3 Free Ways to Learn how to 3D Print

Thanks to grant funding over the past few years, three of the Plano Public Library locations have a 3D printer for our community to print out prototypes, spare game pieces and more: Davis, Harrington and Parr. See our 3D printing guidelines and policy on our website.

Now, how do you get started? There are a few ways, including downloading a variety of free software and finding pre-existing designs. There are also ways you can use the library to learn the ins-and-out of three-dimensional design.

1. Attend a free 3D Printing Intro or 3D Printing Class at the library

We offer free classes to explore the world of 3D printing at the library. During the 3D Printing Intro class, our staff will teach you how to submit a 3D design to print on our machines and you’ll learn about online resources to find pre-existing designs. Our 3D Printing Classes go into more detail about design and walk you through the process. Be sure to bring a flash drive to save your work. Upcoming classes:

3D Printing Classes (grades 3+, ticketed)
Tuesday, October 15 at 2 pm at Harrington Library
Saturday, November 9 at 3 pm at Parr Library
Saturday, November 16 at 10 am at Davis Library

3D Printing Class (ages 13+, ticketed)
Thursday, November 7 at 6 pm at Harrington Library

3D Printing Intro (all ages)
Saturday, November 30 at 3 pm at Harrington Library

2. Take a class through LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com)

We have dozens of online resources for your personal and professional development, which you have access to with your Plano Public Library card! For 3D printing specifically, we suggest LinkedIn Learning (Lynda.com). Here are a few online tutorials we recommend:

• Learning 3D Printing (2014)
• Learning Tinkercad (2017)
• Designing a Replacement Part using 3D printing (2014)
• Mike Hathorn: 3D Printing in the Classroom (2015)
• Additive Manufacturing: Optimizing 3D Prints (2019)

3. Borrow a book

Sometimes books are the way to go to learn something new! We have print and digital books on general 3D printing concepts and specific software. You can search our catalog here for a specific model, otherwise here are our recommendations:

• Karl’s New Beak: 3D Printing Builds a Bird a Better Life by Lela Nargi (2019)
• Cutting Edge 3D Printing by Karen Kenney (2018, eBook)
• 3D Printing for Dummies by Richard Horne (2017, eBook)
• Incredible Projects Using 3D Printing by Joe Greek (2015)
• High-Tech DIY Projects with 3D Printing by Maggie Murphy (2015)
• 3D Printing with Autodesk 123D, Tinkercad, and Makerbot by Lydia Cline (2015)

Have you used one of our 3D printers? Let us know what you printed!