A Bit About the Makerspace
Photos: Adam Hendrix, Contributing Writer
November 17, 2023
Adam Hendrix, Contributing Writer
Despite its grand arsenal of tools and machinery, the makerspace at the University of Maine at Farmington remains much quieter than many hoped for it to be when it was first put together.
Three years ago, after a time of trial and error in writing an acceptable proposal,UMF received a grant to put together its own makerspace. Now, in 2023, the UMF makerspace community is growing, albeit at a slow rate thanks to its beginnings within the pandemic. UMF students, faculty, and staff members are putting on events to drum up interest in the makerspace in hopes to recover from their lack of a proper opening. From the beginning, the makerspace community has wanted to incorporate people of all skill levels, but they have struggled to show exactly how accessible and useful their tools are to the general student population.
“We’re just here to try our best to let students do the things they’d like to do,” Library Director Bryce Cundick said.
With the help of Matt Jacobson, the director of campus technology at UMF, Cundick and Sarah Otley, who is currently the manager of the makerspace, have slowly been filling out the makerspace with machinery since the makerspace was first assembled. The current roster of machinery includes two PLA 3D printers, a resin printer, a vinyl printer, a sublimation printer, an embroidery machine, a small sticker printer, a UV printer, a laser engraver, a laminator, a large format poster printer,a whole host of hand tools, and an entire Adobe suite on each of the computers.
Despite what all of the expensive machinery in the makerspace may make it sound like, the space isn’t reserved for experts; in fact, the makerspace is hosting free monthly events meant entirely for newcomers, where one can learn how to properly use the 3D printers and the software necessary to use them, and where the participant may keep a copy of the print they learned to make.
During its open hours, which are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, and 12 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, there are knowledgeable student employees or other staff members who are able to aid in the creation of custom designs or in the operation of machinery. Though walk-ins are allowed, making an appointment and giving time for the staff to prepare for the visit will lead to a quicker design process and better results.
Cundick recalls a time when a few students wandered into the makerspace looking to replace a missing jigsaw puzzle piece. After bringing in a traced outline of the hole left by the pieces surrounding it, the students worked with the staff to recreate the outline digitally, which was then used on the laser engraving machine in order to create an effective copy to complete the puzzle.
“What I would encourage students to do is just Google it a bit, search online a bit for different things that they can make, and find something that is interesting to them. If they want to make that, come on in and let’s talk,” Cundick said.
