Students at UVU have numerous resources for building things. The most popular is the 3D Print Lab in CS 611. Students can submit designs to be printed for a fee. Things commonly printed are architecture, mechanical engineering prototypes, game figurines and parts for cosplay.
The lab has 3 types of printers that have different costs and features. The cheapest option is Flashforge Adventurer 3. These are the smallest and most plentiful printers. They have a build volume of 6.5” in each direction. They cost 50 cents per cubic inch and 30 cents per hour. The special part about these printers is that you can learn how to use a printer yourself. This includes slicing, messing with printer settings and uploading to the printers.
Recently, on July 22, 16 of these printers were donated to UVU by PurpleAir in Draper. The printers that were previously used to make components for PurpleAir’s air quality monitoring devices anyone can buy online.
If you need more build volume or higher strength, the other printers might be for you. The next step up are Prusia i3 printers. These have a build volume of 9.84 x 8.3 x 8.3 inches. And the going rates are 75 cents a cubic inch and 25 cents an hour.
On the very high end, you have Stratasys printers. These are different models of expensive industrial printers with build volumes exceeding 4 feet with some of the printers. Using them is $3.75 cubic inch, $1 an hour. These are the best for precise and accurate prints with soluble support materials.
Conversely, if 3D printing is not your thing, UVU has additional resources for students.
This includes a machine shop, woodshop, and a darkroom for developing film photos.
Additionally, if you are building a business, the UVU Business Resource Center (BRC) has the Smart Cities and Fabrication Lab (SCAFL). This lab is equipped with 3D printers, computer services and equipment for small production runs of printed circuit board assemblies.
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