On September 23, 2022, another milestone was reached in the Fab City project, funded by dtec.bw. More prototypes of the Open Lab Starter Kit were presented. A large-format laser cutter and the world’s largest open source 3D printer.
Design to lower the barrier
The new design focuses on increasing the global adaptability of the machine tool designs by increasing the manufacturability and ease of assemby for these machines. The large format laser cutter is for instance built completely from sheet metal that can be relatively easily manufactured with industrial as well as home tools. This lowers the barriers for startups, fablabs, SMEs or individuals to gain access to digital fabrication machine tools.
Building machines according to the lego principle
The goal is to develop the machines in such a way that anyone can build them themselves, comparable to Lego. In the long term, the aim is to bring maker culture to the center of society. At the end of the dtec.bw project, it should be possible to set up a small microfactory with the machines in the Open Lab Starter Kit.
Author: Mohammed Omer, M. Sc.
Contact: mohammed.omer@hsu-hh.de
