The Brisbane Times recently reported that 3D printing technology could well be publicly available in Brisbane, Australia by the end of the year. The plan is to establish a 3D printing lab in the city, within the State Library of Queensland (SLQ). Furthermore, the library is behind raising the funding for the 3D printing centre using crowd-funding. At time of writing, the project has raised $6000 of the $9300 goal via the crowd-funding site Pozible, which is similar to the American platform Kickstarter but more accessible to Australian projects.
SLQ Chief Executive and state librarian Janette Wright said supporters could contribute anything from $1 to $930, with a range of rewards matching each level of contribution such as priority access to other learning experiences and invitations to supporter-only events. Every printer pledged to the project will be built through a socially inclusive training program providing marginalised young people with an entry point into 3D printing technology.
The facilities are a logical addition to the the library, which already provides free public access to internet services and a broad range of creative software and hardware.
“If this campaign is successfully funded it will create the first public resource of its kind in Queensland,” commented Ms Wight. “You will be able to walk in, book a printer and put it to work on personal projects, experimental works, prototyping and anything in between. This resource will open a wealth of possibilities for artists, entrepreneurs and creators of all ages and will also provide a new range of learning opportunities at SLQ.”
Source: Brisbane Times
