Mechanical Makerspace

Hammers, screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, cutters, clamps, awls, brushes, sanders, saws, and all manner, size, and shape of other analog implements.

Hand tools' electrified versions: drills, screwdrivers, sanders, dremels, and cutters.

Nails, screws, rivets, bolts, washers, glues, caulks, adhesives, sealants, and other such fixings.

Rulers, yardsticks, squares, T-squares, tapes, measuring boards, levels, guages, and meters of all kinds to help you measure your designs.

Turns computer-drafted 3D designs into physical objects made of plastic.

Uses vector or raster images to cut or etch designs into flat surfaces such as wood, cardboard, acrylic sheeting, paper, or cloth.

Note: Some materials are not eligible for laser-cutting due to potential off-gassing of chemicals when subjected to laser fire.

It makes holes in things!

Our upright band saw can be used to cut through materials like woods and certain plastics.

Using temperatures of up to 900º F, this device cuts though soft foam cleanly, allowing one to make quick, three-dimensional drafts of objects.

A tool to turn digital vector graphics and flat CAD drawings into intricate and accurately cut sheets of colored vinyl.  Primarily used to make visual elements of designs.  Both heat-transferable and adhesive vinyl sheets are available.

This tool compresses items between two flat, heavy, heated plates in order to allow them to heat bond.  Often paired with the vinyl cutter to bond vinyl designs onto surfaces.

A more intensive cousin to the heat press, the impulse sealer allows the quick heat bonding of two pieces of plastic to each other along a crease, allowing the creation of 3D-forms, bladders, balloons, bags, and containers.

Tools and materials for the mixing and and preparation of silicone molds and resin casts.  Allows for the reproduction of small objects from clear, colored, or occluded resin.

Used primarily for resin casting, this small, sealed chamber forms a vacuum to help materials settle into useful shapes and configurations.

Used primarily for resin casting, this small, sealed chamber uses air pressure to help materials settle into useful shapes and configurations.

Using a combination of heat and vacuum pressure, this device melts sheets of plastic into complex desired forms, creating molded plastic objects.

"Rapid prototyping" is the practice of using inexpensive materials to make quick drafts of physical designs.  This allows for examination and critique of the design without wasting time, energy, or resources in creating a more complex prototype.

Our Prototyping Carts have all the supplies needed to build a rapid prototype: construction paper, cardboard, pipe cleaners, tape, paper clips, toy building blocks, popsicle sticks, glue, and other bits and bobs.