When a firefighter in Marin County, California discovered that he had a broken pool filter, he headed out to get a replacement...at the local library. Marin County Free Library recently began offering 3D printing for their patrons, and the firefighter made an appointment to use it. With the help of library director Sara Jones, it wasn't long before a new filter had been made -- thought it wasn't the easiest process. Douglas initially tried to 3D scan the broken model, but the filter's holes and uneven shape made clear this wasn't the best approach. Following a successful design using Tinkercad software, Douglas had more hurdles to face in printing the filter basket on the library's Ultimaker 2 3D printer. Finally, the project was completed, and the firefighter had a new filter basket for just $1.98 in PLA filament costs rather than the $15-$25 for a new store-bought piece. Find out more details about the library's 3D printing program and Douglas' efforts in this design project in the full article: http://3dprint.com/54685/3d-printed-pool-filter/


Below is a photo of the new 3D printed filter basket (left) next to the broken original (right):