Tinker Lab Activities
3D Printing
Print your 3D design on our 3D printers ($0.07 per gram for PLA, PETG or ABS plastic filament). 3D printing is available on a first-come, first serve basis, and the time to print varies by object. We can give you a fairly accurate estimate of how long an object will take to print and how much plastic it will use before you print. Request a 3D print.
Laser Engraving
Use our Epilog Zing 30-watt laser engraver to cut or engrave your design or photo on wood, cork, paper, mat board, marble, acrylic, anodized aluminum, cotton, denim, twill, fleece, glass, or vegetable-tanned leather. The laser engraver can be used for $0.05 per minute (bring your own materials to engrave). Make a reservation to use the laser engraver.
Results vary depending on material and engraving/cutting settings. When engraving on a new material, we encourage testing on a small area before engraving your full object.
Cricut & KLIC-N-KUT
Use our Cricut or KLIC-N-KUT machines to cut out your designs on vinyl, paper, or cardstock. Use our machine for free. We charge a small fee for materials (it’s free if you bring your own materials to cut).
littleBits
Learn about electronics with our littleBits sets of easy-to-use, color-coded, magnetic, electronic building blocks that empower you to create inventions, large and small. Ages 8 to ∞. Price: Free.
Perler Beads
Arrange colorful Perler beads on plastic pegboards to form patterns, then fuse them together with an iron ($0.50 per large pegboard; $0.25 per small pegboard).
Dash and Cue Robots
Dash and Cue are intelligent robots that provides hours of creative play and educational opportunities. Dash is designed to grow with your child, with everything from remote control and ball launching to obstacle courses and block-based programming challenges. Ages 6+. Price: Free.
Raspberry Pi and Arduino
Explore the internet of things, computing, programming, and microcontrollers by building projects with our Raspberry Pi and Arduino kits. Price: Free.
Shaper Origin (Handheld CNC Machine)
Shaper Origin is an easy-to-use handheld CNC that combines computer-guided accuracy with hand-held familiarity. Cut with precision, flexibility and efficiency. Origin locates itself in a workspace using shaper tape and makes continuous real-time adjustments to keep your cuts following your uploaded design file.
Inventables X-Carve
CNC carve your designs out of wood, plastic, or aluminum using our X-Carve CNC machine. Inventables’ Easel software makes it simple to design a project from scratch, or to import an existing sketch or file.
Digital Media Lab Activities
Audio and Video Recording and Editing
Equipped with a video camera, green screen, lights, microphones, and sound-dampening padding, our Digital Media Lab is a great place to record and edit your audio and video footage.
Photo and Video Digitization
Convert your old slides and negatives to digital photos, and convert VHS, super-8, and 8mm video to DVD or digital video. Price: $3.00 per DVD. There is no cost for converting to digital video. Please bring a USB thumb drive or portable hard drive to save your video files.