Who can use the lab
The Community Fab Lab serves Porter students and employees during instructional hours and offers scheduled access for alumni, educators, local businesses, youth programs, and individual community makers. Public access begins with an orientation and may be limited during peak academic weeks.
Tools and project fit
Resources include 3D printers, laser and vinyl cutters, electronics benches, digital embroidery, scanners, hand tools, and design workstations. Staff help choose a process and prepare a file, but the lab is not a contract production shop. It is best for learning, proof-of-concept work, fixtures, models, and short prototype runs.
Training, reservations, and fees
Orientation covers workspace rules and basic digital fabrication. Some equipment needs an additional checkout. Members reserve high-demand tools, pay published material or machine-time charges, and supply approved specialty materials. Staff review unfamiliar materials before they enter equipment.
From prototype to business support
A successful prototype may lead to design consultation, testing, a student project, manufacturing-extension help, or an incubator referral. Staff explain confidentiality options, but do not evaluate patents or promise that a prototype is safe, compliant, or ready for production.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every office, service, phone number, policy, and statistic on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real institution or a service you can actually contact.