Tech Spark Facility Includes Safety Systems Made by Makers

Inside the Tech Spark makerspace Carnegie Mellon University students chatter over the sound of buzzing machines and heavy materials clanking. The prototype facility in Hamerschlag Hall houses laser cutting machines, 3D printers, soldering stations, power tools, welding equipment, metal mills and countless other technical machinery used by the CMU community to design and transform ideas into reality. The College of Engineering offers a multitude of training courses for a wide range of machines and technical skills. Some are full-length courses (such as 24-212 Make it More) and half-semester minis (e.g. Modern Making, 24-00 Manual Machining), while others are micro courses (e.g. Last, 24-205 Welding), which last just two weeks. Some graduate students received training on machines during their undergraduate studies but might take a micro or mini for a refresher.