Open Tech Calendar

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Setting Up Files for Laser Cutting

Tuesday 19th August 2014
6pm - 8pm

We all know that the laser cutters are great machines to use in the Maklab, and some of the most popular. To make the most of your time on the machines it's important to be well prepared before you start.

This workshop will talk you through how to prepare your files using Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, and how to then save them in the right formats for use on the on Maklab's two machines. It will help you make your piece both material and time efficient (and saving you money in the process), thinking about cutting order, and how to get the best results.

Ideally you'll have used the laser cutter previously, but if you’ve not really used these programmes and machines before, it will be a great intro to basic laser cutting set-up. Please bring along any images or files that you would like to give a go!

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/setting-up-files-for-laser-cutting-19-08-14

Tue 19th Aug 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 19th Aug 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

Setting Up Files for Laser Cutting

Tuesday 19th August 2014
6pm - 8pm

We all know that the laser cutters are great machines to use in the Maklab, and some of the most popular. To make the most of your time on the machines it's important to be well prepared before you start.

This workshop will talk you through how to prepare your files using Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, and how to then save them in the right formats for use on the on Maklab's two machines. It will help you make your piece both material and time efficient (and saving you money in the process), thinking about cutting order, and how to get the best results.

Ideally you'll have used the laser cutter previously, but if you’ve not really used these programmes and machines before, it will be a great intro to basic laser cutting set-up. Please bring along any images or files that you would like to give a go!

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/setting-up-files-for-laser-cutting-19-08-14

Tue 19th Aug 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 19th Aug 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Laser Cut your own Jewellery

Saturday 5th July 2014
Drop-in Sessions

Come and create your very own jewellery in wood or acrylic using the laser cutters at our Maker Saturday workshop!

Take inspiration from some of the shapes we have left over from laser cutting in the studio or create your own design for a ring, necklace, bracelet or set of earrings. We'll provide the tools and the findings, you provide your imagination!

This workshop will be running as a drop-in throughout the day, but places will be limited, so book in advance to be guaranteed a slot!

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKLab Members)
Book online at www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/laser-cut-your-own-jewellery-16-8-14

Sat 16th Aug 2014 11:00am (Europe/London)

Sat 16th Aug 2014 3:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Rhino Basics for Jewellery

Tuesday 29th July 2014
6pm - 9pm

This is an ideal class for any jewelers or craftsmen who want to learn how to use Rhino for jewellery and crafts, but don't know where to start. This class is a great starting point to understand the basics, and become familiar with the main tools used to create 3D models. By the end of the class you will be able to create a solid robot key-chain model, ready to be 3D printed on either the Makerbot or the Ultimaker 2 after the class.

This class is part of of a series of CPD opportunities being developed at MAKLab for the Jewellery and Craft industry. It's an ideal jumping off point for more advanced Rhino for Jewellery classes soon to be on offer.

Prices £35 (10% off for MAKLab Members)
Book online at www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/rhino-basics-for-jewellery-29-07-14

Tue 29th Jul 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 29th Jul 2014 9:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Have a Go with Arduino

Tuesday 15th July 2014
6pm - 8pm

Arduino is the electronics prototyping platform behind recent years’ explosion in interactive artworks and maker’s projects. With this workshop you will make your first tentative steps into the world of sketching with hardware, and programming. You will work in pairs with our Arduino kits. A great way to try out Arduino before buying your own board!

If you would like to use your own computer, please pre-load it with the Arduino IDE which you can get here:
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
If you would like to bring your own Arduino board, please do.

Please note: This workshop can be suitable for teenagers from the age of 11 - 16 yrs old, if accompanied by a supervising adult.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/have-a-go-with-arduino-15-07-14

Tue 15th Jul 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 15th Jul 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

11am - 1pm session
or
1:30pm - 3:30pm session

Come learn how to make a unique, hand-made tablet or smartphone case made from 70% reclaimed, high quality materials such as wood and leather.

Juan believes in firm principles of upcycling and re-purposing materials for creating products with top quality specs.

