Learn. Make.

Gies College of Business · Illinois

The world's first business school 3D printing lab.

Now running a state-of-the-art, all-Bambu Lab fleet: seven current-generation printers, from big-build machines to hotend-swappers and a dual-nozzle duo. Bring a class project, a research part, or a birthday dragon.

  • Since 2013
  • BIF Room 3030
  • Campus & community
Bambu Lab printers.Every one current-generation. Live in Champaign Hours Open Mon–Fri afternoons BIF Room 3030 · 515 E. Gregory Dr.

01 · The fleet

Collect all 7.

Every printer in the lab is now a current-generation Bambu Lab machine. Four models, seven machines, each with its own special power.

Collected 7/7
No.01

H2S

Max350°
×2 in the lab

The Big OneBambu Lab

Build volume 340 × 320 × 340 mm
Hotend 350 °C

Special power: sheer size.The largest build volume in the lab, a 65 °C actively heated chamber and a toolhead that moves up to 1000 mm/s. Big parts, engineering materials.

Single nozzle · Big build×2
No.02

H2C

Max350°
×2 in the lab

The Shape-ShifterBambu Lab

Build volume ≈ 325 × 320 × 320 mm
Hotend 350 °C

Special power: Vortek swaps.A rack of six magnetic, induction-heated hotends that heat up in about 8 seconds. Multi-material prints with far less purge waste.

Launched Nov 2025×2
Donated by Xu & Ning.
No.03

X2D

Max300°
×2 in the lab

The TwinBambu Lab

Build volume 256 × 256 × 260 mm
Nozzle 300 °C

Special power: two nozzles, one toolhead.The second-generation X-Series, with a 120 °C bed, a 65 °C heated chamber and 31 sensors on watch.

Launched Apr 2026×2
Donated by Xu & Ning.
No.04

X1C

Max300°
Rare · only 1

The BenchmarkBambu Lab

Build volume 256 × 256 × 256 mm
Hardened nozzle 300 °C

Special power: the gold standard.The CoreXY benchmark: up to 500 mm/s with lidar-assisted calibration and a hardened nozzle.

X1-Carbon · CoreXY×1
Donated by Xu & Ning.
Across the fleet: PLAPETGTPUABS / ASA Engineering & fibre-filled composites · 350 °C machines Multi-material · H2C & X2D

02 · With thanks

Five of our seven printers were donated by Xu & Ning.

Both H2Cs, both X2Ds and the X1C. Spot the holo seal on their cards in the deck above.

Donor

Haoyang Xu

Alumnus, Gies College of Business

Donor

Yuxin Ning

Alumnus, The Grainger College of Engineering

The gift
  • 2× H2CHotend swapping
  • 2× X2DDual nozzle
  • 1× X1CThe benchmark

The Illinois MakerLab gratefully acknowledges Haoyang Xu and Yuxin Ning for their generous gift of five Bambu Lab printers.

5 of 7 machines · Xu & Ning

03 · Filament lab

Pick a spool. Watch it print.

Tap a color and the vase reprints itself, one layer at a time. That's how every part on our fleet comes to life.

Filament colorIllinois Orange

Object

Layer lines

A playful preview, not a stock list. Colors in the lab vary, so ask a Guru what's available.

04 · Services & pricing

Four bucks, plus your grams.

Every 3D print is a $4 base fee plus material by the gram. Pick your rate, slide the grams, and let the receipt do the math.

1Who’s printing, and how? Per gram

2How heavy is it?

120g
3Extras

Illinois MakerLabBIF 3030 · CHAMPAIGN, IL

EST. RECEIPT10/18/2026


RATE
Student · walk-in
BASE FEE
$4.00
MATERIAL120 g × 10¢
$12.00
GURU SETUP+20% of material
—
SPECIAL FIL.+50% of material
—

TOTAL$16.00

Estimate only. Surcharges shown on the material cost; the lab confirms your final price.

LEARN · MAKE · SHARE

Order online

Pro tip: walk-in rates beat online rates in every row. Cards accepted in person or online.

Design & prototyping

$20/ hour · students

$30/h faculty & staff · $50/h everyone else. 30-minute minimum, billed in 30-minute increments, plus materials.

1-to-1 3D modeling tutoring

$25/ 30-min session

Online or in person, one-on-one. Get unstuck in Tinkercad or Fusion 360.

Private sessions

21people, max

Reserve the lab for a private class: 3D printing, design, scanning or prototyping.

Campus accounts

$10minimum

Billed at faculty/staff rates. Cards accepted in person or online.

Also in the lab3D scanning3D modeling softwareArduino & microcontrollersE-textiles

Lawful use only: the lab may refuse any print that is unsafe, infringing or offensive. Full services & pricing →

05 · Programs

More than a print shop.

A Gies course, hands-on workshops, summer camps, birthday parties and private sessions. For ages 10 to tenure.

Gies course · Spring semester

Making Things

A Gies course on 3D printing, prototyping and digital fabrication: business students learning to build the product, not just pitch it.

BADM 331

Course info

Workshops

Regular hands-on workshops on tools like Fusion 360. Check the schedule for what is coming up next.

See workshops

Birthday parties

3D-printing-themed parties for kids. Email us for availability.

Party details

Summer camps

Week-long camps for ages 10+, June–July: 3D design, Minecraft modeling and digital making.

Summer 2026 is a wrap. 2027 dates will be posted in early 2027.

Camp info

Private events & team building

Book the lab for your group: a private class of up to 21 people in 3D printing, design, scanning or prototyping. Team building, sorted.

Plan a session

The crew

Meet the Gurus.

Our Gurus are the heart of the MakerLab, helping students, faculty, and community members learn, make, and share.

  • Bayu Febriansyah
  • Aldo Villanueva
  • Sahib Bedi
Lab staff

Since Spring 2013

  1. 2013Opens as the world's first business school 3D printing lab, co-founded by Dr. Aric Rindfleisch (Executive Director) and Dr. Vishal Sachdev (Director).
  2. 2016A Coursera 3D Printing Specialization goes online.
  3. ReachOutreach satellite labs in southern Illinois and on Chicago's South Side.
  4. NowAn all-Bambu Lab fleet of seven.
About the lab

06 · Visit

Come make something.

Room 3030 in the Business Instructional Facility. Walk in during open hours, or order online any time.

Live · America/Chicago

Hours

Open Monday to Friday afternoons

Mon–Fri, afternoons

BIF · Room 3030 Business Instructional Facility
515 East Gregory Drive, Champaign, IL 61820
uimakerlab@illinois.edu

Fall 2026 hours

From Aug 31, 2026 · Central time
Mon1–7 PM
Tue2–7 PM
Wed4–7 PM
Thu2–7 PM
Fri1–7 PM
SatClosed
SunClosed

Times shown in America/Chicago. University holidays and breaks excepted. Lab hours page →

Fall & Spring semesters

Free print Wednesdays.

One-hour prints are free on Wednesdays during the Fall and Spring semesters. Wednesday hours: 4–7 PM.

Heads-up

When we're closed

University holidays, Spring Break, Thanksgiving week, and semester transitions in May and August.

FAQ

07 · News

Fresh off the build plate.

High school robotics, eye-tracking research and Class of 2026 keychains. The latest from the lab blog.

5.0

Average rating · straight from the people who print here

“Great place to make a 3D print. The online ordering option is very convenient!”

Becky Vandewalle

“I had a great experience printing my STL files here. Will definitely print more!”

Luke Manthuruthil

“Staff made the entire printing process super simple and straightforward. Planning to use again for class projects.”

Gies student
Design 05 / 05 · Filament