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3D Printing

Introduction

3D printing is free for all SJSU students, faculty, and staff. 3D printing allows users to bring their visions to life by turning them into tangible three-dimensional objects. 3D printing takes a computer-aided design (CAD) file and creates a physical model layer by layer using selected material(s) (commonly using polymer such as PLA and ABS). We are currently using the Ultimaker 3 to manufacture all requested 3D models.

 

*You may contact us at (408) 808-2435 or email us at librarytechtrainer@sjsu.edu for additional information about printer,
compatible files, and other technical questions.

 

Print Settings and Materials 

Material

  • Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS)
  • Polylactic Acid (PLA)

Print Speed

  • 60 mm/s
  • 70 mm/s
  • 80 mm/s

Print Profile (layer height)

The print profile determines the quality of the print. We choose between  
  • Extra Fine (0.06 mm)
  • Fine (0.1 mm)
  • Normal (0.15 mm)
  • Fast (0.2 mm). 

​These values specify the height of each filament layer in your print. Prints made with thinner layers will create more detailed parts with a smoother surface. By default we go with 'Normal', however, if your print exceeds the booking time we will change the settings to 'Fast'. You may request for your print to be completed with the settings of 'Extra Fine' or 'Fine'. These settings do increase the print time substantially (6 hour limitation still applies). 

Infill Density 

Fill density is a measure of how much material will be printed inside the outer shell of the object. The percentage can be modified to conserve material and speed up print times. We typically have the value set to 10%.

  • 10%
  • 20%
  • 30%