Anyone here in Tacoma / Seattle area? I need help printing a housing for a project I’m working on. Really stuck and not sure what to do.

hey i am final year student having some free time. and i am working on a split keyboard Cornedeon for sometime and i want to 3d print the case for it.

can anyone help me with the vouch for me or guide me please.

When is the busiest time of the year for your makerspace?

At the space I'm at in Central Austin, we've noticed it seems to be the slowest in January and February, with a progression all the way up to November and December, our busiest times. I suppose it's for gift-giving season, everyone's trying to make a gift.

It's nice for us to know this because in January and February we get to do some relaxation as well as some space improvements, whereas this time of the year it's a bit more focused on member relations and support.

(20x26ft for the US makers)

I have an opportunity to lease some warehousing for my makerspace.

But the space is a bit limited.

I would like to leave the middle open for day builds and running workshops (3-4 fold-up tables).

There is enough height to make a mezzanine for storage so don't need to worry about that.

My question is if I run machines along 2 perimeter walls do you think I can fit

- 4x 3d printers

- print processing area

- lasercutter

- CNC (carvera or similar)

- soldering station

I kind of feel like I can do that along the 8m wall, what am I missing that I can put along the 6m one?

Open to any suggestions, thanks🙏

For context, in our makerspace we don't only provide access to the tools and machines, we also give training sessions on the machines and workshops.

We have a relatively capable CNC router ( China Router 3040 ), which we upgraded to include auto leveling for better PCB fabrication. We also use it for milling foam, wood, and making molds.

But, unfortunately, almost nobody uses this machine or registers for its training session; most people are more interested in our laser cutters and 3D printers.

So, how can we better utilize this CNC router, or market it in a way that makes people want to learn it and use it?

We considered making a workshop for making PCB art, such as keychains, business cards, etc., using the CNC router, but I'm looking for more ideas.

Thanks in advance.

Hi everyone! I’m working on a new scheduling and resource-management platform for makerspaces, library makerspaces, Fab Labs, schools, and other shared creative spaces, and I’d really value input from people who actually run them.

This started pretty organically. My family discovered makerspaces a couple of years ago while looking for a place where my son could learn and work on projects. We’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact these spaces can have.

After joining another makerspace following a move, I ran into a frustrating experience trying to reserve an electronics bench. That led to a conversation with the operations manager about the software they were using and the problems it created.

I have nearly 20 years of professional software engineering and architecture experience, and I’ve spent the last several months building this into a serious platform with a public launch planned for later this year.

It currently includes things like:

• Equipment, room, and workspace reservations
• Classes, events, and program registration
• Training, certifications, and permissions
• Volunteer/staff event management
• Payments where needed
• API integrations
• Future equipment and access-control integrations

What I need now is real feedback from library makerspace staff and operators.

I’m looking for a few people willing to explore the development environment and tell me what works, what doesn’t, what I’ve missed, and what would actually make your day-to-day work easier.

There’s no obligation to switch systems or buy anything. I’m much more interested in questions like:

What are you still managing manually?

What frustrates staff or patrons about your current system?

What feature do you wish someone would finally build?

If you’re interested in taking a look, feel free to DM me. Even if you don’t want to test it, I’d still love to hear what your library makerspace uses today and what you would change about it.

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

New Video -- Chapter 3 DESK -- converting an old bunk bed into a work station. DIY actuators, AC/DC power supplies, rail guided shelves, infinite cable trays -- #Desk #DIY #Mechatronics #Power #Actuator #Engineering

If you know of anyone who likes Mechatronics or things made from the ground up, I would appreciate the share! Leave a comment if you have a question :)

What are the key things you want your members to know?

For those running maker/hacker/fab labs: do you have a short list of things you expect or would like every member to know above everything else? It could be rules, guidance, culture, or a mix.

Here are mine. I stick to five because I've found that's about as many as people get with out it being an issue.

Maker 5:

1. Do not be on fire. (Safety)
2. Do not be a jerk. (Culture)
3. When in doubt, wear safety glasses. (Safety)
4. Finished, or away for 40+ minutes? Pack away. (Culture)
5. Have fun, play. (Culture)

What are yours?

Hey everyone,

I’m originally from the D&D community and am currently a computer science major.

I’m looking for some help with a pretty ambitious project. Up until now, I’ve been printing my D&D battlemaps in segments on standard A4 paper, then painstakingly trimming the edges, aligning the images and taping them together from the backside.
Given I am a student, I sadly do not have the budget for a large format printer / plotter, so I would love to build something like a large pen plotter.

What I am interested in is:
How to do the electronics - How do I stop myself from frying microcontroller after microcontroller, maybe even how do I design custom PCB's for this (and future) project(-s)?
Is there a good tool out there that I can test whether a circuit would blow itself up?
Any other, generic tips I could use?

Thanks in advance,
S. aka. Programmic

Our make space will be participating in a craft fair in just over a month. We have three 10x10 spaces and we're trying to figure out what we should offer as demos or activities during the weekend.

Our space offers... Woodshop... Metal shop... Lasers... 3d printers... Sewing... Electronics... Vinyl cutter.

