SparQ Studios is a makerspace and design studio that provides a wide range of tools, machinery, knowledge, and expertise so that you can bring your idea into a physical form.
With support from the Dunin-Deshpande Queen's Innovation Centre (DDQIC), SparQ Studios was founded in 2013 by four students in DDQIC's startup incubator who needed modern maker tools to build their product ideas. SparQ's first home was a small study room in Beamish Munro Hall and it was one of Canada's first on-campus makerspaces.
Today, SparQ Studios is located in its own facility on the ground floor of Mitchell Hall. SparQ Studios is open to anyone in the community who wants to familiarize themselves with modern making equipment, learn new skills, and complete their own creative projects. It also caters to DDQIC start-ups who need to quickly prototype their ideas, a critical stage in the journey to building a successful product.
Location
Mitchell Hall Room 101 | 69 Union St W, Kingston, ON, K7L2N9
Hours of Operation
Thank you for a great year spent innovating, creating, learning and community building at SparQ Studios Makerspace! SparQ's last day of operations for the Winter 2024 school term is Wednesday, April 10 with hours from 10am to 2pm.
The space will be closed for the remainder of April and will reopen on Monday, May 6 at 9:00am. SparQ summer hours will be posted within the coming weeks. Questions during the closure? Please email our Makerspace Director using the contact information listed at the bottom of the page. We look forward to seeing you back in the space soon!
We have a wide variety of tools and resources available at the studio to meet your needs. If you would like to see an addition to the Studio, please contact us at sparq.studios@queensu.ca
3D Printers
- Prusa i3 MK3S+
- Artillery Sidewinder x1
- Formlabs Form 2
3D Scanners
- Matter & Form
- Sense Scanner
Woodworking
- Kreg ACS Track saw and project table
- Mitre saw
- Chop saw
- Band saw
- Scroll saw
- Mini vertical milling / drilling machine
- Drill press
- Belt sander
- Disc sander
- Fine sander
- Desktop planer
- CNC mill (Shopbot Desktop, Othermill V2)
- Routing table
Metalworking
- 6” bench grinder
- Chop saw
- 4.5” angle grinder
Handheld power tools
- Orbital jigsaw
- Circular saw
- Power drills
- Dremel
- ¼” sheet sander
- Portable router
- Random orbit sander
Photography & Film Equipment
- Canon 70D
- 2 LED lights and stands
- 4 softboxes
- 430 ex-III hot shoe flash
- 2 reflectors
- Camera tripod
- 2 Rode SmartLavs
- 1 Rode VideoMic Pro
- H1 Zoom Recorder
- Zhiyun Crane 2
Other Resources
- Laser cutter
- Soldering stations
- Hot air stations
- Heat fun
- Mixed domain oscilloscope
- Tri-power supply
- Ultrafeed sewing machine
Purchasing membership allows you access to the makerspace and all of the equipment available. In addition to membership, members must also be safety trained before being permitted to work in the space. New members must also complete machine-specific training before using certain machines. Complete the online safety training module here.
Membership Pricing
| Membership duration | Price |
|---|---|
| Month | $15* |
| Semester | $30 |
| Academic Year | $50 |
*All membership fees are subject to HST.
*If you choose to purchase a monthly membership, you may upgrade to a semester length membership for an additional $15.
Are you or your group interested in touring the facility? Tours can be scheduled by sending an email to sparq.studios@queensu.ca noting the numbers of individuals attending the tour and the preferred dates.