A community technology resource transitions from hobby to health care support amid coronavirus response.

Despite appearing in the news regularly since 2013, 3D printing may still seem to many like a technology removed from everyday life. FCPL began incorporating 3D printing into our programs and services in 2017 as a way to bring this emerging technology into the hands of the public through classes, demonstrations and free printing available to our communities.

Since opening up to public printing, our printers have created baby Yodas, Pokémon, cat toys, bracelets, pieces of DIY projects and countless other items. However, not until recent events did our 3D printers become more than a hobby for the library.

Printing for the Pandemic

This spring FCPL staff used the library’s 3D printers to create mask comfort bands (like the ones pictured below) for personal protective equipment (PPE) in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Working with Youth COVID-19 Relief Organization, a local high school group, FCPL provided the bands for community organizations in Fairfax County needing additional PPE. Read more about FCPL’s pandemic response efforts in the article Focusing on Feel-Good News.

Fairfax County wasn’t alone in those 3D printing efforts. Many libraries, community centers and individual 3D printing hobbyists produced materials based on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) 3D Print Exchange guidelines.

More Ways to Share

Beyond the COVID-19 response, NIH’s 3D Print Exchange has other collections including Outbreak, Prosthetics, Neuroscience, a Heart Library, and a molecule of the month. If you would like to contribute to the NIH 3D Print Exchange, visit the NIH website to learn more.

Find all the details of FCPL’s 3D printing program in the library Research Center.