The design of these cases has been carefully thought through, with the aim to create the most functional tablet/phone case available. It has four different positions, including one for rough and uneven surfaces along with the possibility of hanging it from flat edges, branches, frames, chairs etc.

Come learn to make a case fitted to your exact measurements!

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

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11am - 1pm sessions
or
1:30pm - 3:30pm sessions

Technology Will Save Us have put together a great DIY Synth Kit, which can open up a world of possibilities and great fun creating sound using electronics!

At MAKLab, we invite you to come and put it through its paces. Come learn the basics of electronics prototyping using a breadboard and once your kit is assembled, we’ll show you what else you can do with it.

At the end of this workshop, you’ll get to take away your synth kit and you can keep us updated on your future prototyping projects!

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

11am - 1pm sessions
or
1:30pm - 3:30pm sessions

Vinyl decals are awesome and can go everywhere from your walls to your clothes. They’re easy and fun to create and you’ll come away with some funky designs!

The vinyl cutter is one of the simplest machines to use in Maklab. This workshop will give you an induction to creating digital artwork, preparing files for cutting and the many uses for the vinyl cutter.

By the end of the workshop you will have cut and transferred your own design to create your finished piece.

We will provide plain tote bags for you to heat press your artwork onto, although you are welcome to bring along an item of clothing of your choice to transfer onto instead.

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

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Make your own Tablet/Phone Case

11am - 1pm session
or
1:30pm - 3:30pm session

Come learn how to make a unique, hand-made tablet or smartphone case made from 70% reclaimed, high quality materials such as wood and leather.

Juan believes in firm principles of upcycling and re-purposing materials for creating products with top quality specs.

The design of these cases has been carefully thought through, with the aim to create the most functional tablet/phone case available. It has four different positions, including one for rough and uneven surfaces along with the possibility of hanging it from flat edges, branches, frames, chairs etc.

Come learn to make a case fitted to your exact measurements!

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/make-your-own-tablet-phone-case-27-03-14

Sat 29th Mar 2014 11:00am (Europe/London)

Sat 29th Mar 2014 3:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Learn to Program with Python

This workshop is for complete beginners in programming.

We’ll introduce you to the real basics, from structure, to variables, to logic operators.

You will have a go at making your own very simple software programs using Python and gain enough understanding to proceed into reading, writing or hacking simple code.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/learn-to-program-with-python-27-03-14

Thu 27th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 27th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Laying out Artwork for Laser Cutting

Preparing files for laser cutting - make the most of your machine time! With Franki Finch from Finch & Fouracre.

The laser cutters are some of the easiest machines to use in the Maklab, and therefore are quite popular. Make the most of your time on the machines by being well prepared before you start.This workshop will show you how to prepare your files using Adobe Illustrator or Inkscape, and to then import them for use on the two different machines. It will include making your piece both material and time efficient (therefore making it as cost efficient as possible), thinking about cutting order, and how to get the best results.

Ideally you'll have used to laser cutter previously, but if you’ve not really used these programmes and machines before, it will be an opportunity to get to grips with basic laser cutting set-up. If you have any images or files that you would like to bring along to give a go, please do!

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/laying-out-artwork-for-laser-cutting-25-03-14

Tue 25th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 25th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Prototype with TWSU DIY Synths

Technology Will Save Us have put together a great DIY Synth Kit, which can open up a world of possibilities and great fun creating sound using electronics!

At MAKLab, we invite you to come and put it through its paces. Come learn the basics of electronics prototyping using a breadboard and once your kit is assembled, we’ll show you what else you can do with it.

At the end of this workshop, you’ll get to take away your synth kit and you can keep us updated on your future prototyping projects!

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/prototype-with-twsu-diy-synths-22-03-14

Sat 22nd Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Sat 22nd Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

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Have a Go with Arduino

Arduino is the electronics prototyping platform behind recent years’ explosion in interactive artworks and maker’s projects. With this workshop you will make your first tentative steps into the world of sketching with hardware, and programming. You will work in pairs with our Arduino kits. A great way to try out Arduino before buying your own board!

