A 3-D printer is available for public use at the Main Library in downtown Cincinnati.

Advertisement 3-D printer available for public use at Cincinnati library MakerBot Replicator can be reserved in 60-minute blocks, Mon. - Fri. Share Shares Copy Link Copy

When someone says library, 3-D printing may not be the first thing to come to mind.But the tool of the future is in a downtown Cincinnati library and it's available for patrons to use for free.Watch this storyDonn Vidmar is one of a handful of trained assistants at the library and part of Vidmar’s job now includes helping patrons like Waco Tohausen use this cutting-edge technology.“It's a good opportunity to give it a shot, give it a try. See how well they work, how well the plastic holds up. It's an introduction to it,” Tohausen said.Users can design their own creation or choose from a website like thingiverse.comFrom blueprint to reality, a 1-inch tall robot took about 20 minutes to create.It starts as a thin piece of plastic, called a filament. This filament is coiled up, much like the plastic in a weed whacker.The plastic, of which many different types and colors are available, is melted and then precisely injected into place.The MakerBot Replicator printed each layer at a thickness of .2 microns for the demonstration, but it can be set as low as .05 microns, making layers even smoother.While the demonstration models WLWT saw were mainly toys, others have a greater use.For instance, a tab was created, to replace some of the broken tabs on the back of library keyboards.“Really the limit is what you can imagine, what you can create, what you can find from the community that's already been created,” Vidmar said.With all the possibilities, and as people figure out what this printer can do, this free service will likely get plenty of use.Tohausen already has a few ideas.“It’s next to impossible to buy one piece of Lego, but you have a little printer, somewhere in the corner, just print a new one out, here you go. Then you're done,” Tohausen said.The printer is available at The Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County downtown. It can be used or reserved in 60-minute blocks, Monday through Friday.