The FabLab Kamp-Lintfort at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences is now open to the public on the first and third Thursdays of every month.
Since 2015, the Faculty of Communication and Environment and the zdi Centre Kamp-Lintfort at Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences have been running a FabLab (Fabrication Laboratory) on the Kamp-Lintfort campus – a high-tech workshop equipped with the most important computer-controlled machines, including 3D printers, milling machines, laser cutters, etc. A key principle of FabLabs is open, democratic access to production technologies and production knowledge. FabLabs also aim to impart technical know-how outside the standard university and school curriculum. That is why – like all FabLabs around the world – the Kamp-Lintfort FabLab now organises an open evening twice a month, to which anyone with an interest in technology is invited.
The opening event of the OpenLab on 2 February 2017 attracted numerous visitors to the FabLab on the Kamp-Lintfort campus. “I’m delighted by people’s enthusiasm and am very excited to see how the OpenLab will develop. I am very confident that opening our doors and providing access to the public will be a real asset. The exchange of ideas and knowledge between young and old will give rise to new, innovative ideas,” says Prof. Dr Karsten Nebe, Professor of Usability Engineering and Digital Manufacturing at the Faculty of Communication and Environment at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences.
In future, this high-tech workshop will offer sessions where school pupils, university students, start-up founders and members of the public with an interest in technology can familiarise themselves with modern manufacturing technology. This is based on the ‘learning by doing’ principle. From the construction and programming of electronic control systems, through the milling and cutting of parts from solid materials, to the 3D printing of bespoke workpieces, almost everything that is currently standard practice in digital manufacturing is possible. Spanning over 600 square metres, the FabLab Kamp-Lintfort at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences offers not only the space but also the necessary machinery to bring your own ideas to life.
