MakerLab supports student startups at 54.io

/

The MakerLab is a sponsor for the weekend startup event 54.io organized by students for students, at the University of Illinois. Teams of students working on physical products for their startups will have free access to the MakerLab during special weekend hours this weekend. The MakerLab has supported several startups and entrepreneurs. Find out more in the videos below. Subscribe to our youtube channel to get more videos about the lab, follow us on twitter or Like us on Facebook.

http://youtu.be/ssy3KNQU5l0

 

 

http://youtu.be/PDUaqiNuh2o

Film & Filament Night (September 26)

/

m_079_ptl_1sht_V1.indd  

 

On Friday, September 26 (from 6pm to 8pm), the MakerLab will host its second Film & Filament night. We will be premiering Print the Legend on our big 70 inch HDTV and designing and printing objects linked to the movie’s theme. This is a totally free event and open to everyone on campus. We will also be providing free food and drink. So please stop by for some pizza, popcorn, and plastic! Share the news.

Free Print Wednesdays are Back!

/

juegos-online-gratis-en-pc-3a3b848c2e649bf9b34a10115d914d0b In response to popular demand, the MakerLab brings back Free Print Wednesdays!

Every Wednesday from 1pm to 3pm, all prints (one hour or less) are free of charge! In less than an hour you could print lots of cool and useful things such as one wrench, two iPhone cases, or three whistles.

This semester, the Lab is open Monday to Thursday from 1pm to 6pm and on Friday from 11am to 6pm. We look forward to seeing you in the Lab on Wednesdays (or any other weekday)!

Meet the Maker : Matthew Schroyer

/

Matthew Shroyer is a tinkerer bar none. He is journalist, robotics enthusiast, STEM educator and Maker all rolled into one. He is designing a new board with sensors for urban air pollution and is planning on a kickstarter soon. He came to the makerlab to prototype some cases for his sensor. Find out more at https://twitter.com/matthew_ryan

http://youtu.be/XPtgY6ZQ4_s

 

Meet the other Makers on our Youtube Channel

Try our New Flexible Filament!

/
Flex Filament 2
Flex Filament 2
Flex Filament 1
Flex Filament 1
Flex Filament 3
Flex Filament 3

People often wonder what sort of materials can be 3D printed. Actually, 3D printers can print a wide variety of materials including plastics, metals, wood, paper, and even chocolate! Most of the printing done in our Lab uses a material called PLA, which is a strong, hard, and rigid thermoplastic made from corn. PLA is great for a wide variety of uses, both fun and practical. However, for some uses, a softer more pliable material may be preferable. For example, some users may prefer a smartphone case that is soften and more tactile. To address this need, our Lab has been experimenting with a new flexible plastic filament offered by MakerBot. This material is a more expensive than PLA and more challenging to print, but produces objects that are soft to the touch and incredibly flexible. The photos above show an iPhone case that our Guru Kevin recently printed in our Lab. So if you have a need for this type of material, we can help!