What the facility does
Offers access to advanced equipment and training, leveraging technology to the benefit of their clientele’s business profitability and commercial art production.
Areas of expertise
The INNOVATE Centre for Arts, Crafts and Technology combines traditional arts and crafts with modern manufacturing technologies to create a unique innovation opportunity in the Beaufort Delta Region of Canada’s Western Arctic. INNOVATE provides training, mentorship, technical support, research services, and business development resources to support the arts and crafts sector of the regional economy. These services help artists meet the growing demand for Indigenous and Northern cultural products, and also serve as an economic development tool and innovation enabler for the regional arts and crafts industry.
Research services
- Access to equipment and space
- Technical support
- Design support
- Equipment training
- Courses and workshops
- Remote makerspace centre support
- Mobile and training services
Sectors of application
- Arts and cultural industries
- Education
- Information and communication technologies and media
- Manufacturing and processing
Specialized labs and equipment
| Equipment | Function |
|---|---|
| Prusa i3 MK2 and MK3 3D printers | Creates three-dimensional (3D) items using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). |
| Prusa SL1 SLA printer | Creates 3D items using stereolithography. |
| LulzBot Taz 6 3D printer | Creates 3D items using FDM. |
| LulzBot Mini 3D printer | Creates 3D items using FDM. |
| Direct Color Systems 1800S35 UV LED printer | Prints ultraviolet-curable ink on a variety of surfaces, such as canvas, fabric, plastic, and vinyl. |
| Roland TrueVIS VG2-540 eco-solvent printer/cutter | Prints high-quality, versatile graphics for a variety of products such as vehicle graphics and posters. |
| Sawgrass SG1000 sublimation printer | Transfers dye onto different materials using heat and pressure. |
| Epson SureColor F2100 direct-to-garment (DTG) printer | Produces high-quality prints on fabrics. |
| Epson SureColor P900 17-inch professional inkjet photo printer | Produces gallery-quality prints. |
| DeWalt DCS335 jig saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| DeWalt 16-inch Poulan chainsaw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| DeWalt DCS565 6.5-inch circular saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| Bosch GCM12SD 12-inch dual-bevel glide mitre saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| Festool TS 55 FEQ-F-Plus plunge-cut track saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| SawStop ICS53230 industrial cabinet saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| DeWalt DW871 14-inch heavy-duty metal chop saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| DeWalt DW788 scroll saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| Magnum Industrial MI-91500 14-inch deluxe wood/metal band saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| Makita 5007NF 7.25-inch circular saw | Cuts wood and other materials. |
| DeWalt DWP611 compact router | Performs woodworking tasks such as edge profiling, trimming, and joinery. |
| Makita 3709 laminate trimmer/router | Performs woodworking tasks such as trimming and light routing. |
| DeWalt DW618PK fixed base/plunge router combo kit | Offers a fixed base and plunge base for woodworking tasks, from edge profiling to plunge routing and joinery. |
| Bosch RA1181 benchtop router table | Cuts metal, tile, concrete, and masonry. |
| DeWalt DCG413 4.5-inch angle grinder | Grinds and cuts metal, bricks, pavers, and concrete. |
| Westward BG8C 8-inch bench grinder | Shapes and smooths edges, deburrs metal parts, removes rust, and sharpens tools. |
| DeWalt DCM849 rotary polisher | Polishes metal and plastic surfaces. |
| DeWalt DW735 13-inch thickness planer | Shaves wood down to a uniform thickness. |
| Craftex CX125HC 12.5-inch thickness planer | Shaves wood down to a uniform thickness. |
| Magnum Industrial MI-31250 15-inch thickness planer | Shaves wood down to a uniform thickness. |
| Makita 9403 belt sander | Smooths large wood surfaces, removes paint and varnish, levels uneven boards, and prepares surfaces. |
| DeWalt DWE6421 random orbit palm sander | Prepares wood surfaces and general sanding tasks. |
| King Canada KC-689-OSC-7 6”x89” oscillating edge sander | Smooths edges, shapes curves, and refines large surfaces in woodworking. |
| Magnum Industrial MI-16100 oscillating spindle sander | Sands curved and contoured edges in wood. |
| Magnum Industrial MI-16710 drum sander | Sands surfaces; ideal to flatten panels, smooth glued-up boards, and prepare stock for finishing. |
| Magnum Industrial SBC250 sandblast cabinet | Houses the abrasive blasting of metal, plastic, glass, and other materials. |
| Epilog Fusion M2 75W CO2 laser engraving and cutting system | Cuts, engraves, and marks various materials such as wood, leather, metal, acrylic, and glass. |
| Epilog Fusion Pro 60W CO₂ laser engraving and cutting system | Cuts, engraves, and marks various materials such as wood, leather, metal, acrylic, and glass. |
