The metal shop hit its stride this month: the sandblaster's installed and running, the plasma table cut its first member showpiece, and sign-offs are happening most weekends. Meanwhile a new UV Printer Zone is taking shape (coming soon), the Big Boss laser got a new lens, and the 3D-printing bench brought two machines back from the dead.
New to the Fab Lab? Come see it in person. Our open house runs every Wednesday, 6:00–7:00 PM — free, open to the public, no membership required. Walk in, tour the zones, meet the makers, and see what's being built. Once a month we host a guest speaker (see who's coming up below), so there's always a reason to stop by.
Want to give back? Volunteers now gather for a volunteer meeting at 5:30 PM every Wednesday, right before the open house — a standing chance to pick up tasks, coordinate the week, and log volunteer hours. New volunteers are always welcome.
The plasma table's first showpiece
Preston ran a full plasma-cut project on July 13, and the reaction said it all — members called it "gorgeous" and couldn't get over the detail you can pull off with plasma. The CNC plasma table is dialed in and turning out real, finished work.
Getting checked out: The plasma cutter's safety-and-basic-use class runs every week, and members are working their way through it. Want to run the table yourself? Reach out to Sterling to schedule your safety-and-use course for the CNC plasma cutter.
Sandblaster + dust collection online
Bill and Sterling got the industrial sandblaster seated and running July 8, and the dust collector works great. One quirk: no on/off switch — unplug it when you're done.
Organizing push
Steve and other volunteers are sorting and storing the shop, working from a running task list. Guiding principle: most gear is on wheels, so the win is a clear floor to roll equipment out, not fixed stations.
New to the shop's wire-feed (MIG) welder? Jerry's advice: watch the setup video before your hands-on class. Here's why it's worth it — it was filmed on the exact same welder we own, so the loading, the gas hookup, and the settings you watch are the ones you'll actually do at our machine. Come having watched it and you already understand most of the ins and outs, so class is just the hands-on part: "How to set up a MIG welder".
A sealed UV zone in the works COMING SOON
Preston is standing up a dedicated, sealed UV Printer Zone — and it's getting close. He's enclosed the bench, moved the 3D printer up a shelf to make room, and stocked the station from Home Depot; a Saturday crew has been pitching in to finish it out. The new UV printer is being moved into place now, and fume handling is still being sorted (commercial enclosure vs. a 3D-printed vacuum adapter). Not bookable just yet — we'll let you know the moment it's ready to run.
The new UV printer Coming Soon
Here's what it'll open up once it's online: a compact A3 UV flatbed that prints full color directly onto wood, metal, acrylic, glass, ceramic, leather and canvas — no transfers. Its texture mode builds up raised, tactile 3D textures up to 5 mm you can feel, with auto-leveling, a snapshot camera for placement, and a self-cleaning head. Think custom signage, awards, coasters, and product prototypes — even printing straight onto 3D-printed textures and fabric. Watch for the "now open" announcement.
The zone isn't open yet — but start a shortlist now. Once the new UV printer is running it'll print raised, tactile 3D texture up to 5 mm you can feel and lay down full color directly onto wood, metal, glass, and acrylic — no transfers, no vinyl. Bring your first project ready to go the day it opens.
The "Bumblebee" has landed DONATED
A large yellow-and-black CO₂ laser cutter — donated by a local business — is being brought online. It's more powerful than our Big Boss with a much larger bed (~51"×35"), opening the door to near-full-sheet cutting. It's being dialed in now: laser SBUs and a chiller sort-out before it goes fully live. The biggest capability jump the laser zone has ever gotten.
Meanwhile, the Big Boss is back to full cut. Preston replaced the lens on the Big Boss (Jul 18) — "cuts great" again — and Ciaran earned a laser SBU the same weekend.
Chiller lesson: a cooler alarm turned out to be low coolant — top off with distilled water only, and let the chiller reach ~26° before firing.
The chiller takes distilled water only — let it reach ~26° before you fire. Cutting leather? Try 10 speed / 65 power, or multiple passes at 25 speed / 45 power.
A 67" sapele eku (karate weapon), 3D-profile carved on the CNC: 0.25" end-mill roughing, 0.5" ball-nose surfacing, .stl from SolidWorks, laser-engraved name. A stunner.
The eku toolpath: 0.25" end-mill roughing, then 0.5" ball-nose surfacing from a SolidWorks .stl.
