3D Printer Filament-Making Workshop

Proto-Pasta is a Vancouver-based filament making company. Their team of 12 employees design and produce high grade filament for 3D printing enthusiasts in a 10,000 square foot warehouse in East Vancouver. I attended their all-day training on how they create their High Temperature Polylactic Acid filament (HTPLA). HTPLA prints at higher temperatures but provides improved mechanical results than the lower-melting traditional PLA. HTPLA is still fume-free and biodegradable.

I attended this session with 11 other participants.  Most were hobbyists or engineers, with one couple that designs high-powered foam bullet toys. Participants came from Vancouver, Camas, Hillsboro, Seattle, and Atlanta to attend this event. Proto-Pasta is one of the few independent 3D filament shops around that allow consumers onto their shop floor to see how the process works.  Much of their equipment is cobbled together out of repurposed machinery. I appreciated their conversation about how their work flow is an iterative process and they are constantly learning and improving their design to achieve the best quality filament possible. 

Proto-Pasta’s production line consists of 4 stations, each with the ability to produce 1.75 and 2.85 filament sizes. Chris and Jarek did all the hard work of cranking out our filament while we eagerly watched them work. All of the Proto-Pasta computer software is developed in-house and continues to be a work in progress as they refine their practices and grow to meet demand.

Proto-Pasta grinds and produces all of their bases in-house, using a completely dry process, which gives them better quality control and more consistent printing. They create their materials in bulk and splice them out into “recipes” for creating different effects.The materials look like plastic pellets.  The pellets are measured and weighed to the recipe specifications, then combined. The dry pellets are then dropped into a hopper, which feeds them through a hot end and extruder into a trough, which cools the liquid plastic to create the long rope to be spooled.


 Having re-spooled filament by hand, I am very jealous of their filament spooler setup!

At this workshop, we worked with Alex, a 3D printer innovator. Using his expertise, we experimented with creating unique color and base combinations. All attendees were able to make 2 1-kg spools of filament and each spool was unique. Alex even ran a few spools for participants looking to achieve a very custom color. Proto-Pasta then saves the recipes so if any of the attendees would like to re-order their spool color, they have it on-hand. 
 
I already knew from my own experience that how a filament reacts during the 3D printing process can vary widely within not just types of filament, but also within the same type, color, brand, environment and printer. I learned at this workshop that the base used within the filament (even by the same brand and with the same color) can also impact printing outcomes. Just within the HTPLA line at Proto-Pasta, they use 4 separate bases to achieve the desired print effect. All of the components affect printing outcomes.

I cannot wait for our 2nd printer to return to us from repairs at Lulzbot to use our glittery filament! After speaking with Alex and learning more about the filament-creation process, I am now working with Proto-Pasta to design some metal filament printing workshops. Due to the public demand on our main 3D printer, we’ll need to wait to expand our printing opportunities until the 2nd printer returns to the branch. Through the library’s 3D printing certification for the public, I have connected with a community member and volunteer for a high school robotics team. The team is interested in printing custom parts with carbon fiber filament, and I was able to connect her with Proto-Pasta for a community partnership.

Filament #1: Green Glitter Goodness


Filament #2: Purplesaurus Rex

October 2018 Experiential Learning Roundup!

Programming:

Make a Better World was mentioned as part of the Ingram’s “Two Librarians and a Microphone” podcast.  The Hyper-Localism episode (S05:E04) specifically talked about our compassionate making projects to help others in the community.

VA held 2 programs during in-service days on Friday, 10/12 and Friday, 10/19. Both were well-attended. On 10/12 we hosted Cardboard Challenge where we assembled a geodesic dome, bowling pins and built with cardboard boxes. SLAs and I partnered to host a cardboard-themed Funtastic to roll into when our program wound down. We utilized the same partnership for the 10/19 Spy Camp. We are testing out less formal, more pop-up-type programs where we host programs out on the floor, rather than in a meeting room.

SLA continues to work with volunteer facilitator on Girls Who Code. I led the workshop on 10/24 and worked with the girls on building chatbots with Python. It is always fun to see the girls work together and problem-solve to meet a goal. Girls Who Code is on break for 10/31 and will return 11/7.

Sewing has been our most successful Maker Monday program. SLAs will continue working on sewing workshops in November and December. Green screen and Cricut will be utilized in different ways moving forward.

PSA volunteered to assist during Music & Movement. She is a great fit for this program!

SLA led the monthly Intro to 3D Design and SLA led the 3D Printing Open Lab.  We have successfully moved one of our 3D printers to the public floor. The hope is that the equipment will be better utilized by our certified users. We currently only have one 3D printer as our 2nd 3D printer is still in IT for repairs.