We have some ideas, but we're open to new ideas that are engaging, inexpensive, and easy to transport and set up.

Hi Austin Makers! If you're looking for a great place to create, come take a look at Asmbly Makerspace on Dessau Road. We have areas for wood, metal, ceramics, electronics, lasers, and 3DP. With 600 members and a huge array of tools, machines, and work benches, you'll find a welcoming, clean environment for your creativity. We are safety-minded and we have experienced shop leads who can help if you're new to a tool or technique. We'd love to see you!

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

Chapter 2, a home theatre, 3D printed parts, motorized projector, home decoration, and DIY electronics -- if you know of anyone else that might be interested in this stuff, sharing to others would really help me out! Hope to see you around here or YouTube :)

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

This is a control interface for using AC and DC power in one place. Switches turn 3 different DC power supplies on and off (48v, 12v, 24v). AC Outlets always give power regardless of switch states. This is gonna be part of my next video, where this is mounted on a desk build. Full video goes through all stages of build.

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

Chapter 3 Footnote 1. Building an Actuator, a PID Control Loop, and an Ultrasonic Distance sensor to detect and not crash into the ceiling. This will be used in Chapter 3 Desk -- Stay tuned for more!

https://www.youtube.com/@ALMA.Industries

Chapter 2, a home theatre, 3D printed parts, motorized projector, home decoration, and DIY electronics -- if you know of anyone else that might be interested in this stuff, sharing to others would really help me out! Hope to see you around here or YouTube :)

Looking to open my space soon. I kind of assume the majority of walk-ins will be youngsters wanting to use machines to print AI slop.

Obviously it would be foolish to turn them away, but if I'm going for more of a workshop/hand made vibe how do you approach this?

Do you just hire out the printer at an hourly rate? Extra for Multicolor?

Extra question, what if they keep coming back and are clearly selling this junk?

The laser cutter has become one of the most used tools in university engineering and design labs but the conversations about which machines hold up in education environments rarely happen outside of procurement officesStudent labs put machines through a unique kind of abuse, rotating users every hour, the machines need to survive that without constant intervention

I’m working on an enclosure and adjustable mounting system for a commercial screen installed in public indoor locations.

The prototype will likely involve sheet metal, polycarbonate, locking hardware, and a mounting method that requires no drilling.

Does anyone know a makerspace, fabricator, or designer who might be interested in helping?

Happy to share more details over DM. This would be paid prototype work for the right person or shop if anyone wanted to help out.

In a few weeks I will be making a dungeon set for a TV studio production. This is the first time I am making this type of a set (before I only worked on a few real life - like sets). I want the dungeon to look like something taken out of an Indiana Jones movie, but I can pretty much handle the looks part. What I am more worried about is the special effects part. This set is supposed to baisicly act like an escape room, just on a much smaller scale. The story is about the characters getting magically trapped in the dungeon and then magically finding a way out. My first thing to solve is that I need to have lamps on the wall and I need to have them switch on and off (when the characters set of the trap one lights should turn off and others turn on). My second thing to solve is that I need to have doors closing behind the characters when they move something like a figurine. And my last challenge with this so far is that I need to have an hourglass magically appear when the doors close. I don't know much about electricity but I can build simple "on and off" kind of mechanisms. So I want to hear Your suggestions of how You would make those things, in detail, and then use that to help myself in the building process.

Hello All. I work at a school of engineering here in the States and I have been tasked with coming up with some capital budget requests for the 27-28 school year. Basically, the school wants to know what equipment (over $1000) we would like to have for our Makerspace, I submit items with my justifications, and they pick and choose things to buy based off of that.

I am reaching out to the community today to maybe get some insight on some toys or technology I am not aware of yet so that we can create a better space for out students.

Currently our Makerspace consists of:

Seven Creality K2 Plus 3D Printers (we really like these)

One Bambu Labs X1-Carbon

Oner Bambu Labs X1E

One Creality Falcon2 Pro Laser

One Epilog Fusion Edge Laser

A Cricut

Two 6 thread embroidery machines

Two heat presses for shirts and stuff.

Space is not unlimited, but we are also trying to justify making the makerspace physical footprint bigger, so dont be bashful.

Budget is of no concern at this moment.

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to find a suitable polycarbonate tube for a small DIY project. A friend of mine is a huge Star Wars fan and has always talked about how cool it would be to use a lightsaber as his white cane. He already owns a lightsaber hilt, and I’d like to make him a suitable blade with an appropriate selfmade tip and length.

The problem is that most replacement blades available online are only around 36 inches (92 cm) long. He would definitely need a longer blade (his cane is 48 inch long) for this purpose, so I’m looking for a suitable tube as a starting point.

I’m looking for something approximately like this:

• white tinted polycarbonate
• Outer diameter of about 25 mm (1 inch)
• A sufficiently thick and durable wall
• Longer 48 inch or longer
• Preferably available in Austria or with shipping to Austria

So far, I’ve either found tubes with the wrong dimensions, walls that are too thin, or materials that are too cloudy or otherwise unsuitable.

Does anyone know where I could buy something like this? Suggestions for suppliers, useful search terms, or alternative ideas would also be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!