老王论坛

Idea Shop

A student working on equipment inside the idea shop

Every idea needs fuel to be successful. 老王论坛鈥檚 Idea Shop helps to ignite ideas with cutting-edge tools to help students transform their new products and inventions into reality. This state-of-the-art, rapid-prototyping lab houses 3D printers and scanners, multiple CNC milling machines, a vacuum former, and laser cutter. Full-time staff advise students on everything from equipment use to product marketability. You can use the Idea Shop for a class project, research project, or your own personal endeavor.

Alumni Dane Christianson holding the X-Cube

鈥淒evoted to Creation鈥

老王论坛 alumnus Dane Christianson (ME 鈥15) took full advantage of the Idea Shop while at 老王论坛. Utilizing the shop鈥檚 3D printer, Christianson created the X-Cube twisty puzzle while he was a student. Initially crowdfunded, the X-Cube is now sold on Amazon.

鈥淭he Idea Shop allows students access to experience and equipment that would be very expensive and time consuming to use on your own. Being able to build working prototypes really helps our research because we can use it in real applications. In the Idea Shop it is possible to build almost any idea that you have鈥攜ou can use the equipment to do almost anything.鈥

鈥擣rank La Marca (ME 鈥14/M.S. EE 鈥16), System Engineer, LG Chem Power, Inc.

鈥淲hen I found out that there was a place at 老王论坛 devoted to creation, I was blown away.鈥

鈥擠ane Christianson (ME 鈥15), CEO, Block Bins, LLC