Add Welding To Your Maker Skills

Welding Workshop- March 30th

This class covers principles involved in equipment, material, and procedures, combined with demonstrations and supervised practical experience, using standard industrial equipment. Students will be exposed to Arc, Gas, MIG and TIG welding. Students in this 4-hour workshop will be introduced to the theory of welding and how to safely work with the tools and equipment. Students will also receive hands-on instruction and have the opportunity to create some basic welds.

Prairie State College is an accredited American Welding Society Educational Institution Member.

Only 8 slots available

REGISTER HERE

COST: $75

DATE: Saturday, March 30, 2019

TIME: 8:30am to 12:30pm

LOCATION: Prairie State College

Welding Lab, Room T165 (Technology Building) see map

202 South Halsted Street

Chicago Heights, IL 60411

February 18, 2019February 18, 2019

Model Railroading and Miniature Builders

If you’re into model railroading, you’ve probably purchased kits to build extremely authentic replicas of buildings, scenery, vehicles, and other objects that make your layout come to life.

Why not easily create your own one-of-a-kind pieces? Al quickly designed and laser cut the sample outhouse above. He added the amazing details of the weathered paint and vent stack, and it makes it realistic enough to use!

You can also start with a kit/design you have, and we can show you how to modify it to make it uniquely yours.

You can also use the CNC router in the lab to “carve” your own logs, create non-linear/non-flat details on your creation, and create other details. 3D designs are out there (free and paid) to 3D print layout pieces. Those design files can also be used to CNC your item out of wood, plastic, Corian, soft metals, foam, cork, etc.

February 9, 2019February 9, 2019

Learn To Solder Workshop

Learn the art of soldering electronics. When you build electronics, you solder the wires and components together or to the board so that the electrical connections are made. Learn a steady hand to make those solders while you build a sound sensor machine.

No experience necessary

DATE: Saturday, March 30

TIME: 10am to 1pm

COST: $25

Register Here

January 30, 2019January 30, 2019

Special Electronics Workshop – February 9th

Only 4 spots are left.

Our most popular workshop is back! Attend while Robin is still available!

Learn the basics for micro-controller coding and project design in our workshop hosted by Robin Mosely, Great Lakes IT, Inc., CEO and a former Bell Labs board designer. Robin has lots of examples- from robots to music synthesizers to motion detectors and machine controllers- to get you interested in your next project.

The workshop provides basics for creating and programming your own projects using Arduino. And Robin can answer ANY question you have about electronics!

Lunch is included.

WHEN: February 9, 2019 from 10am to 2pm

WHERE: SouthWorks MakerLab, 208 Forest Blvd., Park Forest, IL 60466

Cost: $40 at the door. We accept credit cards.

Since we only have 4 open spots, you must RSVP to don@southworksmakerlab.org in order to attend.

February 15, 2018

Laser Cut Cards

Lately, we’ve had a lot of interest in laser cut cards- from birthday cards and wedding invitations to pop-ups of scenes and even people.

Working with paper, primarily card stock and heavier coated papers, is a lot of fun. Such papers come in a multitude of colors, but also textures and patterns. Faux leather, wood, and metal coatings provide many ways to express yourself with paper.

Because of the thickness of the paper, you can also etch designs and text onto the pages. See the white designs and text on the examples above.

Or, you can print something on the paper first and then create cutouts later using the laser cutter as we did with the Chicago skyline cutout.

Etsy and pinterest are full of examples of laser cut cards, especially wedding invitations. You’ll see how expensive they can be to purchase, but with a little time and effort at the makerlab you can make your own unique versions for a fraction of the cost. We’d be happy to help you get started.

Because the papers vary so much, laser cutting the paper is a bit trial and error, so bring a few pieces to experiment with.

October 25, 2017

3D Geography

Pictures and maps really don’t give you a full idea of the scope of geographic and architectural features. Such 2D tools can’t show height or depth well.

Now you can 3D print any place on earth to get a greater sense of the terrain. Plus, many important buildings and other man-made structures are now available to be downloaded and 3D printed.

I’ve never been to the Grand Tetons, so I used a free STL mapper to print it out:

3D print of the Grand Tetons from actual USGS data

i could have done my neighborhood or even Antarctica if I wanted.

I found Fallingwater- one of Frank Lloyd Wright’s masterpieces- on a website and printed that out, too. The great thing about it is that it includes the terrain around the house. You can see how FLW located the house on the lot and how it fits into its surroundings. I had known that a stream ran through the building, but only with the 3D model was I able to actually figure out how.

Fallingwater1

Fallingwater2

Come in and we’ll be happy to show you how you can use this software and locate models to use in your class or as conversation pieces.

October 2, 2017October 2, 2017

Homemade Fossil

A recent trip to the beach on a blazing hot, end-of-September weekend turned up several relatively flat, smooth sandstone rocks. The only thing missing was a fossil, so Phil fired up the laser and with a few tweaks to the settings produced our own fossil. He has etched into granite and marble before, but this turned out even better. The bluish tint of the etching really adds to the effect.

Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting June 9

May 9, 2017October 2, 2017

Want to Learn to Woodturn?

We don’t have a lathe yet, but we’ve found a great resource for those of you who are interested in learning about and using lathes.

We were visited by a member of the Illiana Woodturners, a non-profit group in South Holland who provide workshops and equipment (5 lathes of various sizes) for individuals to do amazing woodturning projects from bowls to baseball bats.

Workshops provide the opportunity to create a bowl you can take home.

Monthly meetings are the 2nd Monday of the month, 7:00pm to 9:00pm

South Suburban Chiselers-Illiana Woodturners

16236 Vincennes Ave South Holland, Illinois 60473

Facebook Page: South Suburban Chiselers/Illiana Woodturners

Contact:

Tom Waicekauskas 708-597-9049 IllianaWoodturners@gmail.com

April 28, 2017April 28, 2017

Successful Crowdfunding Workshop, May 13

Need funding for your startup?
Looking for a way to test the market and your pricing?

Yuri Gallegos contracted Dengue Fever from a mosquito on a trip to Brazil. That painful experience was motivation enough to create Elimifly, a better way to control mosquitoes to spare others from the many awful illnesses they spread.

Meet Yuri and learn how he succeeded with crowdfunding and how you can use it to raise startup funds, validate your idea, and launch your business.

Yuri will share the lessons he’s learned building a business, Quasar Designs. In this presentation and Q&A, Yuri will also share his entrepreneurial journey with us- from developing ideas to building prototypes to finding funding, suppliers and customers.

DATE: Saturday, May 13, 2017

TIME: 10:00am to Noon; Networking afterward

LOCATION: SouthWorks MakerLab Park Forest

208 Forest Blvd.

Park Forest, IL 60466
Free Registration at https://southworks-successful-crowdfunding.eventbrite.com

Download Flyer

Sponsors

South Metropolitan Higher Education Consortium