Some UPS stores across the country are making it easier for people to create 3-D printing projects, and there’s one in Polk County.
The UPS store in Lakeland on S Florida Avenue is one of four stores in the state to add 3-D printers. This week, UPS announced the new 3-D printers will be added to nearly 100 stores across the country.
The owners of the Lakeland location said they rolled out the printers on Monday and they’ve already had their first customer.
Keith Salmi is using the 3-D printer to help restore his 1960 Ford Sunliner that he’s had since high school.
“We rebuilt it, painted it again, bought all the parts again and refurbished it,” he said.
Salmi says he got the idea to use the 3-D printer to recreate the siding of one of his seats from a well-known name.
“Jay Leno has a 3-D printer also. And I wondered why, so I found out that he uses it to make parts he can't find anymore for his classic cars,” Salmi said.
The stores don’t have scanners, but they will use measurements and a computer system to create images. Or people can come in with their own files. The stores are considering partnering with Florida Polytechnic University to use their 3-D printing capabilities.
It’s a process the store’s owner, Beverly Kington, said she wants to make as easy as possible.
The price tag on some of the projects isn’t cheap but the possibilities are endless.