LibGuides: MakerSpace: 3D Tech

3D PRINTING AND SCANNING

The Library MakerSpace provides 3D printing and scanning technology to all students, staff and Academic staff of the University of Newcastle. Bring your own pre-prepared .STL, or .OBJ file or browse sites like Thingiverse 3D Design community to find a design you would like to print.

Printing on these machine is about experimentation - the service is not designed for printing assignment pieces.

Bookings must be made at least 24 hours in advance.
Print jobs are limited to 4 hours. This time takes into account a 15 minute buffer at the beginning and end of your booking for set up and cool down of your print job. The maximum print time is 3 hours and 30 minutes per booking. Bookings can be made via our booking tab in on our WebPage.

Please note: The printer will be turned off at closing time - any print jobs still running at this time will be stopped

3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the process of building physical objects from digital models. Successive layers of material (filament) are laid down in thin layers to create a physical object. 3D scanning

The Library MakerSpace provides 3D printing and scanning technology can be used in a variety of disciplines to develop prototypes, create 3D models to represent data or to aid in visualisation, create 3D teach aids, etc.

Engineering: Create 3D prototypes of designs
Medicine: Create 3D replicas of anatomy
Archaeology / Paleontology / Earth Sciences: Create 3D replicas of fragile relics for study
Chemistry / Physics / Biology: Create accurate 3D visual teaching aids, such as DNA or chemical reactions
3D Animation: Create 3D printed objects from designs
Advertising / Marketing / Business / Entrepreneurs: Create a 3D prototype of items for sale to show clients

EQUIPMENT

BambuLab X1-Carbon 3D Printer

The 3D printing technologies are ever-improving and more creative. BambuLab's X1-Carbon 3D Printer has come to the Makerspace with the ability to print a little faster and with 4 different colours!

Prusa Slicer 3D Printers

3D technologies are emerging as a key element in all levels of undergraduate, academic and professional research and offers the opportunity for new teaching practices in a range of subjects and educational settings.

EinScan 3D Scanner

3D technologies can be used for visualising research, gaining 3D design skills and limitless possibilities with scanning and 3D printing.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

3D printing and painting a mud whelk and coral

The abandoned shell of a mud whelk was 3D scanned, enlarged and 3D printed with white filament before being hand painted to look like the original. A great educational tool to handle and study marine life.

Scanned coral on the left and true coral on the right. These coral and shell examples were used for educational talks by the Marine Biology Program outreach during Science Week.

Sea Urchin Project

This research involved obtaining live samples of marine algae, working on ways to successfully 3D-scan or model the samples and then 3D printing a number of these so they can be used in ongoing research to ascertain if the structure of preferred species is important for larval settlement of local sea urchins.

The video below shows the process of heating and manipulating the 3D objects into a more naturalistic form.

Students from the Oral Health Therapy Program within the School of Health Sciences attend workshops during Semester 1 and 2 of their first year of their degree.

In Semester 1 they attend a workshop where they are introduced to 3D scanning and modelling software and 3D printing. They are shown how the teeth sets were scanned and edited and printed. Learning outcomes include an understanding of 3D technologies together with a set of 3D children and adult teeth sets for identification purposes within their coursework.

In Semester 2 they return to the MakerSpace to learn about a 3D editing program called Blender and shown how their teeth were manipulated to highlight the gaps and roots. These set of teeth are printed for for the students and they learn how to manipulate gums and practice their manual dexterity skills.