Are you able to send me one ?
Hey all. Working with another person to make these available for purchase for those who cannot 3D print. As soon as they are ready I will post details here.
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THANKS, you R good !!
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This is the route I’m taking with a mount/enclosure for the Video Doorbell v2. My local library charges a nominal per-gram filament fee after a patron has taken the required (free) certification courses. (I actually have a Tinkercad class there tomorrow.) I’ve already done a wedge mount for my sister’s Arlo doorbell this way, and I’m quite pleased with the result.
In addition to the Shapeways service that @carverofchoice mentioned, during the introductory 3D printing class my library offered, they mentioned these:
- makexyz (which they described as “Like AirB&B, for 3D Printing”)
- Sculpteo
- Craftcloud
If your local library doesn’t pan out and you don’t want to use a remote printing service, you can also search online for makerspaces local to your area.
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Thanks for adding to this! That’s is cool.
Do you have any idea what the rationale is for this:
Why do they require you to take the classes first? I’m sure lots of people are just submitting designs they download online, and no design knowledge is needed for that. 
Yes, I do!
It’s so we, as patrons, can learn and demonstrate knowledge of use of their printers. Our library has its own makerspace with 2 different MakerBot and 2 different Prusa printers, so the certification process goes like this:
- Take the introductory 3D printing class.
- Take a class specific to whichever printer you want to complete certification. (You can do both, in which case you’d take two different secondary classes.)
- Schedule a staff-mediated print with one of the library’s tech trainers (who also teach the classes) so that you can walk through completing a print job 1-on-1 with library staff. (You do this twice if you’re certifying on both types of printers.)
Step 3 completes the certification, at which point the tech trainer gives the patron a 3D-printed “license”.
After that, you can e-mail the tech trainers or call the library to schedule time to use a printer (you’re allowed to use more than one at a time). You log your own prints (including weight in grams × cost per gram) and turn in the log (just a paper slip for now) so the charges can be added to your library account.
The tech trainers are often available to help and answer questions, but I think the main point is that patrons can be self-sufficient in their use of the makerspace (i.e., they trust us to be responsible human beings).
They’re supposedly moving toward an online scheduling system that will be publicly accessible through their Web site, and I think the whole print logging thing is going that way, too, to obviate the use of the paper slips.
It’s pretty dope.
If multiple people want to do a print that is going to take overnight or a weekend to complete, how do they decide that? Just on the schedule for first come first served?
Overall I like it. I especially like the idea of helping patrons to be more self-sufficient and treating them with the trust to be responsible as long as they continue demonstrating this. I think this is much better than the way mine does it where a paid employee is dedicated to do everything for people. Though I kind of understand that logic too…the 3D printer(s) are expensive equipment and they want to make sure it’s protected, etc.
If that’s the time a particular job demands, then it’s a no-go at the ol’ liberry. They limit jobs to 4 hours or less. Someone with that kind of job would probably be better served by contracting it out or seeking a makerspace with industrial grade printers.
Yeah, right now you have to call to check availability, and they’ll block out time for you on (a) specific printer(s) if it’s/they’re not already reserved. I think they’re hoping to streamline that a little with a Web-based booking system.
I understand the approach your library uses, too, and maybe that’s what makes the most sense for them. My library seems to want to enable people to create, which I think is pretty cool and definitely not what I remember of my (different city) local library when I was younger. I like the proactive outreach, and I’ve learned some things by taking their classes in Inkscape and Audacity and learning how to use their Cricut software and machine that I wouldn’t have otherwise been exposed to. (They also have a recording studio that people can book if they want to record their own audiobooks or podcasts or whatever, and software and workstations that go along with creating that kind of content.)
That’s a valid point that I didn’t address earlier, and for something like the Arlo mount I printed, I didn’t have to design anything because the STL model was already available on Thingiverse. (Actually printing it was a bit of a challenge, though, because the printer I was using had been moved after a class the night before, and there was a calibration issue that was causing bed adhesion problems, so I got to learn a lot more that day than I bargained for, but I got to learn, so it was a good day!)
The thing I want to do for the Video Doorbell v2 actually does require some design work, because the design I found online doesn’t include the angle that I want in order to get the camera view I’m seeking.
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Pretty cool. I think having the way your library does it should be the general standard, with a small update. I think they should have 1 printer that can be scheduled for big and long job demands such as overnight or over the weekend, etc. Just make them pay the estimated materials in advance and schedule a block of time. There is no need to limit it to 4hr jobs if the printer can just run overnight or over the weekend and free up time for the people who want to stay there in person to work on smaller jobs, while still making it possible for people to learn to do really cool complex creations.
I get that, but in the end their primary mission is to be a library, not a dedicated public makerspace. (My city has at least one of those that’s open 24/7 for paying members who have completed safety and equipment training there, and that space has different printers, laser cutters, and other fabrication tools. In fact, a tool on their Web site shows that 2 of their printers are running jobs right now, as I type this at 2024-05-04T05:35:50Z local time.) Besides, the printers the library has available are classroom/education-oriented (MakerBot) or hobbyist-oriented (Prusa), not professional-grade printers with big beds and ginormous Z-axes, so to me it makes sense to have a 4-hour limit so that they’re available for other patrons’ use and don’t require city government employees to be responsible for monitoring something happening overnight that a patron initiated. 
I’m just pleased that it’s available to me at all, because I’ve been able to use it for a few small, practical things, and I’ve been able to learn while creating at minimal expense.
type this at [date=2024-05-04 time=00:35:50 timezone="US/Central"] local time
I didn’t know that markup code for the date. That’s a neat trick! I’m going to remember that.
Meh, mine doesn’t have anyone monitor it overnight or weekends. They start it before the library closes, and then clock out and close down. Then the guy in charge checks it next time he comes on shift. No monitoring needed.
To be fair, a library’s purpose now goes far beyond books and information. They’re considered community hubs that offer a wide variety of resources and services that are not limited to reading material and haven’t been for several decades. 
This very much fits within a library’s purview, particularly as it is a productive and beneficial thing.
Though my primary use for it is still books…or more accurately, audiobooks, I use them for many other things that have nothing to do with knowledge, reading, resources, etc. 
Agreed. This needs to happen everywhere even in limited amounts. It is so useful and beneficial to the community.
Since we’ve gone waaay off topic already, I’ll bite again (mostly because there’s a lesson at the end). 
That’s a different mentality and way of doing things, though, and if the patrons are just submitting jobs without any real hands-on involvement, then maybe that’s a good way to do it. The way my library does it, they want to enable people to think and do things for themselves, so being actively involved in slicing your own models, setting up the printer, logging your use, monitoring your prints, and cleaning up when you’re done seems like a reasonable way to go about things.
If they want to foster active learning and involvement, then what’s the point of just giving an STL to a librarian and then coming back later to pick up the product?
Just different philosophies and different ways of doing things, man.
Oh, I get that. My library hosts and is involved with all kinds of community events. Sometimes it’s impossible to find a space in the parking lot because they have so much going on. Who knew the ol’ liberry’d be such a hip place to hangout?
Agreed.
Don’t even. Just remember that, like Gmail’s ? (Shift + /) and Discord’s Ctrl + /, in Discourse (Wyze Forum’s platform) ? (Shift + /) is your keyboard shortcut overlay friend (as long as the cursor focus isn’t in an editing box). I don’t remember the markup. I just used the ? to get the overlay so that I could see that Ctrl + Shift + . inserts the current time. Much easier than remembering and typing out the markup myself.
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