Champaign-Urbana Community Fab Lab

Last updated 07.29.2014

Policy

The CU Community Fab Lab provides 3D printers as a service during open hours. Lab rental is available as an option for people who need consultants to make 3D designs for them.

If a print fails due to machine problems (filament tangle, power loss, extruder clog, etc...) we will reprint it for you free of charge. If a print fails due to inproper support, structural design or poor choice of material we will print it again for the regular charge.

Printer Capacities

UP! Mini 3D Printers (3)

• $2 base charge for use
• 4.5x4.5x4.5 inches (120x120x120 mm)
• Can use ABS and HIPS

TAZ 3D printers (2)

Within 2 short hours Andrew Wesly and I got the Lulzbot TAZ 3D printer working! We're excited to add a 1 cubic foot build size printer to our repertoire - but first we have to master the mystic and perplexing ancient arts of gcode sorcery! We have yet to conquer such challenges in the past two years but with a recent victory over the Neuromaker the Shapeoko, Vision 3D, snapbot, MDX-20 and TAZ are soon to follow.

This was my first project with the Epilog Laser, and was a good way to get familiarized with Inkscape and the etching (raster) + cutting (vector) capabilities of the laser. This is a good first project for anybody!

The first step to this project is to find the dimensions of a standard lightswitch plate. I found all the information I needed at doorware.com - a supplier of all kinds of house-hardware including lightswitches, and had uncommonly helpful documentation on the exact dimensions of their lightswitches - 

The Fab Lab has won a Lulzbot TAZ 3D printer! Yes, that's an update - we thought it was an older model but turns out it's going to be a 3D printer with a nearly cubic foot build frame! We hope to get it started at the main lab and then move it on over to The Urbana Free Library for Open Lab with teens!

Matthew Schroyer (www.mentalmunition.com) was kind enough to film a time-lapse of our UP!3D printer in action:

Here it is printing mounting for a sensor.

Ever since we got our new UP! 3D printer our old Makerbot 3D printer has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust. We benched it because we never got it to print successfully for more than 20-30 minutes at a time and never could figure out what the problem really was with the extruder.

If you're feeling adventurous come in and see if you can fix it! We'll give you unlimtied time with it (during open hours) and as much ABS plastic as you need for it. Should you manage to fix it we'll figure out some kind of prize.

Using Inkscape and Blender:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ows2QTiMRPg

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1CixtFEdXksiy4yRVKLsYp08JC6U2mvdFluUq...

As if 3D printers weren't mind-blowing enough, iRobot (yes, the company responsible for the Roomba) has just filed a patent for a robot-assisted all-in-one fabricator that can print, mill, drill, and finish a final product — and all without human intervention. Read more about it at io9.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y6wt8_nuXOISC06D2XpSnljdPCnAZnmY95qBJ8MJmf0/edit#

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-upiXNVrgJD6bwIZcJLy82i32Otb4VaOBGO7m5zZSCQ/edit#

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yQj-uivXutZ1Z-SCYMKNH7Hsuj6kqiXvKPj4O27onOs/edit#

Learn how to use Blender for 3D modeling:

https://www.youtube.com/user/cgboorman/videos?view=0

(start with tutorial 1, obviously)

A little out of date, but still pretty good:

http://youtu.be/gsfH_cyXa1o