I am working with Youth Librarians to offload some of the ongoing Youth Services projects to the new supervisors.

Community Connections
SLA and I hosted a Community Conversation as a joint partnership with Humanities Oregon and Humanities Washington.We had a dozen participants, most of whom are regular library users. Kelly McElroy was an excellent facilitator of the discussion and several of our regular patrons, who didn’t know each other, got to connect and discuss their different opinions in a productive manner. Several attendees lingered after the program to continue to discussing content and indicated they are interested in more opportunities for community conversations. 

We have tentatively booked the Columbia Room in March for the 2019 Repair Cafe. I am pleased to report that this project (now going on its 3rd year) has spread to Cascade Park and will also include Three Creeks in 2019.

Program Services asked me to assist with a homeschool outreach event in Woodland. I worked with 44 eager homeschoolers and their parents to experiment with circuits and Makey Makey. My entire write-up is here. WD has asked me to continue partnering with Woodland to host programs the last Thursday each month beginning January 2019.

Professional Development:
I submitted 2 proposals for the 2019 OLA/WLA Conference in April. A ½-day pre-conference session on coding tools for librarians teaching coding and a conference workshop in partnership with Multnomah Library on making and failing.

I submitted my chapters for the ALA publication 50 Coding Projects for Libraries.

Homeschool STEM Program

The Program Services Coordinator for our library district asked if I would help out with a homeschool group interseted in STEM programming. I said OF COURSE!

This was their first of a monthly series. I was told to expect 10-12 kids ranging in age from 8-12 years old.  It ended up being a few extra kids! This program will alternate between La Center and Woodland, so I took some notes to help out the next librarian. :)

Program Overview:
44 kids + 12 adults and several little ones
10:10-10:25 Introduction
10:25-11:15 Circuits
11:15-11:40 Makey Makey

Notes
We started with a basic introduction. The kids didn't want to sit on the floor, so they set up and tore down all the chairs (which was awesome).
We talked about making, circuits, and how we're learning things that can be tricky, so it's okay to not get things right the first time, just keep exploring! 
I was surprised that most of the kids present didn't have very much making/tinkering experience (8-10 year olds have generally done some coding) ~15 minutes
I think this would be a good group for any and all science you can throw at them!
The room had 4 tables set up, so we broke the group out into 4 stations with an adult in charge of each station (roughly 10 kids).
It worked out at first to have adults help monitor and make sure everyone was sharing supplies, but I noticed they were more hesitant to help when we got to the part of experimenting with different conductive materials.
It might help to give a head's up on the upcoming project to the adults who will be present so they feel a little more confident to help the kids.
We did some basic circuits using 9 volt batteries with battery caps, an LED and different conductive materials (alligator clips, play dough, silverware, aluminum foil, graphite) ~45 minutes
This was fun and the kids had a great time exploring. With a little encouragement, the kids who had early success helped others who were struggling.
Our second activity was making game pads for Makey Makey (with the Chromebooks) ~45 minutes
I had a heart-stopping moment while I was there that the Chromebooks wouldn't connect to WiFi, but I only ended up having one out of six that didn't work. It worked fine when I brought it back to OC.
I've continued to have mixed success with Makey Makey and am pretty much convinced I will stop using them in large group programs.
One-on-one or in controlled, focused environments, the Makey Makey can be fun. Several parents wrote down the Makey Makey information to explore with their kid later, which I think could work well.
Some kids excel at wiring a Makey Makey up and adding components to build gamepads
...most kids quickly give up and use the keyboard, touch the Makey Makey directly, or (in the case of our Chromebooks) touch the screen to run the apps. Even after several attempts to redirect, the kids went right back to what they were doing. :(
We were all tuckered out around 11:30 am. Some couldn't take the noise of that many people in the room, some couldn't get quality time with the objects, and some just got too hot with that many people in the room
I received a lot of feedback from parents and kids that they enjoyed the program, learned something new, and were excited to try more things!

