Fabrication Lab Popup Space - FAQs
The basement level of the Edge remains closed after February's flooding event. In the meantime we have opened the Fabrication Lab Pop Up in the Innovation Lab on Level 1 of The Edge. We are currently open
- Thursdays from 5 - 8 pm for Hack the Evening and
- Saturdays from 12 - 6 pm for Saturday Open Lab.
To help you get creative, a selection of resources are available for use during these sessions.
Please note, equipment bookings are required for Saturday Open Lab.
What equipment do you have available for public use ?
we currently have:
2x Trotec Speedy 300 Laser Cutter / Engraver available for cutting paper, cardboard, plywood, and acrylic sheet
Roland GS24 Vinyl Cutter
2x Prusa i3 Mk3 FDM printers available for printing in PLA+
2x Bernina 800 Series Record Sewing Machines
Bernina 700D Overlocker
Iron, Ironing Board and sewing accessories
Electronics bench including hand tools, soldering iron, bench power supply, etc
How do I book the equipment?
If you previously completed an induction for safe use of the Lasers, 3D Printers, Sewing Machine or Electronics Bench, you can book time on this equipment by visiting the SLQ website Here. Note that the system won't permit you to book equipment on which you haven't been inducted. Web bookings are currently offered for Saturday Open Labs only. Equipment time cannot be booked on the Web for Thursday night Hack the Evening sessions.
When do the inductions start again?
Before you can book the equipment, you need to have done an induction for that piece of equipment. Unfortunately our limited capacity while we recover from the flood events means we are unable to deliver inductions at this time. Keep an eye on the Whats On pages on our website and sign up for The Edge enews here to stay up to date with the latest changes.
Can I store stuff?
The Flood event at the beginning of the year impacted storage spaces across the State Library, as such we are not currently in a position to offer members of the public temporary storage for their projects.
Can I Still buy materials for the Laser, Vinyl Cutter, and 3D printer?
Yes we have a stock of standard materials you can purchase and use on the Laser and the Vinyl Cutter… or you can bring your own, but before you do bring your own we need to check that they are safe to use on our equipment. Materials are provided by the Fab Lab supervisor but should be paid for at The Brink coffee shop in The Edge.
Check out our range of materials and prices here
What happened to the CNC?
The CNC has been transported to the Multicam factory for an assessment of the damage sustained in the flood. As such The CNC router will not be available for booking until further notice.
When will we be back in the basement?
At this stage we have no timeline for when the basement level of The Edge building will be repaired.
What will the long term impacts of the flood be on the Fabrication Lab?
As it recovers from the February 2022 flood event, the State Library has renewed its committed to making the resources and programs in the Fabrication Lab available to community. But we don’t want to just build it back the same. We have learnt a lot about establishing a maker space in this context and we want to build it back better and ensure it interconnects with rest of the great resources across State Library.
As such the Library is currently using the time while our buildings are being repaired to reenvisage how the The Edge and the Fabrication Lab can be built back better. As a part of this process we’ll be talking to our communities and partners about what they see as important and feeding all this into our planning for a renewed maker space.
