“Justin Woodring, 13, spends a lot of time at the Livingston Parish Library’s main branch using the 3-D printer.
“We see him all the time,” said J.D. Lovelace, branch manager, who teaches beginner 3-D design classes at the library — the basics of using 3-D design software to create objects with the printer.
Everyone, including artists and entrepreneurs, uses the technology, said Craig Billings, co-owner of Acadian Robotics in Gonzales, and he believes the 3-D printer is quickly becoming indispensable.
Lovelace said he’s seen several small-business owners come into their library to use the 3-D printer to design and test the fit and effectiveness of parts before they go to the trouble and expense of having them manufactured.
hat’s just one of many uses he’s noticed since the library got its printer a couple of years ago.
There was so much interest, in fact, that he invited Billings to the library to teach community members beginner classes on 3-D software programs like SketchUp.
“Sarah Columbo (another library employee) and I sat in on the classes, and learned the software well enough to start teaching them ourselves,” he said.”