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FAQ

Who has access to the Design + Technology LAB?

At this moment the Design + Technology Lab is only availble to students, staff, and faculty of The Creative School, opens in new window.

Can I come in and take a look around?

For safety reasons our shop is not open to drop-in visits.

  • Individuals looking to get a better understanding of our facilities can review our online video tour and 360 images of the space.
  • Groups and classes may make a formal request for tours via email.

What is the Service Bureau?

The Service Bureau is the LAB's in-house 3D printing and laser cutting hub for students, staff, and faculty of The Creative School. Learn more here, opens in new window.

I am a student of The Creative School and I want to learn to use the equipment in your lab. How do I do that?

Different equipment in our space requires different levels of training and experience.

If you have a specific piece of equipment you would like to learn about, please book a Student Consultation appointment via our booking webpage, opens in new window. There you can chat one-on-one with a staff member to dicuss your fabrication questions or interests!

We also offer a variety of in-person learning opportunities including...

  1. Curricular collaborations with Creative School classes. Please see what classes in your department offer these opportunities.
  2. Educational workshops that focus on specific equipment and/or design-fabrication techniques. These are announced through our Instagram, external link, opens in new window and on our events page.

I am a student of The Creative School with a project Idea, but I don’t know where to start...

Book a one-on-one consultation with us through our Student Consultation webpage, opens in new window so that we can talk through your idea and see what the best path forward is.

How can I 3D print or laser cut if I am not eligible to access the LAB?

We encourage Toronto Metropolitan University community members who do not fit our access criteria to explore the many different labs and maker spaces across campus. Ask your department or faculty what facilities they have available for you to access. Here are a list of a few:

Additionally, there are many external 3D printing and laser cutting spaces across the city such as HotPop Factory, external link, opens in new window, Toronto Laser Services, external link, opens in new window, or the Maker Bean Cafe, external link, opens in new window. You can also 3D print through services at the Toronto Public Library, external link, opens in new window.

Do you offer funding opportunities?

Students

We organize a yearly Creative School student grant competition in collaboration with the Design Fabrication Zone. Selected students are awarded the opportunity to pursue thier proposed digital fabrication projects in our space with a $500 material budget. Applications open yearly in the Fall. 

Faculty

We offer two $5000 seed grants anually to support faculty SRC activities in the Lab, with emphasis on projects that advance technology use within the creative sector. Projects can include, but are not limited to: AR/VR, 360 videos, flatbed UV printing, robotics, digital fabrication, 3D knitting and textile computing, drones, photogrammetry, 3D scanning, motion tracking/capture, 3D printing, and wearable technology. Learn more here, opens in new window.