Equipment And Tools

Equipment Training and Usage

Although the space is open to all students and staff, usage of equipment and tools without supervision requires training. Our basic training is located on our home page. If you would like to be trained on a specific piece of equipment, stop by during open hours or email cci-makerspace-help@charlotte.edu to set up a time.

Here's What We Got:

KEY:

*Covered in T1 trainings

**Requires additional training

***Must demonstrate proficiency in equipment and safety protocols

3D Printers

Dremel 3D45

The Dremel 3D45 is a "professional" grade FDM 3D printer with several quality-of-life features such as a filament run-out sensor, automatic bed leveling, and a full enclosure.

IMADE3D JellyBox

The JellyBox is an FDM 3D Printer designed to show its inner-workings of this style of 3D printers, it does not provide the top end of features or quality but is a fantastic demonstration printer.

Form Labs Form 2

The Form Labs Form 2 is a SLS 3D printer. SLS printers use resin and a laser to create layers that allows it to print in a much higher detail that a FDM printer but it does take much longer to print and requires post processing.

Laser Cutters

The Epilog Laser Cutters are a subtractive manufacturing tools. They can be used to cut out shapes from Wood Acrylic and cardboard. It can also be used to en grave text and images into the above listed materials. The laser cutters also have an optional rotary attachment that can be used to engrave powder coated cups and glass cups.

Epilog Helix 75 Watt

Epilog Mini 50 Watt

CNC Machines

Inventables Carvey

The Carvey desktop CNC is a small desktop CNC router with an enclosed cutting chamber. It makes 2.5D cuts and can engrave flat areas that are at various depths, with cutting depth varying based on bit sizes.

Other Mill PCB CNC

The OtherMill is a Desktop CNC PCB Mill. It can be used with aluminum but it is primarily used to make custom PCBs.

Shop Bot CNC

The Shop Bot is a CNC Mill that uses a router to cut out objects from wood.

Miscellaneous

Wire Foam Cutter

This is a tool for quickly and accurately cutting low density foam. It used a thin wire that is heated up to do this. This also means that it  can be relatively dangerous. Hot Wire foam cutters are often used for making miniature models and much more!

Vacuum Former

The vacuum former uses a vacuum to shape a sheet of heated plastic. It has a heating element at the top that uniformly heats up a sheet of plastic which is then pulled down onto a form and a vacuum surface. It is useful for making light copies of objects and making lots of copies from one form.

Cameos/Curio

Silhouette Cameo

The Silhouette Cameo is a cutting machine designed specifically for fabric and vinyl materials. It is equipped with an advanced cutting blade that is capable of handling various types of media, including paper, cardstock, fabric, adhesive vinyl materials, and more. We have two versions of the Cameo: Cameo 2 and Cameo 3. From cutting out fabric patterns to creating custom stickers, they both can be used to create DIY projects with incredible precision. 

Silhouette Curio

The Silhouette Curio is a crafting machine that can be used for cutting, embossing, debossing, stippling, and etching. The Silhouette Curio allows you to work with a wide range of materials, including paper, cardstock, vellum, fabric, metal, and more. It can cut intricate designs, create embossed patterns and textures, and even etch designs onto surfaces.


Sewing Machine

Brother Embroidery PE800

The Brother Embroidery PE-800 machine is an easy machine to learn for beginners but leaves room for all users to expand their knowledge upon use. With 138 built-in designs and 11 fonts, the PE-800 is a great machine to utilize the large LCD touch screen for editing and loading designs with built-in tutorials. Functional features on the PE-*)) include an automatic bobbin winder, needle threader, and thread cutter.

Embroidery & Sewing SE - 400

The Brother SE-400 is a great sewing machine for beginners and experienced sewers with many features included in this basic machine. The sewing capabilities include 67 built-in stitches, 98 fabric functions, smooth fabric feeding, and a computerized LCD touchscreen to edit your stitch including width, height, and more. The bobbin winding system is automatic, fast, and easy, accompanied by an automatic needle threader and thread cutter. Embroidery is simple and easy, with a 4”x4” area to create personalized designs. The SE-400 comes with 70 built-in designs, and there are hundreds that can be loaded onto the machine via USB for ease of use. The LCD screen is used to edit designs, including the size of your project, location, etc. You can use iBroidery to make your design!

 New Home Janome 525B (Blue)

The Janome 525B is a simple crafting machine that works well for short and small crafts. This machine is not intended for use for large quilting projects, or heavy duty fabrics. However, this lightweight machine comes with 10 different stitch options, labeled A-I, good bobbin casing, and a nice presser foot to hold your project in place. 

Brother Designio Serger DZ1234

Our Brother Designio DZ1234 serger is a multifunctional tool used for many projects, including shortening clothing, fixing a frayed seam, inserting elastic into sewing, and more. Finishing garments is a breeze, as the main goal is to cut and finish edges simultaneously at a maximum speed of 1300 stitches per minute. Some other key features of the DZ1234 include a variety of stitches, different presser feet to feed the fabric through to maintain stitch quality, color-coded threading, a bright work area, and more!

Stitches Possible with the DZ1234

Presser Feet: