Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab

Policy on “Consumables:”

The overall policy on consumables is to encourage experimentation with low cost materials, but to cover costs with more expensive materials and to charge high volume users fees that help to maintain Fab Lab tools, equipment and other expenses.

Cardboard for prototypes is provided free (members are encourage to recycle clean, food-free cardboard for use in the lab.

Acrylic is available at approximately $12 for a typical 12x24 inch sheet (prices vary with thickness).

Flexible vinyl is available at ?? cents per square foot.

Blank circuit boards are available at ?? cents per board.

Other materials must be approved by the Operations Committee for safe use with Fab Lab equipment.

Use of the lab is open to the community free of charge for occasional use and for formally scheduled programs. 

A membership or high use fee will be established, consistent with operations in other Fab Labs, in order to establish funding sufficient to cover equipment upkeep and periodic replacement.

Individuals interested in using the lab for commercial purposes (such as rapid prototyping) will make case-by-case arrangements for the use of the Fab Lab, subject to review and approval by the Steering Committee and consistent with the rules and procedures that govern activities taking place at the University and in the community.

Organizations interested in establishing regular programming in the Fab Lab are encouraged to seek grants and other sources of funding that cover the operating costs within the lab and that contribute to the overhead of maintaining and upgrading the Fab Lab.