Chatham-Kent Public Library offers a 3D printing service available at all CKPL branches. Submit models from home using CKPL's 3D Print web form.
3D Printing Process
Design a model at home and submit the model to be printed via CKPL's 3D Print web form. Once staff receive a 3D print job, they will send you a price estimate, which needs to be approved before printing. 3D prints can take several weeks to be completed depending on service demands, so if you have a deadline, please add that information to the application and we will try our best to accommodate your request. Once your model is ready, you will be contacted to pick up the model and can pay for it at your home branch. Effective January 1, 2024 the cost of printing is $1.00 plus $0.15 per gram of filament used.
Ultimaker Printer, Software & PVA Filaments
CKPL uses the Ultimaker S3 and Ultimaker 3. CKPL uses a water-soluble PVA filament, which is biodegradable and non-toxic. It's not considered food safe, but the selected PVA material results in better and smoother surfaces. We are unable to use personally-owned filament. If you have any questions about designing and printing models, please contact Ask CKPL for further information.
Rules for 3D printing
Printing weapons (including props, accessories or toys), sexually-explicit materials or other items that contravene the library's Code of Conduct is not allowed. You will not infringe any person's intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademarks and patents, or any other rights, including privacy and publicity rights, when using CKPL's 3D printing service.
Tools for 3D Design
TinkerCAD - Free online tool that allows you to create and download 3D models. Users are required to register with this site.
Sketchup - 3D modeling software that's easy to learn and incredibly fun to use. Download SketchUp for free and get started drawing in 3D.
Blender - Great for experienced designers, Blender provides lots of design options but may be difficult for beginners to master.
YouMagine - A large collection of online 3D models shared by YouMagine community members. The site is supported by Ultimaker.
Thingiverse - One of the largest collections of 3D models available online. Very user-friendly. Most models on Thingiverse can be downloaded for free.
Yeggi - A 3D model search engine that searches multiple websites for 3D designs.
Pinshape - A large collection of online 3D models for downloading. Some models must be purchased before they can be downloaded.
Printables - Offers a large collection of online 3D models for download. Most models can be downloaded for free.
GrabCAD - Another large site with a number of free models for download. Users are required to register with this site.
Cults3D - Offers a large collection of online 3D models for download. Some models can be downloaded for free, as well as paid models.
MyMiniFactory - Models available on this site are mostly designed by professionals. The site also allows for "requests" of 3D models. Some prints are free.
