FAQs

Close-up of CNC mill drill bit at UNH ECenter

QUESTIONS? WE'VE GOT ANSWERS.

Makerspace FAQs

First, attend either our open hours while the space is staffed, or attend one of our open house events. You must swipe in upon entering the Makerspace. By swiping in, you agree to the Makerspace User Agreement and you gain access to the Makerspace and are considered a user of the space. Once you swipe in, you are able to receive machine-specific training from a mentor or other qualified staff member. When training is complete you may use the equipment while a staff member is present in the space.

Open hours will be posted on the Makerspace website and are subject to change based on the availability of volunteer mentors. If you need access to the space outside open hours, please contact a member of the staff via email at info.makerspace@unh.edu

To contact a staff member, please email info.makerspace@unh.edu with your name and question. We also encourage providing feedback.
 

Interested in becoming a Makerspace mentor? Join our Slack Channel.

We always encourage self-exploration, but we will also offer instructional sessions/workshops for common software. These events will be listed in the"Upcoming Events" schedule. You can also come to open hours and work with a mentor to learn more about creating files. 

We are pleased to offer access to the space, equipment, and materials at no cost to our users (users are limited to UNH students, faculty, and staff). Under most circumstances, the makerspace will have the required materials for use by the equipment. For large projects which require the use of a substantial amount of material, we ask that you provide the material yourself. Please note, while prototyping is encouraged, production manufacturing is not allowed.

3D printing is the making of a three-dimensional physical object from a digital model.

You can scan a set of 3D images, create a digital model using CAD software, or download an .stl file from the Internet. The printers will use this model to print an object layer by layer. The plastic is melted in the nozzle and then motors move the nozzle around to create each layer of the object

The amount of time it takes to print something depends on a variety of factors - such as the density, volume, and complexity of the object. Small objects (i.e. 3” x 3” x 3”) usually take half an hour or so to print.

On the other hand, laser cutting tends to be much quicker, where a moderately complex cut/engraving takes about 10 minutes, depending on the material.

 

Still have questions? Email info.makerspace@unh.edu and we'll be happy to assist.