Suggestions Moving Forward   
If interest continues to be high, I’d recommend running 2 one-hour sessions of repeat content and have families sign up for one or the other and hoping for no more than 25/session
Smaller groups to provide more quality hands-on time
More supplies to go around
More comfortable in space
More attention given to each group
There were several little ones (under 6). Some of them tried the activity and did fine, but I’d planned on 8-12 year old kids. I’d think about either having a concurrent STEM story time for the younger ones or split the younger and older kids up so everyone gets a challenge
Have a resource list (like a book list) for kids to take after the program to continue exploring
Meet with the parent volunteers ahead of time, or at least send out the project details so they’re more prepared to help during the program
Stay away from anything that relies on Wifi

Program Suggestions:
Tech Take Apart
ArtBots/BrushBots
Edison Robots (Program Services)
Zoob & Strawbees (Program Services)
Penny Boats
Build tetrahedron pyramids out of newspaper
Paper Circuits
3D Design/Printing, but Design relies on Tinkercad (which is web-based == Internet needed)
Coding (web-based == Internet needed), we could try Arduino microcontrollers with Arduino and do some basic C, we could also do “unplugged” coding activities
Water Experiments and molecules
Rockets & Aerodynamics
Solar ovens and sun activities

2018 Cardboard Challenge

It's October! That means it is time for CARDBOARD CHALLENGE! If you aren't aware of cardboard challenge, take a moment to catch up!

Our Teen Librarian procured a large amount of amazing, double cell corrugated cardboard sheets from a local box manufacturing company. In terms of cardboard ratings, these sheets would be A+++. They are sturdy, large, and super fun. But they're kind of tricky for kids to cut up. So, we decided to work on larger projects with these sheets.

Over the summer, the Teen Librarian worked with our Facilities department to cut a bunch of the cardboard to create this geodesic dome. The first attempt, during summer, was to try and build it with binder clips (as we would have to break it down after the program). This proved to have quite enough tensile strength once they started pushing the dome up.

We looked into 3D printing our own plastic fasteners, but realized how many we'd have to print for it to work. My Senior Assistant, Elsbeth, came up with the great idea of using zip ties. A lot of zip ties.  Like, and insane amount of zip ties.

So, Cardboard Challenge 1: build a geodesic dome!

Elsbeth also had a bunch of uniformly sized boxes from a supply order. These boxes packed flat (genius) and were the perfect size for open building.

Cardboard Challenge 2: build with boxes!

Even with the geodesic dome cuts, we STILL had a lot of beautiful cardboard sheets left over. I recruited our summer Teen volunteer, Olivia, to sketch out bowling pin templates, based on this lasercutting schematic. We've had some interns assisting us with programs this fall, so I set them to cutting and assembling pins with the public.

Cardboard Challenge 3: Assemble Bowling Pins (or We Should Get a Laser Cutter)!

2018 September Experiential Learning Round Up!

Programming:
VA introduced 2 new maker tools this month:  sewing machines and Cricut. 

SLA led the first Intro to Machine Sewing workshop. She planned this introductory workshop including an easy-to-make drawstring bag project. Several staff members helped them refine their workshop by trying out the first project and providing feedback. The sewing machines will also be used during the Cosplay Collective Program.

I led the first Intro to Cricut workshop. Our first project was a 3 dimensional paper gift bag. Feedback indicated a need to promote this program as project-specific to help people better understand the utility of this tool.

SLA led the Make a Better World program. The group has decided to work on capes for children. The project will continue through October and be donated by the end of the month.

SLA continues to lead the weekly Craft Connections adult crafting program.

SLA led the monthly Intro to 3D Design and SLA led the 3D Printing Open Lab.  Due to popular demand, I led a workshop on 3D printing for Tabletop Gaming.

Youth SLAs resumed weekly story time programs with a revamped, more manageable schedule, as well as worked on collection maintenance, including the move of the hanging audiobook kits to the beginning of audiobooks and adding space for the new integrated audiobook items.  The youth services team has also worked hard to rearrange the youth services office in preparation for the start of the new Early Learning Librarian.

SLA led her popular Intro to Google Drive workshop, which was attending by SLA Melanie from Reference Services.

SLA facilitated the return of Girls Who Code with our volunteer facilitator, Regina.  We are working on a 9-week curriculum this year. I met the new club and am working with Regina to taylor the curriculum to stretch the girls a bit further out of their coding comfort zone.

VA’s newest 3D printer, Ruth Bader Printsburg, was sent back to Lulzbot due to a faulty extruder, after only being in use for two months.  VA’s older printer, Freddie Prints Jr. has been implemented into weekly use during VA’s Saturday D&D group.

Community Connections:
Our Maker Faire booth interacted with over 1,000 attendees. Full Maker Faire report.

District Collaboration:
11 staff members from around the district participated in the Maker Faire project.

I coordinated a meeting to push the district-wide 3D printer project forward. We all met and looked at our options for making the 3D printers as easy-to-use as possible and were able to come to an agreement. Amy, Bonnie, Sarah, and I will be working on training documentation for the other branches who are receiving a 3D printer.

