Learn the fundamentals of laser cutting on The Build Shop's 100 Watt ULS X2-660! This CNC cutting machine can cut through practically anything and engrave onto everything else using a high powered CO2 laser and we're going to teach you everything you need to know to use it!
This hands on class will cover the basics of what a laser cutter is, what it can do, the incredible projects you can create, safety precautions to take when operating the machine, and step by step operation for you to use the machine yourself in the shop. Training in this class will clear you for the necessary training to come in and operate the laser cutter yourself during out normal operating hours.
Students taking this class will get a chance to operate the machine themselves and will walk away with a glass bottle they etch with an image of their choice!
Learn to take any virtual 3D file on the computer and print it into a real world object! 3d printers are the wave of the future of in-home fabrication, rendering production and distribution obselete by allowing you to pull from a virtual product database and produce an object within your own home.
We will teach you everything you need to know to operate the ZCorp ZPrinter 310 we have at the shop. This commercial 3D printer can produce any part at a stunning 300x300x450 dpi resolution in beautiful white gypsum. You will get a hands-on introduction to operating the machine which will clear you for the necessary prerequisites to come in and operate this 3D printer yourself during our normal shop hours.
Each student taking this class will have a chance to excavate a part from the machine and take home their very own 3D print!
Imagine taking 3D photograph of anything in the world to capture a 3D model that can be used in video games, CG in films, or even 3D printed into a duplicate real world object! This idea is a reality with the Makerbot Cyclops 3D scanner! The Makerbot Cyclops is a homebrew 3D scanner that uses off the shelf items to capture an object with structured light scanning and we're giving you the opportunity to learn to operate it!
We will teach you everything you need to know to operate and use it on your own in the shop! Optionally each student may buy a kit to assemble their own 3D scanner!
The makerbot is the little brother to the ZPrinter 310. Portable, easy to fabricate, affordable materials, and only a tiny fraction of the cost of commercial printers this homebrew alternative for 3D printing makes it possible for anyone to have their very own 3D printer at home! The makerbot is the epitome of the democratization of automated fabrication!
From prepping, to slicing, to printing your model this class will teach you everything you need to know to operate the Makerbot Cupcake. We will show you the in's and out's, more importantly the annoying kinks and quirks of working with homebrew 3D printing, and the rewarding outcomes that result. At the end of the day you should have a new appreciation for how this technology works, the measure of FDM printers in a sea of different models, and an operating knowledge of the makerbot that goes far beyond the demo videos or numbers on a spec sheet.
Each student taking this class will walk away at the end of the day with their own ABS printed part!
Learn to carve out simple pieces of aluminum, engrave metal, or even etch your own Circuit Boards! Taking a basic image or depth map of a shallow 3D model our small desktop Mill can carve out most soft metals, acryllic or wood with computer controlled precision. This class will cover the basics of operation for this machine including the safety of the operator and proper care for the machine. We will show you everything you need to know to operate the mill on your own in the shop.
Learn to operate the powerful Juki DDL-5550 Industrial Sewing Machine. This workhorse sewing machine of the fashion industry will fly through anything you put in front of it easily stitching leather, denim, and upholstery. Straightforward and easy to operate, this machine will do a beautiful straight stitch on any clothing, costumes, or other fabric you put in front of it. During this class you will learn the essentials for operating this machine safely and efficiently to create a beautiful stitch for any project.
This followup class to the Intro to Laser Cutting course will delve deeper into the material demands of perfectly reproducing an image onto Wood, Glass, Metal and countless other materials. To create a beautiful photo in wood (like the one seen here: "http://tinyurl.com/woodphoto") takes a bit more polish than the standard hit to print lasercut file. We will touch on the file preparation in photoshop to get the correct burning and embossing laser cut wood, halftoning in photoshop for difficult materials like glass, and getting crisp high contrast images for marking metal with cermark solution. We will also touch on the critical differences between different material types and the laser's effect on them as well as differences between surface and deep engrave effects.
