Sustainable Manufacturing in Urban Settings

About

The course will provide students with both hard skills and soft skills necessary to use a FabLab and get an understanding of the concepts of urban factories, “low-tech” design and open source hardware.

The course is built on a theoretical part presenting the different aspects of urban manufacturing, digital design, distributed manufacturing, hardware project development and documentation, and the “low-tech” approach, and a practical part where students will work in groups to develop open source hardware projects, using digital manufacturing tools (3D printer, laser cutter, CNC milling machines) to create objects. The quality of the documentation of their practical work will be examined.

Course leader

Colomb Julien, Robert Mies

Target group

We hope to gather an heterogenous group of students bringing different interests and background. Backgrounds in engineering, industrial engineering and computer science will be useful. Yet, other backgrounds such as economics and business studies, natural sciences, social sciences, and many more are equally encouraged.

Course aim

Technical knowledge:

-using Git and Git forges
-using digital manufacturing machines
-applying agile project management practices

Theoretical knowledge:

-Understanding the strength and limitations of urban and distributed manufacturing
-Understanding the concept of open source hardware and relevant development practices.
-Being introduced to the “low-tech” movement

Social knowledge:

-being able to work as a team on a self-developed hardware project.
-being able to provide and get help or feedback.
-Understanding how technology, creative spaces and communities can be more inclusive.

Fee info