Come join up this Friday, Nov. 6th while our members show their innovative and amazing art & design at Idea Fab Labs.
Free and all are welcome. Event starts at 6pm, and is located at:
Idea Fab Labs Santa Cruz
2879 Mission St. Extension
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
We are officially opening the doors on June 5th, 2015. We are still in the process of getting all the sweet gear we need, so it will be somewhat of a “soft” opening. Nevertheless, we hope you will stop by and hang out with us, check the place out, and get a feel for what’s…
Please join us for this coming First Friday in Santa Cruz for our Grand Opening! We will be demoing our equipment, tools, and toys for you! Come check us out! Time: 6:00pm – 9:00pm Place: Idea Fab Labs 2879 Mission Street Extension, Santa Cruz, CA https://goo.gl/maps/e8OQy Phone# (831) 508-8550
Check out IFL Santa Cruz’ massive new 100 watt laser engraver/cutter with a 37 by 47 inch cutting area and a rotary attachment! Here’s a video of its first print! Come by and give it a try!
On Saturday, April 18th the Chico and Santa Cruz crews teamed up and assembled the 140-piece, 20-foot wide “3222” installation. “3222” installation by Erin Banwell, based on an original design by David Seied. Check out more about how it was designed and built!
Introducing: “hardware hobbyist” Austin Neff. This electronics whiz kid is a crucial member at Idea Fab Labs, as he heads up the Electronics Zone. With experience in everything from robotics to LED lighting to audio processing and micro controllers, Austin is “all over the board” when it comes to his work at IFL. By day, he’s…
The Grand Opening of IFL Santa Cruz was a great success! We had over 300 people come through the doors! Check out these awesome pics from photographer Johnny Poon! Thanks for the great pics Johnny Poon!
Brief Explanation: The laser cutter and engraver uses a drawing program to tell it what to do. A CO2 laser can cut and engrave wood, leather, some plastics, cotton, paper, even bread! It’s not strong enough to cut glass or metal, though it can etch glass and coatings on metal such as anodization or paint.
How it works: It uses a focused beam of light to burn through wood or other materials. It can cut all the way through or just engrave the surface. It is good at very detailed cuts and engravings.
What it makes: It is used to make engravings of images, signs, boxes, sculptures and more. A CO2 laser can cut and engrave wood, leather, some plastics, cotton, and paper!
Redsail 1290 Laser cutting & engraving machine
GWEIKE LC1390 Laser cutting & engraving machine
Brief Explanation: The 3D printer builds objects by “printing” out one layer at a time, using a 3D model as a guide.
How it works: It is essentially a tiny hot glue gun, that squeezes out melted plastic and draws a single layer of an object, then moves up a tiny bit, and draws the second layer on top of the first layer, and on and on.
What it makes: Mostly small plastic items such as toys, containers, replacements parts, and more.
2 x Prusa i3 Mk3
3D Systems Sense 3D Scanner
Brief Explanation: The ShopBot is a computer controlled router that can cut or carve wood. It can cut up to a 4ft by 14ft piece of wood. We can use a drawing program, or we can send it a 3D model in order to tell it what to do.
How it works: It uses stepper motors to move the router through the x, y, and z axis system. A router is like a drill bit, but it is designed to move sideways through wood as well as up and down.
What it makes: It can be used to make furniture: chairs tables, desks, kitchen cabinets. Also large signs, 3D carvings, and more.
