Archives for September 25, 2017

Sep 25 2017

Cutting the Ribbon at the New FUSE Makerspace

On September 26, sparks went flying as President Katharine Winograd used a circular saw to cut the 12-foot wooden bow to inaugurate the new location of FUSE Makerspace. Over 200 people were in attendance including Lieutenant Governor John Sanchez, Mayor Richard Berry, as well as numerous board and community members.
Encouraging words were spoken throughout the night regarding the addition of the new space into InnovateABQ and the entrepreneurial community. FUSE Makerspace is a location where local entrepreneurs, scientists, and students can come together to share ideas and resources. Mayor Richard Barry said, “you’re going to come down here and you’re going to be able to mix and mingle with people who have a different skill set – a diversity of skills. Albuquerque is a very diverse place and our strength is that diversity.”
During the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, FUSE Makerspace members were also onsite showcasing their products and talking about how the facility has helped them with their small businesses. Drinks and hors d’oeuvres were provided while guests toured the makerspace, talked to members, and looked at available office space. It relocated from a temporary 3,000 square foot location on CNM’s main campus to its new 13,000 square foot permanent location.
FUSE Makerspace is located at 101 Broadway NE, Suite 3100 at InnovateABQ on the northwest corner of Broadway and Central. The hours of operation are Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00am-9:00pm.

Sep 25 2017

Featured Member: Matt, Rt 66 Guitar Works

Makerspace Classes He Teaches: 3D printing, Laser etching, Vinyl Cutting
Matt moved to Albuquerque in August of 2014 in order to return to school, and ended up getting a job at the CNM STEMulus Center as a student employee, which also housed the beginnings of the FUSE Makerspace.
Matt was living in New York and decided it was time to go back to school. He researched many cities and schools to find an affordable place to live while pursuing has education and found Albuquerque and Central New Mexico Community College (CNM). He was involved in FUSE Makerspace since it grew from a few 3D printers at the STEMulus Center, to the workshop at CNM’s Main Campus, and now at its new location at Innovate ABQ.
“As the space grew I began to recognize equipment I had seen in tours of guitar factories. Guitars have always been my passion and since I was a teenager; I was the one doing repairs and modifications on them for other local musicians. Now I had the opportunity to make my own guitars, amps, effects, etc.”
Matt began collaborating with other members of FUSE, particularly those who knew more about CAD, to start Route 66 Guitar Works, and soon found that other people wanted to make their own guitars as well.
“Our first big seller was a series of guitar templates which allowed anyone to make their own guitar with tools the likely had in their garage.”
They’ve also made vintage inspired guitars that are modular and can easily be customized with modern electronics, neck shape and a variety of preferences. They’ve also made vacuum tube amplifiers at a price point less than other builders and are very durable to stand up to the demands of working musicians.
“I am currently working on a series of fuzz pedals, a classic guitar effect that can be heard on thousands of recordings, that use new old stock parts in order to get the most accurate to original sound with the benefits of modern construction.”
Matt co-owns this business with a few other local makers.

Sep 25 2017

Featured Member – Marty, Custom Cult Snowboards

Makerspace Classes He Teaches: ShopBot, Laser Cutter, Vinyl Cutter, 3D modeling, basics of the Woodshop, how to convert your artwork to bring it into CAD Program format. He also teaches project classes such as making a longboard, and in the new space can teach one-on-one snowboard making.
For Marty Bonnacci, FUSE Makerspace is the place where his favorite hobby and his career come together.
Marty has been a member of FUSE since it opened at Central New Mexico Community College in 2016. He owns a company called Custom Cult snowboards, selling custom-made boards to outdoor enthusiasts worldwide, but he was missing a couple important tools that would make his building process more efficient. When Marty found out that the FUSE Makerspace had a ShopBot CNC Router, he realized he’d found the perfect location to run his business.
Marty started making snowboards over 20 years ago. He was looking for a snowboard that fit a larger shoe size and couldn’t find one. He discovered there was a need in the market for a snowboard that is built for larger feet. He’s met quite a few folks along the way who could use a wider board or are looking for a fit to match their riding style.
“There wasn’t anyone doing it in a way that I felt matched the needs of the market. So I went and started making boards myself in ’97. I started developing my custom board process then,” he said.
When Marty started Custom Cult Snowboards in 2015, he outsourced the production of his boards to a factory, but it wasn’t optimal. Marty began to consider what it would take for his company to manage its own production. Doing so would give him all the capabilities that he wanted for customization, but also save costs of outsourcing.
“I went looking for someone with a ShopBot and stumbled across FUSE Makerspace,” he said.
Marty’s production is highly dependent on the ShopBot CNC Router, a computer-controlled cutting machine that is used to cut out large items with precision. He’s been using ShopBots for most of his snowboard making career, and has shared his expertise with other members at FUSE. He now teaches the ShopBot Operation and Safety classes for others who want to learn how to use the machine.
ShopBots, however, are expensive pieces of machinery, and Marty wasn’t sure how to get one for himself. Working at FUSE allows him to access the equipment he needs to create custom boards, but reduce the overhead associated with buying his own ShopBot. This leaves him more capital for the rest of his business needs, like supplies and marketing He was also able to build a custom “board press” and store it at FUSE to accommodate his production process.
In addition to making snowboards, Marty has also spent some time developing software and recently graduated from CNM Ingenuity’s Deep Dive Coding Bootcamp. During his time in the bootcamp, he developed an application that compliments his snowboard production. It allows the user to input in the specs of his or her custom snowboard and see a mockup of the board.
Marty says he likes FUSE Makerspace because of the high caliber of equipment and the camaraderie created with other Makers.
“It’s not necessarily that we’re all into the same thing, but we all like to make. We appreciate the Maker part of what we are showing each other.”
You can find out more about Marty’s projects and custom boards at customcultsnowboards.com/

Sep 25 2017

What is a Makerspace?

A Makerspace is any environment where people can come together to create, collaborate, and build. The Maker Movement has spread all over the world through schools, libraries, and independently-created Makerspaces.
Maker culture grew as a movement in the last 10 or so years and has gained increasing momentum, especially as innovations in manufacturing, engineering, industrial design and hardware technology have taken place.
New technologies in 3D printing, electronics, robotics, and more meet traditional building in woodworking, metalworking, and arts and crafts to create a collaborative and inventive environment.
What is FUSE Makerspace?
FUSE Makerspace, which operates under CNM Ingenuity, Inc., opened in 2016 as a community resource to help stoke the growing startup spirit and foster creative exploration and economic growth. CNM Ingenuity is a non-profit created by Central New Mexico Community College (CNM) to pursue cooperative endeavors in technology and innovation.
FUSE Makerspace is the collaborative effort of CNM, CNM Ingenuity, some generous funders, and a small community of makers to create a comprehensive Makerspace for the city of Albuquerque. The focus of FUSE is on supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses creating small batches of products. These “micromanufacturers”, as we like to call them, may not have the capital to purchase the needed equipment for prototyping and producing small batches.
Thanks to an initial donation from Intel, FUSE Makerspace was able to open its first shop at the CNM Main Campus in April of 2016. Since then, we’ve grown in membership and offered over 400 basic introductory and safety classes in the first year.
Entrepreneurs and small businesses that use FUSE also have access to a wide array of business support, such as access to experts, business accelerators, patent filings, legal resources for entity creation, marketing support, production runs, networking opportunities and more.
Hobbyists and students also take advantage of the FUSE Makerspace to pursue their interests and explore their creativity. Before using equipment, FUSE provides individuals with hands-on, basic operating and safety classes. Weekly, monthly, family and student memberships are available

Hours

Subscribe to our newsletter