Butte College
News Announcement

Innovative Ideas and Business Collaborations Spark at Butte College's Create Space

When Chicostart brought the tech industry partnership growTECH to Daniel Donnelly at the Butte College Create Space for a tour, expectations were high for a flurry of meaningful connections and innovative ideas. That is precisely what happened! 

Chuck Nadeau, the owner of MC Fiber Solutions in Chico, discovered a way to overcome a product development challenge to save his business and customers' money. Nadeau had prototyped a part with Chicostart's 3D printer that looked like it could solve his problem but needed help and a larger production plan to make it effective for his business. "The growTECH tour of the Butte College Create Space really made my wheels spin with new opportunities for utilizing all of the available tools to solve challenges with some of my products," Nadeau said. 

He was able to use Create Space's 3D printers to print multiple batches of his product at a time. During one of the batch jobs, a Create Space technician discovered a way to increase his output from 13 to 72 batches at a time. It took an hour to modify the print file, and they enjoyed being part of improving the process.

Nadeau was thrilled and indicated, "This is something I was hoping for, to create things with other makers, innovate new solutions and try new things out. We were able to print a few hundred to meet a deadline for a huge client during the holidays, something I couldn't even have paid for in the private market. I got to do some of the production myself. That in itself was extremely rewarding."

Nadeau is already designing another new product adaptation, and he plans to utilize 3D modeling and printing this time around. He looks forward to seeing more community members and businesses using the Create Space for mutual collaboration.

"When you create a physical space focused on technological transformation and open it to the public, you are fostering collisions of thought and ideas that will bloom results you couldn't initially imagine," said Wendy Porter, assistant director of employer partnerships at Butte College. "The Butte College Create Space sits at the heart of our college's community engagement. The intersection of students, faculty and community drives cross-sector skill development, innovation, education and economic development."

The Butte College Create Space was established in the fall of 2017 when the college received a $500,000 grant to build a makerspace. The space consists of indoor and outdoor areas, including zones for laser cutting, electronics, 3D printing, t-shirt printing, virtual reality, specialized large-format printing, sublimation printing, flatbed printing, and vinyl cutting.

Daniel Donnelly has put his heart and soul into applying new technology and maker-movement thinking into Butte College's programs. This story is a wonderful example of his dedication and effort in motion. "We want to be a resource for our local businesses and help prototype new technologies while integrating students and faculty," said Donnelly, Chair of digital art & design and the Create Space manager.

Community members can utilize the Create Space by registering for the MSP 300 makerspace class any time during the semester. As an open-entry/open-exit, zero-unit course, students may enroll in the class and drop in during Create Space hours anytime throughout the semester. Anyone registering for the makerspace class pays no registration fees. Once enrolled, students enter the makerspace and check in with their student ID, and then they are checked out before leaving. The college receives funding based on the number of hours a student spends in the makerspace. 

"We've tried to make it as easy as possible for students, community members, and business owners to get access to the Create Space and the incredible technology we have available," said Donnelly.

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