MakerCube MeetUp

In recent years, the MakerCube initiative has been able to develop new ideas, pursue experimental projects and try out cool devices such as the ShaperTool or the latest SLS 3D printer with many exciting start-ups, companies and students.

As is always the case when you embark on experiments and new technology, everyone learned a lot, made mistakes and discovered new things. Anyone who has tried something new can also tell a lot of exciting stories and learn even better from each other.

That’s why MakerCube invites all interested parties to our biannual community networking event for drinks and snacks.

The event is free of charge, open to everyone and takes place in our home base, the FabLab Kiel. The next date will be announced in good time via our social media channels. We look forward to seeing many new faces!

At the season closing of the Waterkant Festival 2022, we not only had the opportunity to present our project, but also to talk to our new Minister of Economic Affairs Claus Ruhe Madsen about the potential of digital manufacturing for SMEs and start-ups.

The consensus was to dare to experiment with new ideas and thus play a part in shaping Schleswig-Holstein’s future together.

We are looking forward to it!

Claus Ruhe Madsen’s tip for all founders:

“Keep it simple. Take your uncle, aunt, brother or sister and say: “Try this.” […] If they have to ask once, then throw the product away.”

MakerBooster – Prototype your brainwork

MakerBooster is our three-month hardware booster and mentoring program, in which start-ups and founders are supported with materials, machine use and individual support on their way to their first prototype and company foundation.

We use our expertise and tools to help turn ideas and concepts into tangible prototypes. In this way, the marketability of the future products can be tested and improved together.

Divided into numerous workshops, experts from areas such as product design, market strategies and patent law will share their know-how with the participants. The “final pitches” not only test the product presentation in front of an audience, but also how to deal with criticism.

Digital manufacturing technologies and innovations with this year’s focus on robotics were brought to life at the MakerCube Conference in the form of presentations, exhibitions and workshops. The central question was:

How can robots specifically help with production automation and take on simple, flexible tasks?

The centerpiece of our MakerCube Conference 2022 was the robot arm “KR 200” from the manufacturer KUKA, which supports the start-up BoardLab in the production of its sustainable surfboards. It has an impressive reach of 2.7 meters and a load capacity of 140 kilograms.

The collaborative Franka-Emika robots from nFrontier also attracted a lot of attention. The Berlin-based innovation studio has developed an extraordinary process that enables close collaboration between man and machine. In practice, this means that the robots can be activated by certain movements and manual actions, for example, or can also pause spontaneously, thus enabling greater safety in close collaboration.

We were also part of the Waterkant Festival exhibition, which brought together innovative projects and start-ups from Schleswig-Holstein and beyond to present the innovative spirit of the north to a wide audience. Among the many exciting projects were the participants of our MakerBooster program, who presented the prototypes they had created.

RETHINK, RETHINK, RETHINK
AND JUST DO IT!

The MakerCube Conference, which took place for the first time in 2021, brought digital manufacturing technologies and innovations to life over two days!

The conference not only offered innovative presentations by creative pioneers from the maker scene, but also demonstrated down-to-earth how digital manufacturing technologies can enhance, simplify or revolutionize existing processes and productions.

A wide range of technologies and processes, from 3D printing and scanning to hand-held digital CNC routers and generative design approaches, were presented in a vivid way, thus encouraging participants to implement the possibilities in their own company. Various workshops invited visitors to experience the maker mindset and expand their own horizons of making.

Become A Maker

In the course, which takes place regularly in cooperation with the edu program of the Kiel “Open Campus” initiative, participants are shown how modern prototyping processes work and are used, from the digital drawing to the finished result.

3D printers and laser cutters are now part of the basic equipment of modern fab labs and enable components to be produced quickly and reproducibly. Using various free software tools, you will learn how to create digital drawings and models and prepare them for working with the devices.

We guide you through the process from the idea to the finished part. In addition, participants are given an exploratory tour of creating and programming electronic circuits based on the Arduino platform.

<a href=“https://schoof-jensen.de” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>edu.opencampus.sh</a>