Chris C. brought the AnyCubic back to life and printed a clean stand for a passive e-ink display. "It's alive!"
Designed, prototyped, and documented a slotted A-frame sidewalk sign: 2'×3' insert, chalkboard-paint face, ~$30 in materials — full build plan PDF shared for the shop.
A-frame recipe: a 2×3 insert, a chalkboard-paint face, and about $30 in materials.
3D bench revival
The AnyCubic ACE Pro is back to reliable printing; Miloh and members tore down and cleaned the Kobra 3 extruder and filament sensor — fixes turned into shared learning.
GateKeeper access New
Scotty put new keypads on the gate + door, plus a phone WebApp to buzz yourself in. Old code stopped working? Reach out and we'll re-add you.
New tools on the floor
A 24" wide-format Epson roll printer, the vinyl cutter back up, and a CR-Scan Ferret Pro 3D scanner in the tool library (Nate's scan→Unreal "MetaHuman" workshop is in the works).
Also this stretch: two donated Dell OptiPlex PCs replaced aging machines in the laser zone · a Jul 26 internet outage (a failed Wi-Fi router) is being re-crimped back to health · fresh open-house posters/signage printed · the CNC VFD speed controller sorted · Titebond glue stocked in the woodshop · and the big lobby TV died (RIP).
Every month, members earn their SBU (safety-and-basic-use sign-off) and unlock a tool to run on their own. Here's July's class — give them a high-five next time you're in.
- Laser · Jul 3Chris (laser) — checked out on the laser cutter and put it straight to work etching a titanium-oxide tile.
- CNC ShopBot · Jul 7Steve — signed off on the ShopBot CNC router.
- 3D Printer & ShopBot · Jul 8 + 12Richard — a two-zone month: 3D printing and the CNC ShopBot.
- CNC ShopBot · Jul 12Coy — earned his ShopBot CNC sign-off.
- Laser · Jul 18Ciaran — checked out on the laser cutter.
- Laser · Jul 19Bill — rounded out the month with a laser sign-off.
Want to be on next month's list? Every zone runs an SBU — ask a zone leader or catch one at the Wednesday open house, and the tools are yours. That could be you.
Twelve zones under one roof. Most are humming — and a few are wide open for someone to step up and make them their own.
Miloh
Preston
Erin
Jerry
SterlingPrestonMilohWant to lead a zone? Running a zone is one of the best ways to shape the Lab — set it up your way, teach what you love, and make it yours. The Waterjet, Mill, and Lathe need managers, and Electronics & Vinyl could use a hand. Apply to lead a zone →
Tech Toss
Donated the PC that got our ShopBot CNC router back online (with a huge assist from Miloh getting it here). A dead workstation had the CNC down — now it's fully running again.
Main Street Pizza
For helping keep our crew fed. Local support like this keeps the doors open and the lights on. Want to support the Fab Lab? Donated gear, materials, or a slice for a work party all go a long way — reach out.
Once a month, our Wednesday open house features a guest presenter — free and open to the public. Got a story, a skill, or a project worth sharing? We're booking presenters for upcoming Wednesday open houses — pitch a talk →. See the full schedule at chicofablab.org/events.
Jeff Fennel: How D&D Saved My Life
Award-winning game designer (EA, Sega, Sony)
Worldbuilding, art, and creative careers — plus a live look at his game Strike Racers. Presentation at 6 PM, Wednesday open house.
- Sat Sep 5 · 4–7 PM"Across the Transverse" — art show + queer party using the CFL gallery & outdoor stage.
- Thu Nov 20 · 5:30–8:30 PMCFL Gallery Show (Chico Arts Commission Grant) — tentative.
- Every Wed · 5:30 PMMeetup + volunteer meeting — attendance counts toward volunteer hours.
Get Involved
Welcome A big welcome to Brandon, our new Volunteer Coordinator! Brandon is the friendly face keeping our volunteer effort humming — gathering tasks from zone managers, sorting out priorities, and checking in each week so everyone has something meaningful to dig into. If you volunteer (or want to), reach out to Brandon on Discord and say hi.
Stop by a Wednesday open house, share a project in #show-and-tell, and check the Task Board for ways to pitch in. Not a member yet? Come to an open house — tours, demos, and friendly makers happy to show you around.
New Once a month our open house features a guest presenter — a new maker, tool, or topic in the spotlight.