Campus · September 9, 2026
Forge Makerspace Goes to Extended Hours and Adds a Textiles Bay
The open-access fabrication shop now stays open until 2 a.m. on weeknights and has added industrial sewing and a heat press.
The Forge, the university’s open-access makerspace, has extended its hours to 2 a.m. on weeknights and added a textiles bay with industrial and domestic sewing machines, a serger, a heat press, and a vinyl cutter. The space is open to any student after a short safety orientation, with a hands-on certification required for the laser cutters, CNC router, and power tools.
Staff say demand outgrew the daytime schedule, especially near project deadlines, and that requests for soft-goods equipment had been rising from apparel design, theatre, and engineering students building prototypes that involve fabric.
“A gear enclosure and a costume and a drone payload cover all use the same skills. It made no sense to send the fabric people somewhere else.”
— makerspace manager
Consumables are sold at cost; there is no charge for using the space or the machines. Trained student mentors staff the floor during open hours.
Contact: Office of University Communications, news@uwporterfalls.edu
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