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Services & Tools

The following is a selection of tools that are available for use in the Creativity Lab. An asterisk (*) next to an item means that you must be trained by Creativity Lab staff or demonstrate prior experience in order to use that equimpent during Open Lab. Some tools are restricted to patrons of certain ages; these ages are listed next to the tools.

Computer Hardware

  • Dell Precision Laptops (running Windows 10)
  • iMac computers (running macOS Sierra)

Programming Software

  • Arduino
  • Roblox Studio
  • Python
  • Scratch

Electronics

  • Basic electronic components (resistors, capacitors, LEDs, etc.)* (13+)
  • Breadboards* (13+)
  • Arduino-compatible  microcontrollers* (13+)
  • Soldering irons* (18+)

Crafts

  • 3D doodle pens (13+)
  • Acrylic paint
  • Beads and beading tools
  • Hand tools for woodworking (18+)
  • Fabric paint
  • Power drill (18+)
  • Orbital sander (18+)
  • Spray paint (18+)

Fabrication/ Prototyping

  • Full Spectrum Laser Hobby laser cutter (5th generation)* (18+)
  • MakerBot Replicator 2 3D printers*
  • Printrbot Simple Metal 3D printer (2014 edition)*
  • Roland MODELA MDX-15 CNC milling machine* (18+)
  • Software: OpenSCAD, SketchUp, Tinkercad

Sound Recording

  • Acoustic classical guitar (13+)
  • AKAI Professional MPD26 MIDI controller (13+)
  • Bluebird SL microphone (13+)
  • M-Audio KeyStudio Keyboard (13+)
  • Roland V-Drums digital drum kit (13+)
  • Software: Audacity, GarageBand, & Logic Pro X

Textiles

  • Brother PE-150 digital embroidery machine* (13+)
  • Crochet hooks, knitting needles, and yarn
  • Fabric
  • Hand sewing needles and tools
  • Sewing machines (various makes and models) (13+)
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Visual arts

  • HP Designjet T520 large-format printer
  • 25-inch cold laminator
  • USCutter MH2 vinyl cutter*
  • Wacom Intuos Pen & Touch drawing tablets
  • Software: Adobe Creative Suite, Anime Studio Pro, Blender, GIMP, Inkscape

Materials Pricing

The Creativity Lab and all its tools are available to use for free. However, we also stock consumable materials for use with our tools, such as plywood, vinyl, and plastic filament. We charge for projects that use a significant amount of our consumable materials, to cover the cost of repurchasing those materials. These charges can be paid by cash or check; we cannot accept credit cards. You can avoid most of these charges by bringing your own materials to use with our tools (for more information, see the “Bring your own” section for the relevant material).
3D Printing

Charges are based on the amount of filament that the 3D printing software estimates your job will use, and on the type of filament used.

PLA (standard hard plastic)

Filament used Price
0 g – 49 g Free
50 g – 99 g $1.50
100 g – 149 g $3.00
150 g – 199 g $4.50
200 g – 249 g $6.00
250 g – 299 g $7.50
300 g – 349 g $9.00
350 g – 399 g $10.50
400 g – 449 g $12.00
450 g – 499 g $13.50
500 g or more See staff

 

All other filaments (e.g. flexible filament/TPU, wood filament)

Filament used Price
0 g – 19 g free
20 g – 39 g $1.50
40 g – 59 g $3.00
60 g – 79 g $4.50
80 g – 99 g $6.00
100 g – 119 g $7.50
120 g – 139 g $9.00
140 g – 159 g $10.50
160 g – 179 g $12.00
180 g – 199 g $13.50
200 g or more See staff

Bring your own

We primarily use 1.75mm PLA filament. Our printers do not support 3mm filament. Also, none of our printers currently have a heated bed, so they do not support filament types that require a heated bed, such as ABS, nylon, or PETG. However, our printers do support other types of filament that do not require a heated bed, such as TPU (flexible filament) and PLA composites (such as wood filament).

Laser Cutting

Charges are based on the number of square inches taken up by your design, as determined by the bounding box of your design in the laser cutting software. If your combined laser cutting charges over the course of a single library program add up to less than $1.00, you do not have to pay those charges.

Supplied materials

Baltic birch plywood (1/8″ thick) – $0.05 per square inch

Bamboo plywood (1/16″ thick) – $0.10 per square inch

Clear acrylic (1/8″ thick) – $0.05 per square inch

Bring your own

Any material that you use in the laser cutter should have a flat surface at most 20 x 12 inches in size. If you plan to cut all the way through the material (as opposed to just engraving its surface), then your material should be no more than 1/4 inch thick (though 1/8 inch or less is ideal). If you are just engraving the surface of the material, then your material should still be less than 2 inches thick.

The laser cutter can cut a wide variety of materials, including wood, acrylic (also known as Plexiglas), paper, cardboard, and (genuine) leather. However, there are some materials it cannot cut. Anything that has a mirrored surface or that contains chlorine (such as vinyl/PVC or artificial leather) is unsafe to cut. The machine is incapable of cutting through metal or glass (though it can engrave designs into anodized aluminum). If you plan to bring a material that we do not stock ourselves, always check with staff first to make sure the laser cutter can cut it safely.

Paper Printing

Charges are based on the size and type of paper you are printing on. We have a large-format printer that can print on rolls of paper up to 24 inches wide and cut them to a custom length. We have a cold laminator that can print up to 25 inches wide. If you print at a size not listed here, see staff for pricing.

Plain paper

  • Small (Letter, 8.5″ x 11″)
    • Black and white: $0.15
    • Color: $0.30
  • Medium (Tabloid, 11″ x 17″)
    • Black and white: $0.25
    • Color: $0.50
  • Large (ARCH C, 18″ x 24″)
    • Black and white: $0.75
    • Color: $1.50
  • Extra Large (ARCH D, 24″ x 36″)
    • Black and white: $1.50
    • Color: $3.00

Photo paper

  • Small (Letter, 8.5″ x 11″)
    • Black and white: $0.30
    • Color: $0.60
  • Medium (Tabloid, 11″ x 17″)
    • Black and white: $0.50
    • Color: $1.00
  • Large (ARCH C, 18″ x 24″)
    • Black and white: $1.50
    • Color: $3.00
  • Extra Large (ARCH D, 24″ x 36″)
    • Black and white: $2.50
    • Color: $5.00

Sticker paper, business card paper, and other specialty paper

  • Small (Letter, 8.5″ x 11″)
    • Black and white: $0.30
    • Color: $0.60

Lamination film

  • $1.00 per linear foot (film only covers one side- so you’ll use double the size of your project)

Bring your own

Charges still apply if you bring your own paper, as the majority of the cost incurred is from the ink. If you wish to donate ink, our printer accepts HP 711 cartridges. Our printer is a large-format printer that can print onto any sheet or roll of paper up to 24 inches wide. It is an inkjet printer (like a typical home printer), so make sure the paper you use is inkjet-compatible. 

Vinyl Cutting

Charges are based on the number of square feet of vinyl used (measured down to the square inch). If your combined vinyl cutting charges over the course of a single library program add up to less than $0.50, you do not have to pay those charges.

Supplied materials

  • Adhesive vinyl – $0.75 per square foot
  • Heat transfer vinyl – $2.00 per square foot

Bring your own

Our vinyl cutter supports standard sheets or rolls of vinyl up to 48 inches wide.

CONTACT
Email: creativitylab@noblenet.org | Phone: 978-531-0100 x22