Bill Latta explaining how the 3D printed objects can be flexible on March 22, 2024.

(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)

From toys to sculptures and replacement car parts, the 3D printer at the downtown Kelowna library has people covered.

The Okanagan Regional Library branch in downtown Kelowna has a Makerspace with 10 high-tech machine stations for the public to use, including two 3D printers.

There are also Makerspaces at library branches in West Kelowna, Vernon and Golden.

Anyone with a library card can book time to print whatever they find online, or whatever their imagination can conjure up.

Bill Latta has been working in the Makerspace for the past five years.

“With the 3D printer the intent is they come in with their own object that they want to print. Some users just find objects on a couple websites that are free online, some users are actually designing their own objects from scratch,” he said.

Latta said people are doing anything and everything with 3D printing.

“There are even some companies working on 3D printing houses and food. It’s all experimental but the technology is always improving,” he said.

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Library patrons are finding artistic and practical ways to use the 3D printers, and at 10 cents per gram of plastic printed it’s affordable for most people. 

“People come in and they make toys, or little sculptures and then they paint them,” he said. “We had one guy come in and a plastic piece on his car door had broken and the dealership was going to charge him $300. He found the part online and came in here and printed it for 20 cents.”

The Makerspace offers courses to teach the public how to use each of the machines.

“The goal is to have patrons come in and work on their own projects because we’re downtown. A lot of patrons live in apartments and they don’t have the space for the equipment or they can’t afford it,” he said. “We have some users who just come in and say ‘I’m here’ and get working.”

In addition to the 3D printers the library’s workshop has a sublimation printer, vinyl cutters, video and audio digitation stations, a recording studio, Cricut stencil cutter, sewing machine, a heat press, digital creation station and video equipment.

“It adds another dimension to the library. People are coming to the library looking for more than just books these days. It’s a gathering place. Some days we’ll have several people in here all conversing while working on their projects and things like that,” Latta said.

The possibilities with the 3D printer are limitless, but there are challenges with the time it takes to print and the coding that goes into designing an object. 

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“Most things take several hours to print so we advise people to bring something to do while they wait for their object to print,” he said. “(The biggest misconception) is that it’s easy. People come in and they want to make something without realizing the coding that goes into it.”

The machines cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.

“You can find 3D printers on Amazon for a couple hundred bucks, but you get what you pay for,” he said. “Lots of people think about getting their own machines and then realize they can come in here for all their needs,” he said.

Click here for more information about the library’s Makerspace.

Click here for free downloads for 3D printable objects.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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