The Learning Commons Makerspace gives you the space and tools to engage with your coursework, your career aspirations, and your personal goals in new, exciting, and meaningful ways. It’s a place for creating, learning, brainstorming, innovating, and playing! Collaborate with your classmates on projects and assignments, or create materials for presentations or personal enrichment, while simultaneously enhancing and refining your problem-solving and critical thinking skills to promote innovation!
Besides being a space to think and learn, the Makerspace is a perfect place to play – really! Research shows there is a connection between busy hands and brain chemistry. When we use our hands in ways that don’t require much cognitive effort, we give our brains an opportunity to process and consolidate information behind the scenes.
So, if you’re in the Learning Commons studying for an exam, reading a chapter in your textbook, or trying to learn a new concept, take a break and visit the Makerspace to explore the Multisensory Collection. Create with Legos, dig into kinetic sand, pull and squeeze some thinking putty, or twirl a magnetic fidget spinner. Learning has never felt so fun!
Yes, we have 3D printers! Our Flashforge Creator Pro prints PLA filament and print two colors at a time!
Learn more about how current TCTC students, faculty, and staff can use the 3D printers.
These two buttonmakers are great for making giveaways and promotional swag for your event or organization. Print out your designs, cut them out, and use our kits with everything you need to make pinback decorations for your backpack or lanyard, or wearable statements! We have two machines: the bigger one makes pins that are 75mm wide, and the smaller one makes pins that are 37mm wide.
The Insta360 X3 360° Camera is capable of capturing high definition 360° and single-lens video with one portable action camera.
360° cameras are one of the easiest ways to create immersive experiences! Test out a 360° camera for your next class project.
The ultra light-weight scanner is paired with the Creality Scan App (available on the Makerspace Computer). It scans 3D objects by stitching together a full set of snapshots to create a 3D model that can be converted to a 3D print file. Use the 3D scanner to aid in the design process, reverse engineer a project, or replicate a cherished object, or create personalized medical treatment solutions. The possibilities are infinite.
A Cricut cutter cuts complex shapes and designs out of paper and vinyl. It does this mechanically and so can cut the same design over and over, and do it quickly, so you can make batches of identical, complicated cutouts in a shorter span of time, instead of having to cut a design out by hand over and over, which would be a lot slower, be more likely to results in mistakes...and hurt your hand! Cricut maintains a blog with inspiration for projects to try; our machine cuts paper and vinyl, so you can make complex paper cutout designs, customize your water bottle, make one-of-a-kind T-shirts, hats, and tote bags, print and design paper decorations and handouts...whatever you can imagine!
The Padcaster Studio is designed for when you need a portable and rugged kit for recording and broadcasting.
Print a poster or banner up to 24 inches wide for your presentation, campus event, or classroom! This full-color printer prints images and text on paper up to 59 feet long and can have your designs sent to it via the dedicated workstation in the Makerspace.
Instructions below:
The Heat Press in the Makerspace is great for creative projects and student clubs and organizations. This easy heat press machine can be used for heat transfer vinyl and sublimation projects. Make a customizable t-shirt, tote, or design with the Cricut, Heat Press, and Heat Transfer Vinyl available for free in the Makerspace.
This laminator works without heating the plastic to dangerous temperatures, and creates a film up to 25 inches wide--that's right, you can laminate the posters you make on the poster printer!
This device will enable you to add hand-drawn images, animations, and graphics to design software. Head over to the Makerspace Computer at Pendleton to test out this device.
Cognitive science shows you retain more by switching up what tasks your brain is engaged in...so come in to the Makerspace and try your hand at puzzles, coloring pages, origami, brain teasers, old-school board games, and tactile toys!
Don't forget to ask for what else might be in the BookBot at Pendleton; we have books of logic puzzles and coloring books for adults, including mandala designs and lateral thinking brain-busters.
Solve a puzzle, whether that's a word puzzle, a jigsaw puzzle, or a 3-D tactile experience; be creative with word games, number games, building sets, and visual art; stretch your thinking with card sets and brain puzzles; and rest your mind with coloring, origami, and our tactile collection. Enjoy the space...it's there for you!
We have puzzles from 250-1000 pieces. Request one for check out at the Information Desk.
Keep Gwen Stefani away from this one!
Okay, so this is a number game, not a word game...it still gets the juices flowing!
We have the Nature, Haiku, Country Songs, and Unicorn Lover kits!
This putty fights you back! It gets tougher the more you stretch and play with it, for when you need to burn off some steam!
It changes colors from shades of yellow to shades of green as you work it in your hands!
Pretty iridescent colors that shift under the light...like a beetle's wings!
Great for stacking, twirling, and fidgeting. They snap together with an oh-so-satisfying click!
Nope, it's not a Rubik's cube...you fold it open and in on itself again and again...try not to hypnotize yourself!
Use our basic set to model your ideas or just to see how high you can build them up...just don't step on them!!
These boards are great for modeling; they glue together and you can take them home when you're done!
Sometimes simple crafts are the best. We have books of origami patterns to follow and plenty of colored paper for you to try it out with! Make a garland of cranes for your room, fold a flower for a friend who's having a bad day, or send your mom a pretty paper pinwheel! We can't guarantee you'll be folding dinos in no time, but we'll give you the opportunity to practice!
Sketch out your project ideas in color on blank paper or use some of our printed coloring pages to fill in a mandala.
These Japanese-style abacuses can be used to learn mental math, which can improve concentration, mathematical ability, and cognitive function, and enable stunning feats of computation...ever heard of a soroban competition?
Single & Dual Extrusion: 8.9 inches(227mm) x 5.8 inches(148mm) x 5.9 inches(150mm)
The Makerspace provides a variety of Polylactic Acid (PLA) filaments. PLA filament is a non-toxic, bio-based industrial thermoplastic that is 100% biodegradable. The 3D Printers can print two colors at time.
In the spirit of making, Tri-County Technical College students, faculty, and staff are welcome and encouraged to learn how to operate the 3D Printing equipment after a safety & training consultation. To get started with 3D printing, schedule a consultation.
Printing is completed on a first-come-first-served basis, however, 3D models being printed for coursework take priority over other printing projects.
Currently, there is no cost to Tri-County Technical College students, staff, or faculty for 3D printing services in the Learning Commons.
3D Printers are very accurate, however, objects with multiple pieces or moveable parts may not be fully operable. Slight imperfections may occur such as small bumps, holes, or rough edges. Additionally, certain 3D prints will require supports and rafts. The user can easily remove supports and rafts. Learning Commons staff will not remove supports and/or rafts, but the Learning Commons does provide filing tools to remove supports and/or rafts.
If a misprint occurs in the initial print, Learning Commons staff will reprint the 3D print request. If an error occurs again, Learning Commons staff will recommend suggestions and/or edits to the print.
For questions, please contact Jaclyn O'Rorke, Creative Technologies Librarian.