The Champaign Urbana Fab Lab is an environment where C-U locals, U of I students, and anybody a part of the community have the opportunity to gather in a laboratory space and explore their creativity. Located on the U of I campus, the Fab Lab encourages creative innovators to have a place where they can work on their personal projects by providing the right kind of machines to help make these creators ideas come to life for an affordable price. These machines vary anywhere from laser printing, 3D modeling to embroidery, sewing machines, MacBooks, and more. At the Fab Lab, their overall goal is to make expensive production machines available to the community.
One of the most popular machines used is the laser printer. Working with materials such as acrylic, wood, and glass, an assortment of projects can be done with this machine.
Open hours are Tuesday and Thursday from 4-9 p.m. Friday 1-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-6 p.m.
During these set hours, the lab is open to the community where anyone is welcome to use the space in an unstructured way — either working with themselves or with others. Consultation appointments are able to be made if someone has an idea and needs an assistant. The space is also available to be rented out for individuals or teachers who need a space for a specific group or activity. During the summer, camps and workshops are held for the children of Champaign-Urbana varying from ages 8-16. Want more information on workshops and summercamps? Check out their website.
As the Fab Lab continues to expand, their hope is to bring together the U of I campus and C-U community, and to continue to grow as a whole. Make sure to check out their open house tonight, Friday, February 6th, from 4-6 p.m. There will be demonstrations going on by the Lab’s staff and opportunities to see what can all be accomplished within this space. A less formal reception will be happening from 6-8 p.m. for those who wish to hang out with friends, old and new.
