New Year, New Skills, New Printer!

Mid-January is about the time New Year’s resolutions start to fade. People get busy. Good intentions get buried. And it is easy to fall back into old habits and patterns. The good news, though, is that it’s not too late to try something new! At least not at the BB2C Makerspace. Whether you are looking to jump back into an old hobby, like woodworking, sewing, or stained glass, or are wanting to find a new hobby, like 3D printing, vinyl cutting with a Cricut®, or laser cutting, we have you covered. In fact, our buy one, get one half-off class special is still running through January.

If you haven’t checked out the upcoming Makerspace classes, you can do so by visiting bb2careers.org/makerspace to see their calendar, sign-up for their weekly newsletter, or follow them on Facebook or Instagram. Or you can stop in for a tour. Even if you’ve visited in the past, there are always new things to see- including our CNC machine in the woodshop, our reorganized creative art space, and our newly updated 3D printing space, complete with new printers. One of our new printers includes a resin printer, which came through a Makerspace sponsorship provided by the open-source tech company, ELEGOO.

"ELEGOO uses programming and 3D printing technology to provide geeks with the key to a new world," says Makerspace Director, Jared Wittekind. "We are thrilled to partner with such a like-minded company. Our Makerspace is structured on the belief that creating can be a transformative process for makers and leads to innovation and impactful change in communities.”

ELEGOO's contribution of a Mars 2 Pro SLA printer, curing station, and resin printing materials will allow the BB2C Makerspace the opportunity to expand its current 3D printing capabilities and curriculum. According to CDW, “Stereolithography (SLA) is the oldest form of 3D printing. It works by exposing a layer of photosensitive liquid resin to a UV-laser beam; the resin then hardens in the desired pattern, and the object is built layer by layer until it is complete. This allows you to print a model with extremely fine detail.”

Thanks to ELEGOO, students and makers can expect learning opportunities in resin printing. Makerspace members with resin printing experience will also have access to, what ALL3DP.com calls, the "quintessential" SLA printer.

Come check it out! Or email us at makerspace@bb2careers.org for more information, including classes, field trips, group project opportunities, parities, and more.