Tauranga’s new Creation Station is inviting the community to turn imagination into something tangible - from 3D-printed characters and personalised mugs to laser-cut creations and wearable designs.

The hands-on technology space in He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub at Te Manawataki o Te Papa is set to open on October 16, alongside the new library and community facilities.

And while the room is packed with impressive equipment, Tauranga City Council innovation specialist Ella Keogh said the most important thing people will bring into the Creation Station is their imagination.

“It’s really going to be a room for fun, discovery and just being creative and using your imagination,” she said.

The Creation Station has three 3D printers, a laser cutter and engraver, a vinyl printer/cutter, 3D scanner, sublimation printing equipment, a vacuum former and a range of sewing equipment.

Innovation specialist Andrew Parker works the Thunder Laser machine, which can cut, engrave, or mark a vast range of materials based on designs sent from a computer. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

A grant from Pub Charity Limited of about $40,000 helped fund key technology, including the laser cutter, vinyl printer/cutter, 3D scanner, three 3D printers and vacuum former.

The equipment would open up a wide range of possibilities, Keogh said.

The sublimation equipment can transfer designs onto drink bottles, puzzles, mugs and more, while the vinyl printer/cutter produces stickers, wall decals and other designs. The 3D printers turns digital models into physical objects.

The vacuum former heats plastic sheets and presses them over an object, sucking out the air to create a mould, which could be used for anything from a simple shape to a chocolate mould or model race car.

Six PCs will also be available, loaded with free software for designing projects.

“You can use your imagination and design what you want to make, whether that’s for a 3D printer or sticker,” Keogh said.

For innovation specialist Andrew Parker, the technology is only part of the attraction.

He sees the Creation Station as a natural extension of what libraries have always offered - opportunities for knowledge, learning and exploration.

“When people come into the Creation Station, they will be expanding their boundaries,” Parker said.

“A lot of people don’t know that they can do something unless they’re shown they can do it.”

Innovation Specialists Ella Keogh and Andrew Parker in the new Creation Station at Tauranga’s new library which is set to open on October 16. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Parker and Keogh will run programmes and workshops to help people build confidence and skills.

Some sessions will require bookings, and certain equipment will require an induction, while other activities will allow people to come in, use a computer and start designing.

“We are here to help increase people’s capability,” Parker said.

Keogh said the Creation Station could also be a starting point for people who have an idea but don’t know where to begin.

Someone wanting to create characters for a stop-motion film, for example, could design and 3D-print them at the Creation Station before taking them elsewhere to make their film.

When ideas eventually outgrow the equipment or expertise available in the library, the team would help point people towards other creative facilities and organisations around Tauranga.

“We’re kind of like that starting point,” Keogh said.

The Creation Station is intended for a wide range of ages and interests, with opportunities for people to work individually, in groups and through organised programmes.

The sewing facilities included a sewing machine, coverstitch machine and overlocker. People can bring their own suitable materials, with some basic thread also available.

Innovation Specialist Ella Keogh uses a 3D printer at the Creation Station in Tauranga’s new library, which is set to open on October 16. Photo / Kelly O’Hara

Materials used for projects will incur a charge, while equipment use will have its own pricing arrangements.

The Creation Station is not intended to be a commercial production facility, Keogh said.

People might make one or two personalised items but will not be able to use the library’s equipment to produce products for a business beyond a prototype.

“This is more about people learning and doing it yourself,” Parker said. “We’re a space of learning.”

The idea is new territory for Tauranga City Libraries.

Team leader of programmes Anna Hodson said the former library had a learning centre where people could learn to use computers, which expanded into simple robotics and coding.

But having a dedicated space filled with creative technologies is new.

“It’s been really exciting to see this idea come together as it has been consistently asked for in community feedback about the new library.

“For us, it’s a natural evolution of the analogue creative sessions that have been in our libraries as part of our public programmes,” Hodson said.

For Keogh, one of the most exciting possibilities is seeing people who might never have considered themselves “creative” discovering what they can do.

“Some people don’t really know what they can do,” she said.

The new Creation Station will open as part of He Puna Manawa Library and Community Hub at Te Manawataki o Te Papa on October 16.