While we have several types of printers in the FabLab, we certainly don’t have everything. There could be many reasons you want or need to do 3D printing elsewhere: different material / technology requirements, you prefer a more hands-off approach, or perhaps we are at capacity. Below are some of the various options you can consider as alternatives.
Check out the Makergrounds website for a rundown of various makerspaces and shops that exist within UVA, many of which also have 3D printers.
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UVA’s library system has some great 3D printing resources to check out:
https://scholarslab.lib.virginia.edu/makerspace// (Shannon Library)
https://library.virginia.edu/services/3d-printing (Clemons Library)
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Many online companies make 3D printing effortless - you simply upload a 3D model file, make choices about material and technology, make a payment, and your print will be shipped to you. Not necessarily the fastest or cheapest method, but certainly can be convenient.
Here are a few examples of popular online print shops (there are many more out there):
(see also: MakeXYZ, WeNext, Sculpteo, ProtoLabs\Hubs, Stratasys Direct, etc.)
It could be reasonable to buy your own printer, depending largely on 1) your budget and 2) your needs and expectations for the printer. Talk to us and we can make some suggestions based on how much you ❤️ 3D printing.
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At this moment (fall 2024), if we had to recommend a low-cost but high-quality introductory printer for a student, it would probably be the Bambu A1 Mini, which is $199:
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