Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab

Every year the Fab Academy conducts a rigorous semester long class based on the MIT course, with remote participants working in local Fab Labs around the world.

CUCFL hosted a Fab Academy class in 2011.

If there is enough interest, we could try to have one in Jany 2013.

We need to get several (probably 3 or more) people to sign up (Note:  there is a $3-5000 tuition.) and we will need to recruit a "guru" to be the local expert here.

For more information see:

http://www.fabacademy.org/application-form/

New for Halloween:  small dinaosaur, to cut from pressboard.

Purchase a 6x12 in piece of pressboard from the lab attendant, then download the files.  The file 'ptero-small.pdf' is all you need.

Use the Epilog Mini laser to make your own dinosaru today!

I made a small Jack'o'lantern on the new UP! printer.

The project was downloaded from Thingiverse, http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4494 by DocProfSky. The STL file is in the Downloads folder on the UP! machine.

Help Wanted:  This Jack'o'lantern is intended to have a light inside, e.g., a LED and battery.  I need some folks to help finish this part of the project.

Possibly of intrest, the Illinois Green Business Association is having its first 'Green Business Summit', Sept 7, 2012 in Champaign.

For more info and registration, please see:

http://illinoisgba.com/Summit2012.aspx

General info about IGBA at:  http://illinoisgba.com

The Epilog Mini at the CUCFL can be used to engrave text and pictures on glass (e.g., mirrors or picture frames), and on glassware, including bottles, drinking glasses, and cookware. 

An Example Project

An example project is to etch a personal design on a glass pie pan, purchased at a large store for $5 or less. Please see the report attached here [PDF].

Example piece.

Possibly of interest -- stop animation studio heavily uses 3D printing.  Pretty cool.

http://www.laika.com/

Possibly of interest if you might be in Madison Wisconson on July 21.

3D Printing Camp Wisconsin

http://www.3dprintingcampwi.com/

A web site with books and resources to learn to make pop-up books.  These projects would be interesting to make on our Silhouette and Epilog cutters.  The books explain quite a bit of practical knowledge underlying the creation of this kind of object.

See the web pages at:

http://www.popularkinetics.com/making_page.html

The Neuromaker project from February 2011 (See this blog entry) is discussed in detail in the current issue of Knowledge Management & E-Learning (see full citation and link below).

The article describes the background and details of the NeuroMaker, as well as the transformational connections between personal fabrication, embodied computing, and the performing arts.

The Neuromaker project from February 2011 (See here) is discussed in detail in the current issue of Knowledge Management & E-Learning (see full citation and link below).

The article describes the background and details of the NeuroMaker, as well as the transformational connections between personal fabrication, embodied computing, and the performing arts.

One of the instructors for the summer class "(Re)Making Matter(s): Art & Radical Recycling" dropped by and put up a poster for this summer program.  She will probably be in the Fab Lab this summer, and these classes may be of interest to some fabers.  I guess some of the students may come over.

Info:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Channing-Murray-School-of-Radical-Arts/472...

http://www.facebook.com/events/194550070667455/

The CU Community Fab Lab had a table at the City of Champaign STAR Expo on May 18.  We met with many folks from community organizations.

Here's a strange personal fabrication idea.

The paleontology is somewhat shaky, IMO, but it's an interesting piece of 3D printing.

http://cunicode.com/neopaleo/

A sylized "pteranodon", cut on the Epilog Mini.  Constructed of 1/4 inch plywood, finished with textured paint.

Size is approximately 1.3 meter wingspan, .6 meter nose-to-tail.

The original plans were published on the web at:

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-a-6-0-tall-Wooden-T-Rex-Model/step7/BONUS/