Staff Development:
Dre and I are partnering on a building-wide project to involve all staff in developing building-wide service point training around a core set of expectations. This will provide an opportunity for every member of the leadership team to grow as a leader and facilitate conversation and cooperation among VA-staff who normally don’t work together. This will also provide VA staff the opportunity to have a voice in decision-making in the building regarding tasks they have the most knowledge and experience performing.  The ultimate goals are: 1). a cohesive training program that allows all staff the ability to get up-to-speed on all service points in a timely manner and 2). consistent expectations throughout the building.

Professional Development:
I have taken up the post-ASD evaluation and 2019 planning tasks for this project. I look forward to recruiting and working with a diverse sub-section of the district on the 2019 event.

Maker Outreach: Maker Faire

Outreach: Portland Mini Maker Faire
Location: OMSI
Dates: Saturday/Sunday, 9/15-9/16, 2018
Maker Project: low-cost screen printing
Completed projects: 500 (estimated)
Participation: ~1,000
Staff: 11 staff members, 4 branches, program services, all awesome

We had a difficult time counting attendees as it was all-hands-on-deck for most of the day Saturday and Sunday. OMSI gave us a great location right next to the entrance, so there were few people who didn’t see our booth. FVRLibraries booth was also one of only a few booths who provided a hands-on activity that allowed participants to take home their finished creation. Attendees at Maker Faire included hobbyists, educators, commercial makers, and lots of parents and their children. We continue to see interest and appreciation for maker activities that allow inter-generational collaboration. Saturday we completed well over 350 prints with most prints worked on by a child and at least one parent. Sunday we finished off the last of the fabric (~120 pieces) and continued printing on paper. Special shout-out to Elsbeth who provided connectagons as an easy activity for smaller makers on Saturday as well as scratch art when we had to put the printing supply away to dry for Sunday (even though it rained Sunday).  And shout-out to Dre for picking up the leadership role on Sunday so Jamie could be in-branch.

Visitors seemed surprised and delighted to see the library doing something so hands-on, and many of them asked about how they could access the materials to re-create the project at home. We also had some conversations about other maker offerings at the library.  More than one participant mentioned that they were teachers looking for ideas they could recreate in the classroom and loved our screen printing idea.

Staffing was pretty much perfect for the set-up we had. We definitely felt a crunch when someone ducked out for their lunch break, but altogether we worked out a system. Generally, three people were able to keep up with the flow of people visiting our table, while the other two rinsed screens and stencils, hung them out to dry, dumped and fetched water, assembled screens and other materials, etc.

It would have been ideal to have more time for networking. Jamie spoke to two librarians from Multnomah County who took our What’s Happening for other Maker booths asking about our programs. Dre did have the opportunity to speak to a librarian from Hillsboro who was stationed next to us, and to touch base with Blake Swenson from Tinker Camp (who was a presenter at All Staff Day). Overall, though, we did the most important work: engaging with members of the community in an enriching way. It was messy and relentless and entirely awesome.

It was an incredibly fun and rewarding experience.  I felt the project was perfect for a wide range of ages and abilities; and the kids loved it!  I was surprised when I went to check out the other booths that not very many were like ours and made me realize why we were so popular.  One of the things that made the experience so awesome was the sheer number of folks who came to our booth!  It was exhausting but completely worth it.  I also enjoyed getting to work with my awesome co-workers in a new environment.  We definitely learned some things that would make it easier on staff for next time; knowing the high volume of participants.  I would love to do it again!  It was a great day!

Staff Training on Maker Tools

With a generous community donation, VA has acquired several new pieces of equipment to enhance our experiential learning opportunities for the public. Several staff members have requested training on the different equipment we offer to the public. I sent out a survey in July to gauge interest from staff.

Through the month of August, we conducted the following trainings on the most-requested equipment:

3D printer: 25 staff trained ( I made a lot of keychains this month...)

Side note: I am in love with Polymaker Polylite PLA. We just bought a 3K spool and we're respooling it onto all the empty 1K spools.

Cricut: 17 staff trained (we named our Cricut to help staff remember how to pronounce "cricut" correctly)

Soldering: 6 staff trained

STEM Toys: 12 staff trained

Sewing: 8 staff trained

Following training, staff have been more enthusiastic about asking questions and using the equipment. They speak confidently to visitors and patrons about the equipment and what they are currently working on. Having a better working knowledge of the new experiences we provide the public helps us better market our experiential learning opportunities to the public.  Several of the projects completed after training will be marketed at the libraries’ booth at Rose City Comic Con in September and Maker Faire at OMSI.