If you would like to use your own computer, please pre-load it with the Arduino IDE which you can get here:
http://arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
If you would like to bring your own Arduino board, please do.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/have-a-go-with-arduino-20-03-14

Thu 20th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 20th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

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Thermochromic Dyes Printing

Thermochromic dyes change from coloured to colourless at different temperatures and can be mixed with normal and fluorescent pigments, this means they are perfect for creating designs that can change depending on environmental conditions.

Come along and learn about Thermochromic dyes.

Screen-­Print your own colour changing coasters and watch the magic as your design changes with hot, cold and UV light.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/thermochromic-dyes-printing-18-03-14

Tue 18th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 18th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

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Make your own Vinyl Decals

Vinyl decals are awesome and can go everywhere from your walls to your clothes. They’re easy and fun to create and you’ll come away with some funky designs!

The vinyl cutter is one of the simplest machines to use in Maklab. This workshop will give you an induction to creating digital artwork, preparing files for cutting and the many uses for the vinyl cutter.

By the end of the workshop you will have cut and transferred your own design to create your finished piece.

We will provide plain tote bags for you to heat press your artwork onto, although you are welcome to bring along an item of clothing of your choice to transfer onto instead.

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/make-your-own-vinyl-decals-15-03-14

Sat 15th Mar 2014 11:00am (Europe/London)

Sat 15th Mar 2014 3:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Set Up your Raspberry Pi

There’s lots of buzz around the Raspberry Pi, however setting up this 30 quid computer that runs Linux off an HDHC card is geeky enough to put some folk off having fun.

If you have a Pi not-yet-setup or you
would like to work through a setup prior to buying one or even if you would like to try re-setting up your Pi then this is the workshop for you!

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/setting-up-your-raspberry-pi-13-03-14

Thu 13th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 13th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

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Laser Cut your own Clock

11am - 1pm sessions
or
1:30pm - 3:30pm sessions

Come and create your very own customised design of clock at our Maker Saturday workshop!

Let your imagination roam free and come up with your own great design to cut on the laser cutters! We’ll be using Inkscape to prepare and set up your files then let the laser cutters do their magic.

We’ll give you an option of acrylic or laserable ply to use as materials for the clock faces and provide all the parts. Laptops will be provided, but if you wish to bring your own, you can download Inkscape at www.inkscape.org/en/download/.

Prices £25 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/laser-cut-your-own-clock-08-03-14

Sat 8th Mar 2014 11:00am (Europe/London)

Sat 8th Mar 2014 3:30pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

No

Yes

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Have a Go at Resin Casting

In this workshop, expert model maker and prop artist Thom Wall (http://sorenzoprops.blogspot.co.uk/) will guide you through reproducing small parts in resin by moulding casting.

You will make a silicone mould of a small demonstration object and use this mould to then make plastic copies. This is a great technique to learn for making multiple copies of small parts, and to make plastic copies from masters in other materials. Maklab's machines are ideal for quickly milling masters in wax or foam.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/have-a-go-at-resin-casting-6-03-14

Thu 6th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 6th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

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Get Started with Rhino

Rhino is the most powerful and flexible of 3D CAD modelling software packages, and also one of the cheapest! Get a head start with this introductory session in which we'll walk you through the myriad applications of Rhino, and show you the basics of modelling.

Surfaces, solids, vectors, parametric modelling, rendering, even CAM and Arduino programming, all can be made light work of with Rhino!

For these introductory sessions, we recommend people use the computers available at MAKLab, or you may bring your own laptop if you download the Rhino Evaluation software, available at http://www.rhino3d.com/download/rhino/5.0/latest.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/get-started-with-rhino-04-03-14

Tue 4th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 4th Mar 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

No

Yes

Have a Go at Laser Cutting

Thursday 6th February 2014
6pm-8pm

The laser cutters are the easiest and quickest machines in MAKlab to get going on. In this workshop we'll give you a full induction on one of them and guide you all through basic artwork editing and cutting and etching in card or acrylic.

We will be using Inkscape for editing artwork. You are welcome to bring your own laptop to work on. If you'd like to use Inkscape it is free and downloadable here: http://inkscape.org/download/?lang=en.

