Our Crowdfunding Groups
“The Forge has made a lasting impact on the student experience here at Rensselaer. This project will enable them to work with a wider range of students, especially those within the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences. From the start, The Forge has strived to help all students no matter their major, and this expansion will allow them to continue doing so.” - Larry Oligny, senior academic support engineer, School of Engineering, Rensselaer
Your donation will enable students to access a wider variety of equipment commonly seen in industry, while also furthering the growing maker movement at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
What You’re Supporting:
Currently, Rensselaer does not have a vinyl decal creation tool or enough 3D printers to meet student demand. A vinyl printer would appeal to students of more disciplines which in turn would diversify our membership, while more 3D printers would allow us to keep up with the high-usage demand. The Forge is aiming to rectify these problems with this fundraiser which will also give students access to a wider variety of resources.
Why Support Us?
From day one, The Forge has been dedicated to helping every student who walks through the door. Whether the project is for a class, a club, research, or just for fun, The Forge is there to lend a hand. Major and class year do not matter here; we just want to help students make their dreams reality. The Forge is committed to teaching the general population about new techniques in manufacturing as well. Every year, we attend over 35 outreach events where we showcase 3D printing, laser cutting, and more to people who may have never even heard of these manufacturing techniques before.
About The Forge
The Forge began 3 years ago as an idea: an idea that was created by students, realized by students, and maintained by students to current day. Over the last three years, this grassroots organization grew from 10 core members, to over 200 members at our peak. The community has grown not only in numbers, but also in ability, knowledge, and design capabilities, with a focus of collaboration and communication. We have helped a significant portion of our community, including students, faculty, staff, and alumni, whom we are always open to. Our most recent growth is physical; we have a new lab that more than doubles our available space. However, our fabrication infrastructure has remained constant. In our busiest times, we have had twice the amount of projects than open facilities, with lines literally out the door. These statistics have put us on the administration's radar as a shining, and still growing star in the RPI community. Since our last weR Gold Campaign, The Forge has added 13 new machines, more than doubled our membership, and taken part in more than 20 outreach events a year.
