Frequently Asked Questions

Policies

  • All members are required to wear appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) based on the specific tools and equipment they are using.

    For example, when welding, users must wear the following:

    • Long pants

    • Closed-toe shoes

    • Welding jacket

    • Gloves

    • Welding helmet

    • Ear protection, if necessary

    Failure to wear the proper attire may result in restricted access to equipment for safety reasons. Always ensure you are dressed appropriately before using any machinery.

  • Reclaimed wood, salvage, dunnage, pallet wood, or any wood that may contain foreign objects such as nails, staples, fasteners, adhesives, or any other foreign materials cannot be used with studio equipment.

    If you're unsure whether a piece of wood is safe to use with our machines, consult a technician before proceeding.

  • Reproduction, duplication, or matters of infringement of existing Copyright, Patents, or Trademarks is not permitted.

    Studio staff may request to see your license or proof of authorization if you are replicating items that require legal permission.

  • Weapons, firearms, weapon accessories, are strictly prohibited in the workshop.

    For safety and in accordance with Research and Technology Park’s policy, no firearms are allowed in the workshop or RTP building.

    Studio staff may ask about items in question and can deny Studio activity if necessary.

  • Members working in the Innovation Studio on self-initiated projects, self-initiated inventions, or personal work, retain all intellectual property associated with the project or invention.

    If you are working on something for your employer or school you will need to check their polices.

    With that being said, you also need to acknowledge that you are operating in a public workspace and your work may be observed by other members, staff or tour groups entering the Studio.

  • Projects involving nudity, explicit sexual content, inappropriate imagery, or symbols of hate are strictly prohibited. If you are unsure whether something is appropriate, please ask the studio staff.

    This is a space shared with community members, businesses, and students of all ages. As such all 3D or 2D prints, projects, or items made in the studio must be suitable for all ages and appropriate for the shared space.

    Studio staff reserve the right to inquire about any project and can halt or deny further activity if it is deemed unsuitable for the space.

  • Members and users of the makerspace are solely responsible for the safety, quality, and functionality of the items they create.

    While the makerspace provides training to help ensure that members understand how to operate equipment safely and effectively, we cannot guarantee the safety, quality, or performance of your designs or projects.

    Additionally, If any equipment is used in an unsafe or improper manner, the studio staff reserves the right to intervene, which may include stopping the activity or asking the individual to leave the premises to maintain a safe environment for all members.

 

FAQs

  • Our address is:

    NDSU Research & Technology Park

    1854 NDSU Research Circle N.

    Fargo, ND 58102

    The main studio entrance is on the South side of the building and there is an Innovation Studio sign adjacent to the door. The door is open during Studio hours.

    Please park as close as you can to the Innovation Studio building, we share a parking lot with Appareo Systems and they graciously allow our members to use a portion of their spaces.

  • No, we are open to students, business owners, inventors, entrepreneurs and community members! Take a look at our various memberships and choose the right one for you.

  • We often describe the Innovation Studio as a “Gym With Tools” and our technicians can be thought of as the Personal Trainers. Our goal is for members to make their own parts under the guidance of our studio technicians. We can not do the workout for you but we will help you along the way!

  • If you would like to hire someone to do your computer design work, please reach out to:

    For Mechanical Design, Product Design, Stress Analysis,
    (Ansys FEA), 3D CAD (SolidWorks, Inventor, Creo, AutoCAD):
    Applied Engineering

    For Mechanical Engineering: Anvil Design & Manufacturing

    For Product & Industrial Design: Vectr3D.

    For Mechanical Engineering: Z3D Solutions.

  • We offer several software packages installed on computers around the lab for our members to use:

    Corel Graphics Suite

    Vectric's Aspire

    MasterCAM

    Fusion360 (Use your own log-in credentials)

    Janome Artistic Digitizer

    Roland VersaWorks

    Bendtech SE

    Artec Studio

    Blender

  • We offer three tiers of storage options:

    1. $5 per night: A small space to leave items overnight, suitable for short projects or an overnight glue-up.

    2. $35 per week: A wire rack space measuring 72"x24"x18", perfect for longer projects needing more room.

    3. $100 per month: An 8ftx8ft area with a table and tool chest, ideal for larger items and extended projects. These larger project spaces are located next to each other, so several can be rented together for more space at a reduced rate.

    Rates and additional details are available here.

  • Yes! They are required to use the equipment, this ensures everyone knows how to use the machines safely. These are included with your membership.

    After you sign up on our Membership page you will be asked to schedule an orientation that will show you how to access the studio and we'll do you first training right after that!

  • We supply materials to ensure quality and reliability with certain pieces of equipment. These materials are:

    3D Printing Filament

    3D Printing SLS Nylon Powder

    3D Printing Resin

    Sewing & Embroidery Thread

    Self Adhesive Sheet Vinyl

  • We are not able to supply:

    Metal Tube, Sheet & Billet

    Wood Products For Woodshop Projects

    Acrylic, Leather, Wood, Etc. For Laser Cutting

  • West Side Steel is the preferred resource as they will cut to length and sell partial lengths of material.

    McNeilus Steel is also a great source for steel and aluminum, however they typically sell full sheets or sticks of material, they will not sell partial sheets or sticks.

  • Valley Hardwood Supply is the preferred resource for hardwoods, exotic woods, specialty plywood, stains and finishes.

  • Custom Plastics

    Cope Plastics

    Horn Plastics

    Seelye Plastics