TechShop To Open Maker Location In Allen Park

Have you ever wanted to build something, but didn't have the tools to make it?

TechShop is the place for you.

TechShop -- part business incubator, part idea factory, part ongoing "maker faire" -- will open its metro Detroit location Friday, May 4 at 11 a.m.

TechShop is a membership-based fabrication studio that helps bring ideas to life by providing access to high-quality, industry-standard tools, equipment, instruction, and a community of avid do-it-yourselfers.

Following the Grand Opening, on May 5-6, the new Detroit location will be open to the public, as an extension of the Grand Opening festivities.

TechShop Detroit is located at 800 Republic Drive in Allen Park.

TechShop is sort of like a Kinko's for makers, or a Xerox PARC for the rest of us. TechShop is designed for everyone, regardless of their skill level. TechShop is perfect for inventors, makers, hackers, tinkerers, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, youth groups, FIRST Robotics teams, arts and crafts enthusiasts, and anyone else who wants to be able to make things that they dream up but don't have the tools, space or skills.

TechShop provides you with access to a wide variety of machinery and tools including milling machines and lathes, welding stations and a CNC plasma cutter, sheet metal working equipment, drill presses and band saws, industrial sewing machines, hand tools, plastic and wood working equipment including a 4' x 8' ShopBot CNC router, electronics design and fabrication facilities, Epilog laser cutters, tubing and metal bending machines, a Dimension SST 3-D printer, electrical supplies and tools, and pretty much everything you'd ever need to make just about anything.

If you already know how to use all the stuff at TechShop, that's great. If you want to learn about the equipment and tools you have never used before, you can take an "SBU" (Safety and Basic Use) class and get up to speed on that tool or machine in just a few hours. Don't be afraid to try new things, whether it is welding, using a milling machine, working with fabrics and leather or plastics, or cutting keyways in a gear. The whole point of TechShop is to empower you with a wide variety of new capabilities so you can start to see the pathway that lets you make new and exciting things.

Nationally, TechShop Inc. is based in -- where else? -- Menlo Park, Calif.