At the Santa Cruz Maker Faire, Idea Fab Labs will be showcasing its augmented reality Virtual Sandbox. Built from a PC running Linux, a video projector, and a Kinect game controller, the sandbox projects a topographic map onto sand that you can mold. As you reshape the sand, the map is immediately updated. You can…
In 2012, Erin Banwell and friends founded Idea Fab Labs with a simple vision: they believed the combination of high tech and traditional tools in a collaborative space would spark the imagination of the community. A Santa Cruz native, Erin found himself starting the first Idea Fab Labs in a warehouse in Chico as an…
Business Digest, Aug. 6, 2015: Idea Fab Labs hosts grand opening Friday POSTED: 08/05/15, 2:13 PM PDT | UPDATED: ON 08/05/2015 0 COMMENTS SANTA CRUZ IDEA FAB LABS HOSTS GRAND OPENING FRIDAY Idea Fab Labs will host a grand opening 6-9 p.m. Friday at the Wrigley building, 2879 Mission St. Extension. Idea Fab Labs, founded…
Idea Fab Labs announces debut at Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp SANTA CRUZ >> On Friday, Santa Cruz will get a new social space for digital fabrication, Idea Fab Labs. The announcement came Wednesday night at the Santa Cruz New Tech MeetUp, which is the hot spot for any new tech business in Santa Cruz…
Access to the Tools of Science Fiction By Paige Welsh Contributor, Santa Cruz Tech Beat Idea Fab Labs comes to Santa Cruz to give makers the tools of the future Have you ever needed a pair of pliers to pull out a memory card from a 3-D printer, and then used that same 3-D printer…
“New “Makerspace” Coming To Wrigley Building In June The former Wrigley Building will welcome a new guest in June when Idea Fabrication Labs, a new makerspace project, will open in Santa Cruz…” http://santacruzlife.com/santa-cruz-connected-march-2015/
” Idea Fabrication Labs (IFL) Santa Cruz, a new makerspace based on a successful venture in Chico, will be opening in the old Wrigley Building in June 2015. Idea Fab Labs is a social learning environment. Members can take and teach classes or workshops. Peer-to-peer learning, open source culture and cooperation are cornerstones of the…
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.
