Imagine having access to 3D printers, laser cutters, camera drones, a recording booth and so much more at your own disposal. Winthrop’s CreatorSpace allows Rock Hill locals, alumni, students and faculty to do so.
The space was an initiative created in 2015 between Winthrop University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts and Rock Hill’s Knowledge Park.
The space has equipment that allows people to express their creative ideas. The room includes a sound booth, a lighting lab, cameras, recorders, tripods, two 3D printers, keyboards, projectors, a large format printer, a laser cutter, camera drones and computers with software.
The space has grown immensely since being created. It started with only a laser cutter, one 3D printer, and a recording booth.
“[It was made] to give the community a creative space to work and create projects to have access to equipment that they wouldn’t normally have access to, which is why it was initially started,” Stacy Carter, executive assistant to the Dean of the CVPA, said. “We welcome everybody to use it. It is to centralize this creative outlet for Winthrop and members of the community.”
Along with individuals using the space, classes also use the CreatorSpace as a new way of learning.
“The biology department is doing a project where they are 3D printing various internal organs like hearts, brains, lungs,” Carter said. “They are 3D printing organs to see the intriguticay of those organs in an actual 3D format.”
The initiative for these specific classes started over the summer to teach faculty how to use the printers to then help students learn.
The music department also uses the 3D printers to print musical instrument parts in a more efficient and cheaper way.
The space allows students and faculty to use professional level equipment to further their professional development skills.
“A lot of this equipment is leading edge and allows us to perform our research with equipment that is relative to the industry today. Having it is very beneficial and replicates the working condition for the real world,” Andrew Davis, the fine arts laboratory technician, said. “We have students from the department of fine arts that have gone on to 3D modeling and prototyping machining jobs based off their experience doing computer design and 3D printing. It’s a beneficial skill set to have after you graduate.”
The space has lab monitors that can help navigate how to use the equipment and most of the technology is free. The only equipment that has charges is the 3D printer and the large format printer to cover the cost of the paper and resin used in both machines. The prices for these, however, is minimal.
Carter hopes to eventually add more equipment for people to use and allow their creative outlet to grow. It is currently being looked at to add more laser cutters and 3D printers due to the popularity of the two. She encourages anyone who is interested in trying any of the equipment to come to the CreatorSpace.
“I would love for students to come in there so they can try new things. A lot of students that come down there have never 3D printed anything and you can get a taste for it,” Carter said. “All of a sudden it sparks your creativity and you can think of all the things you can do. So not knowing how to use the equipment is the fun of it. You could learn about different software, and equipment you may not use in class.”
The CreatorSpace is open on Monday from noon to 9 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. It is located in Room G026 of Rutledge. For more information about the space, email the CreatorSpace director at cartersa@winthrop.edu.
Photo: Sam Ross/ The Johnsonian
