In order to introduce more and more Hamburg residents to the possibilities of local digital manufacturing, Fab City Hamburg attaches great importance to education and knowledge transfer. That is why our association has developed a workshop program. The courses are primarily organized in the workshops and Fab Labs. They are aimed at all interested people, whether beginners, advanced makers or companies and organizations. Fab City Hamburg e.V. organizes the workshops, for example on building the OpenLab Starter Kit or on other new product ideas.
What are Build Workshops?
Our Hands-on Workshop Formats
The following workshop formats have already been organized and implemented. They are being updated continuously. Dates will be announced on our event page.
OpenLab Starter Kit - Desktop 3D Printer Build Workshop
Together with various organizations in and around Hamburg, open source hardware 3D printers were built in a 2-day workshop with up to 8 participants. Under the guidance of our instructors and with the help of a step-by-step assembly guideline, the participants independently assembled the materials and components provided into a functional 3D printer. Background knowledge on open source hardware, the circular economy and 3D printing and its areas of application was also provided. The OpenLab Starter Kit is being developed as part of the dtec.bw project under the direction of the New Production Institute. In addition to schools and social institutions, other participating organizations include the Chamber of Commerce Hamburg, as well as the public libraries/Bücherhallen, which now also provide 3D printers.
Precious Plastic Recycling Workshop
The MOTTE in Hamburg-Ottensen organized an exciting recycling project with Precious Plastic Lübeck and Fab City Hamburg for all interested people. In addition to an open exchange on the topic of the plastic crisis, there was the opportunity to shred your own plastic waste and sort it by type. Posters were used to check the properties of the different types of plastic. For example, the participants tested the buoyancy in alcohol, water, glycerine and vegetable oil. If the result could only be determined imprecisely, a scanner was available. This provided the exact variety using infrared rays. In the MOTTE backyard, there was an injection workspace, including a machine that melts plastic flakes and shapes them into new products. Popular new product shapes included snap hooks, flower pots and buttons. The participants were able to take the colorful products home with them.
Maslow-CNC Milling Machine Build Workshops with Companies
The Maslow CNC workshop served to train and test open-source-based digital manufacturing and the local circular economy in companies and to gain experience on how successful models can be established and further developed for the coming years. Each and every one of these machines leads to more and more people in Hamburg having access to local production systems. A functional CNC milling machine was built within 3 days. This workshop was organized and implemented in collaboration with Regenholz and the IT collective.
The Fab City Hamburg workshop program is being expanded continuously. Stay tuned!
INTERFACER Massive Build Workshops
As part of the INTERFACER project, a free series of workshops on sustainability, open source principles and production techniques was launched in January 2023. The practical workshops are held in collaboration with local associations and companies from the Fab City network. They serve to further develop open source hardware documentation and the use of the “Fab City Operation System” for scientific research. Further information can be found on the INTERFACER web page.
Project Funding
The Fab City Build Workshops have been funded by the Ministry of Economics and Innovation of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg.
The INTERFACER Massive Build Workshops have been funded by the EU
