UW-Platteville Huff Family Innovation Center

A big thank you to the women's group for touring the Huff Family Innovation Center! It was a pleasure showcasing our facilities and services, and we hope to see many of you back here soon!

A big shout out to the students of University of Wisconsin-Platteville's Society of Automotive Engineers! Our SAE Baja team is making incredible progress on their current project, utilizing the resources provided by the Huff Family Innovation Center. We appreciate your dedication and are excited to support your innovative journey!

🌞Summer at the Huff Family Innovation Center may be quieter, but that doesn't mean the creativity stops! 🌱Embrace the spaciousness of our center this season for uninterrupted ideation, solo projects, or simply to recharge your innovative spirit! 💡 Share with us: How do you plan to make the most of a tranquil summer at HFIC?

Maker Moment - Dan Wackwitz

UW-Platteville associate professor Dr. Dan Wackwitz enjoys a fun hobby outside of class: making board game accessories! Dr. Wackwitz has been a professor at UW-Platteville for nine years and picked up woodworking as a hobby about five years ago. He started out carving bowls by hand and has since expanded into counters, tokens, and more.

Currently, Dr. Wackwitz is utilizing our carbon dioxide (CO2) laser cutter, which is available for all users of the space. The CO2 laser cutter can cut or engrave various materials, including the different types of woods that Dr. Wackwitz uses for his tokens. He prefers wood for his counters and tokens for its higher quality feel and biodegradable qualities. Dr. Wackwitz is creating sets of tokens to replace lower-quality, sometimes plastic, game pieces for avid board gamers who want to enhance their immersion.

Besides the wooden tokens, Dr. Wackwitz has milled small game pieces out of metal, utilizing the machinery available to users who have completed our free training sessions.

Inspired by his passion for both teaching and craftsmanship, Dr. Wackwitz continues to innovate in both the classroom and his workshop, enriching the gaming experiences of enthusiasts while leaving a lasting impact on the UW-Platteville community.

Thanks for visiting!

Last week, HFIC got to be apart of the STEM expo! Our wonderful student employees taught all different ages on 3D prototyping is and how it works!

Did you know we have a soldering station in the HFIC? Come check in and then head down the stairs to find our big soldering station!

Look at what a student made in the HFIC! They created these fun keychains by using the textile machines to help bring the idea to life! Come see what you can create at the HFIC. 😊

Check out what the Math Club came in to make! They took their logo and made it into something fun! Come bring your club it to create something memorable.

Check out this cool sign a student made for their apartment! Pioneers, come use the space to create new things to spruce up your place!

Pioneers, we have started up our new program. If you go to the HFIC Training Portal, go to the tab "Member Agreement" and sign up today!

Check out this cool senior design project in the works! They are working on a fly habitat. This is just one of the many senior design projects that come into the HFIC and are created. We can't wait to see how they turn out!

Pioneers, Josh Wood is a perfect example of what you can do in the space! He made backpacks, called ECOPAK. It is made of 100% recycled polyester, laminated material. To check out more information, go to his website https://acromoda.com !
https://www.uwplatt.edu/news/inspired-love-hiking-wood-develops-custom-backpacks?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=news&utm_campaign=social-media&utm_content=backpack&fbclid=IwAR030XVU58E5acGRgziasw9NznMb8wVhaI8H4PbP5I8zyzVnBeQLJQZKc70

Did you know we will be open during Spring Break? If you are around come hang out at the HFIC! It is the perfect time to let your imagination run free!

Look at how pretty our lathes are ❤️ I think you should come learn how to use them pioneers!

Have you seen our laser cutters in action? If not, come check it out! Learn how to use it and make some wonderful projects!

https://www.uwplatt.edu/news/muller-combines-innovation-new-technology-bring-drawings-page
Check out this cool story! Jacob Muller is showing that it's never to late to start learning new things. Using machines at the Huff Family Innovation Center, he was able to delve into his project in new ways!

Muller combines innovation, new technology to bring drawings off the page An illustrator by trade, Jacob Muller didn’t expect to be working with cutting-edge technology while earning his Bachelor of Fine Arts. But, an Undergraduate Research, Scholarly and Creative Activity Scholarship is allowing him to delve into a project that leverages his design skills and new techn...

Pioneers, HFIC is a great place to study and come up with a new project! In our Alliant Energy Open Prototype Space, we have lots of space and supplies to get you started on your project! All you need is an imagination!