Makers Tools
Safety and PPE
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is available for use in our Makerspaces. There is a safety sign on the wall that discusses when it's best to consider using protection like safety glasses, ear protection, gloves, masks, and closed-toe shoes. Please keep safety first! See the PPE page for a more detailed rundown of when and how to use each type of protection.
Location: Middle School Makerspace, Stagecraft, and ULab Makerspace
3D Printers
Our fleet of Bambu Lab 3D printers — four X1 Carbons and an H2C — is capable of printing detailed character models, 4-color parts, high-strength battle bots, and real-world terrain models. Check out our CAD Software in the software page to learn how to design your own models, or find something others made on printables.com or makerworld.com. New to Fusion? See our Fusion Training recommendations to get started. When you're ready, you can send your prints to the 3D printing queue here.
The printers sit inside enclosure tents, and there are air-quality rules for opening one — see 3D Printing Air Quality before you pull a print. For the full slicing workflow and how to design a part that prints well, see 3D Printing Workflow.
If you'd like to use Bambu Studio yourself to slice and print your model, you'll need to be certified first. Come to the ULab makerspace during US community time or after school or reach out to June (jpeters@universityprep.org) to find time in the Middle School Makerspace. Steps to print yourself:
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Upload your 3MF or STL file to the shared folder.
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Log on to the share computer in the makerspace using the puma@ account
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In the file Explorer, open the "Prints" folder listed in Favorites on the left to find your file.
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Open it in Bambu Studio. If you need help with Bambu Studio, talk to June.
Location: Middle School Makerspace and ULab Makerspace
Laser Cutter
We have an Epilog Fusion Maker 24" laser cutter. It can engrave a range of materials as well as cut detailed shapes. Laser safety instructions are posted on the wall next to the laser, and certification is required before operating the machine.
The laser runs with the ExpandX Filtrabox fume extractor, which has to be on whenever the laser is running. For the full workflow — the Filtrabox, sending files to the makerspace PC, and setting up engraves and cuts — see Running the Laser Cutter.
Location: ULab Makerspace
Vinyl Cutter
Cutting vinyl is not safe on the laser cutter, but the vinyl cutter is both fast and easy to use. Instead of heat, it cuts with a small automated blade. We have a Silhouette Cameo 4 Pro and a Cameo 5 Alpha. They're ideal for cutting heat-transfer vinyl or sticky vinyl — and, when paired with the heat press, they create beautiful t-shirts, bags, and other products. They also cut cardstock and cardboard, which makes them the fastest way to test-fit a design before it goes on a slower machine.
See Vinyl and Cardstock Cutting for the workflow.
Location: ULab Makerspace
Sublimation Printer
We have an Epson SureColor F170. It works very similarly to a standard printer, but it prints on sublimation paper instead of regular printer paper. After printing, you can use the heat press to transfer the ink to a polyester shirt or bag!
See Sublimation Printing for drivers and how to pick the right color profile on Windows and Mac — getting that right matters more than it does for a normal print job.
Location: ULab Makerspace
Heat Presses
Our heat presses make heat-transfer vinyl and sublimation prints permanent. They're relatively simple to use - all you need to know are the temperature and time for your specific application. Certification is required — see Machine Certification. There is a sign on the counter near the heat presses with this information for common materials.
Location: ULab Makerspace
Hand Tools
We have a wide variety of hand tools. Some of the more interesting include digital and brass calipers, ratchets, rasps, and hack saws. We of course also have screwdrivers, hammers, measuring tools, pliers, wrenches, etc. See Hand Tools and Joinery for how to use them well — measuring, clamping, drilling, and the joints they produce.
Location: ULab Makerspace and Stagecraft
Drones
Our CoDrones allow both manual flight via controller and programmed flight via programming. We have both standard EDU and the Mini version. Students can learn to fly them, program them, and work through obstacle courses.
Location: ULab Makerspace
BirdBrain Circuits
BirdBrain is a company founded through Carnegie Mellon's CreateLab. We have Finch robots and Hummingbird kits, both of which teach programming, circuits, and physical computing. They have input sensors and output controls including lights, displays, and motion.
Location: MS Makerspace
3D Pens
3D pens are like a 3D printer that you control with your hand, like a regular pen. You can design relatively flat things like snowflakes, or very complex tall things like a model of the Eiffel Tower! These require good ventilation, so be sure to use them in a room where the air is moving consistently.
Location: ULab Makerspace
CNC
Our CNC, or computer controlled router, allows cutting and carving of wood and plastic. It's a Shapeoko 3 XL, driven by Carbide Create and Carbide Motion. Training and certification are required before operating it — see Running the CNC for the workflow and Designing for the CNC for the design rules a round cutting bit imposes.
Location: ULab Makerspace