When you pair up the capabilities of the 3D scanner with that of the ZCorp 3D Printer you can do some really cool things, including creating a 3D portraiture of a real person like the one seen here: "http://tinyurl.com/3dportrait". In this class I will walk you through the entire process to create a 3d portrait of yourself or a loved one. Each student will have the opportunity to 3D scan an image of themselves, prepare it for 3D printing, and create a 3D self-portrait in the ZCorp 3D Printer! (Note: 3D self-portraiits will be available for pickup the following day due to print time in the ZCorp printer.)
Learn the basics of the programmatic modeling language OpenSCAD. This open source CAD modelling software is the go to platform for creating 3D models in thingiverse as it is flexible, precise and 100% free to use. Found a device on thingiverse but it's all in metric and you need it in SAE? No problem! Simply pop open that model in OpenSCAD tweak a couple numbers in the code that defines the model and you've got your brand new part ready for 3D printing!
Really want to dig into the nuts and bolts of building your own 3D printer? Learn what it takes to build your own 3D printer from the ground up! The RepRap project is built around the dream of 3D printers printing other 3D printers for a low cost but top of the line communiity driven open source 3d printer that competes with commercial FDM 3D printers.
For under $500 for the "vitamins" (metal parts, motors, and electronics) to build your machine you can build a top of the line machine on par with the Makerbot Replicator. The best part, you will know every inch of the machine and how it works since you built every part with your own two hands!
In this class I will give you hands on guidance through the RepRap database parsing through the masssive compendium of extruders, motors, parts and variations, imparting my experience to help you find the best parts for building your own machine. For the cost of materials you also get a lasercut chassis kit for building the Prusa Air to get you started on your first step building your very own RepRap 3D Printer!
The laser cutter opens up a host of potential for the saavy business owner. With this tool no matter what the product you can leave your indelible mark cut into the very material of your product. Far better than any screen printing or labelling, branding your products on the material itself is something that will never be lost or removed from the item. You can save hundreds using low cost items and adding value through cutting and customization.
This class will cover the process we used for three such products here at the shop. Costing only a penny per unit, the wooden business cards we made at the shop create a beautiful marketing piece despite being made from simple popsicle sticks you can buy from any dollar store. The candle jars we released at the grand opening of the shop cost about one dollar per bottle wholesale but when frosted they create a beautiful gift you can hand to clients. Finally the large acryllic sign featuring the build shop logo was produced from a simple sheet of acryllic, etched and cut in our machine to create a sign that would be at home in front of any business. From such simple stock you can create beautiful promotional pieces that any business owner would be proud to hand to their clients.
Learn the basics of creating a 3D model in the industry standard Autodesk Maya. Maya is the go to tool for the film and gaming industry, and while AutoCAD dominates the market for engineering and mathematically precise parts nothing can beat Maya for sheer versatility, and its ability to create organic models and fine art. This class will give you everything you need to know to start building basic models in maya using the core toolset that applies to most 3D tools on the marketplace including the free tool Blender. More importantly it will teach you how to construct models in Maya that are clean and well built for 3D printing so that what you seeon screen is what you get from the makerbot or ZPrinter.
One of the largest cultural shifts made possible by the global maker movement and 3D printing technology is the potential to shift away from a retail based society to one of entirely digital goods fabricated at home! Large databases of thousands of virtual objects like thingiverse are the vanguard for this new shift in society. This class will cover the databases out there that are currently available, how to grab, edit, and customize an object in OpenSCAD and Maya, and print out the result.
In this new era of technological saavy many new opportunities are available to us in the fashion that we wear. Our clothes can light up the night, create their own melodies, network with one another, react to their environment, and even act upon their environment. What we wear speaks to who we are, comments on how we see the world, and responds to our modern society.
This class will get your foot in the door to creating your own high tech fashion. Each class will range in topics from lasercut cloth, leather and jewelry, to EL wire and panels, embeddable sensors, lilypad arduino programming, and high level wearable technology. Students will walk away with their own piece of high tech fashion based upon the project of the day, projects dependent on skill level and interests of the students.