(Please be advised that due to numbers and time restriction, we won't be able to take people through personal project as this is an introductory session)

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

Jewellery CAD Workshop

Starts Monday 17th March 2014
6pm - 9pm

A 3 weekly sessions beginners course in modelling 3D jewellery using the CAD package Rhino.

Run by our resident expert CAD jeweller, Anna Marion, from Oui! Designs.

This course will start you off with the basics, with outcomes of a minimum of 3 finished CAD models of jewellery, ready to be 3D printed.

We have floating Rhino licenses available to all our workshop participants, which you’ll be able to use either on your own laptop (recommended) or on a laptop provided by MAKlab if needed for the time of the workshop.

Should you wish to commission a 3D resin model printed from one the designs you created during the course, you will be able to do so with a 20% discount at £24 per hour instead of £30 at the end of the 3 weeks.

Course Program:

Day 1: Introduction. Curves & Extrudes. Make a ring with a tapered square bezel.

Day 2: Solids & Arrays. Make a ring with cup for setting a pearl/make decorative stud earrings.

Day 3: Surfaces & Sweeps. Make a wedding band with engraved text/swept crossover engagement ring. Understanding the manufacturing process and watertight objects.

Prices £100 (10% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go to www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/jewellery-cad-workshop-17-03-14

Mon 17th Mar 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Mon 17th Mar 2014 9:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Photography Post-Processing

Are you a maker? Don’t waste the fruit of your labour by photographing it badly: it deserve better!
But don’t worry, it’s easier than you think to take good product photography. The secret just lies in knowing how to do it.

Product photography – Learn about post processing!

In this second product photography workshop, we will focus on post processing digital images for different media, concentrating on using free tools like Irfanview, Picasa and Gimp to enhance and format your photographs for publishing.

We will cover basic editing and manipulation, publishing and sharing, plus some legal hints about copyright.
Questions can also be answered on professional software such as Photoshop if desired.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/photography-post-processing-20-02-14

Thu 20th Feb 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 20th Feb 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

DIY Product Photography

Are you a maker? Don’t waste the fruit of your labour by photographing it badly: it deserve better! But don’t worry, it’s easier than you think to take good product photography. The secret just lies in knowing how to do it.

Product photography - do it right, do it yourself!

Get acquainted with the essential vocabulary: aperture, shutter, white balance, exposure, focal point and the most important aims of good product photography.
Practice controlling the different factors involved in photography and using proper studio equipment to achieve the intended effects.
Have a go at photographing products with a DIY set up, and maximising the possible effects, in the environment of an average household.
Bring your own camera and get advice on how to get the most from it.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/diy-product-photography-13-02-14

Thu 13th Feb 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 13th Feb 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

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Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

An open workshop for budding Arduino users.

Bring along your Arduino project or use the Arduino kits we have and try out some different sensors, outputs and techniques.

Show us what you’ve made or ask questions about what’s holding up your Arduino project.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

Get Started with Sketchup

Sketchup is great for getting started quickly with 3D modelling, but it can be hard when you start to get your around the program and the correct way to do things might not always be so obvious.

Get a head start with this introductory session in which we’ll walk you through some of the applications of Sketchup, and show you the basics of modelling.

In this workshop we’ll guide you through some of the tricky bits of the program, give you tips and help you create files that are more reliable for 3D printing.

Please feel free to bring your own laptop with a downloaded version of sketchup or laptops will be provided on demand.

Prices £15 (25% off for MAKlab Members)
To book a place, go www.maklab.bigcartel.com

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/get-started-with-sketchup-06-02-14

Thu 6th Feb 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Thu 6th Feb 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes

Arduino Project Surgery

An open workshop for budding Arduino users.

Bring along your Arduino project or use the Arduino kits we have and try out some different sensors, outputs and techniques.

Show us what you’ve made or ask questions about what’s holding up your Arduino project.

http://maklab.bigcartel.com/product/arduino-project-surgery

Tue 11th Feb 2014 6:00pm (Europe/London)

Tue 11th Feb 2014 8:00pm (Europe/London)

changed

Europe/London

changed

No

Yes