use or alter any design."

If you found your model on Thingiverse, send yourself the link to your model.  Once you found your model, copy and paste the url in an email.  The url will look like this: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3982405

Create your own

Skilled at 3D Modeling?  Create your own object and submit the .stl file and we will print it for you.

Some free 3D Modeling sites are:

• Blender
• Tinkercad
• 3Dtin (requires latest browsers and WebGL enabled)
• Autodesk 123D

Schedule an appointment

To print an item using the 3D printer, you will need to schedule an appointment. Please click on the button to be redirected to the form.   

Schedule 3D Print Consultation

All printing requests are subject to approval based on scheduling and availability. There may be times that the printer is malfunctioning, being repaired, or is being used for an event or a course. During such times, the 3D printer may be unavailable for use and there will be a delay in approving submissions and printing objects.