| Epilog Fusion Mini 40W CO₂ laser engraving and cutting system | Cuts, engraves, and marks various materials such as wood, leather, metal, acrylic, and glass. |
| Glowforge Pro 45W desktop CO₂ laser cutter and engraver | Cuts, engraves, and marks various materials such as wood, leather, metal, acrylic, and glass. |
| Inventables X-Carve Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine | Enables precise carving, cutting, and engraving of various materials through a fully automated CNC system operated by software. |
| Carbide 3D Nomad 3 CNC milling machine | Enables precise carving, cutting, and engraving of various materials through a fully automated CNC system operated by software. |
| Cricut Maker machines | Cuts a variety of materials for craft projects using computer-guided design software. |
| King Industrial KC-85FX 8-inch jointer | Flattens, straightens and squares the edges of wood boards. |
| King Industrial KWL-1218VS wood lathe | Performs small to medium woodturning projects, such as bowl turning, pen making, and spindle work. |
| King Canada KC-15HSVS drill press | Drills wood, metal, and plastics. |
| Grainger DOAP709-AA GAST vacuum pump | Removes gases from a sealed space. |
| Formech 508DT vacuum forming machine | Creates 3D plastic molds. |
| DeWalt DCS355 oscillating multi-tool | Cuts, sands, scrapes, and grinds materials. |
| Dremel 4300 rotary tool | Cuts, grinds, sands, carves, polishes, and engraves a variety of materials. |
| DeWalt DCF887 impact driver | Drives screws and fasteners into wood, metal, and plastic. |
| DeWalt DCD996 hammer drill/driver | Drills holes and drives bolts and fasteners into wood, metal, masonry, and concrete. |
| Maximum 16GA1” – 2½” 16-gauge finishing nailer | Drives nails using a pneumatic gun for precision in finished carpentry, cabinetry, and trim work. |
| Hitachi NT50AE2 brad nailer | Drives nails and fasteners into wood. |
| DeWalt DW682K biscuit joiner | Creates strong, precise joints in wood using biscuits. |
| Emhart Teknologies PS15-KIT manual rivet tool kit | Fastens items using blind rivets. |
| Weller Professional D550PK soldering gun kit | Solders materials in electrical and metalwork tasks. |
| DeWalt D26950 heat gun | Heats items to apply shrink wrap, weld plastic, and bend materials. |
| Baby Lock Enterprise embroidery machine | Produces custom embroidery, such as on garments, hats, bags, and other textiles. |
| Juki DDL-8700 industrial sewing machine | Produces and tailors garments made of light to medium-weight fabrics such as cotton, polyester, and linen. |
| Techsew Model 402 industrial sewing machine | Sews leatherwork and upholstery, including items like belts, wallets, bags, and saddles. |
| Tecre Model 100 and Model 200 button maker machines | Produces pin-back buttons and other promotional items such as magnets. |
| Silk screen printing press | Transfers inks through a mesh screen onto substrates such as fabric, paper, and plastic to create printed designs. |
| Lumitron Odyssey exposure unit | Transfers artwork onto photo-sensitive emulsion-coated screens using ultraviolet light for screen printing preparation. |
| Workhorse Products Super SECA Flash Cure Unit | Partially cures plastisol inks between colors or layers using infrared heat; flash dryer designed for screen printing. |
| Geo Knight Digital Knight DK20S swing-away heat press | Applies heat transfer designs onto a variety of materials. |
| RS-A3838 flat heat press machine | Applies heat transfers to flat items like t-shirts, tote bags, mousepads, and puzzle boards. |
| Stahls’ Hotronix STXC cap press | Applies heat transfers to caps and hats. |
| Geo Knight K3 mug press | Transfers sublimation, heat transfer vinyl, or laser transfer designs onto mugs and cylindrical drinkware with full wrap-around coverage. |
| Joto E-HP-JMP-1S6E single-station mug press with 6 heating elements | Prints on mugs using sublimation with interchangeable heating elements for various drinkware sizes. |
| TRUArt pyrography kits | Decorates wood and other materials with burn marks using a heated tool and interchangeable tips. |
| Sorben System HIPPO vacuum packaging machine | Packages and seals packages of a variety of items, such as food, electronics, and lab samples. |
| BBC Industries LB17-T Little Buddy conveyor dryer | Cures screen-printed garments. |
| Royal Sovereign Sigmont 55H laminator | Supports roll film for continuous lamination. |
| Fellowes Saturn 3i laminator | Laminates photos, documents, identification cards, and certificates. |
| Best Value Vacs aluminium vacuum chamber | Removes air bubbles (degasses) from casting materials. |
| BOFA Americas V250 fume extraction system | Removes harmful fumes and particulates from the air. |
| Uline Tabletop impulse sealer with cutter, 16-inch seal length | Seals and trims poly bags and tubing. |
Private and public sector research partners
- Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC)
- Gwich’in Tribal Council (GTC)
- Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT)