Introduction
From July 8th through July 10th, the shop hosted its first ever Makerspace Institute. We welcomed participants from 12 higher education institutions around the world to share how the Olin Shop operates and integrates with our engineering curriculum. Some participants came from fully established labs and shop spaces and were hoping to improve curricular integration or establish new culture, while others are in the process of creating brand new spaces. The Makerspace institute was an opportunity for other makerspaces to learn from shop instructors years of experience in the organization and culture of the Olin Shops.
Preparation
Leading up to Makerspace Institute, we spent a lot of time cleaning and organizing the shop spaces and preparing workshops. Many spaces still needed some cleaning after a busy spring semester of use, while others were in the middle of improvement projects that needed to be wrapped up or put on pause. In the Weld Shop, Christian cleaned the waterjet for the first time in two years, removing hundreds of pounds of used garnet from the bottom. Coby gave the abrasives room a much needed fresh coat of paint, and Tierra, Ram and Wilder restocked the missing tools in the mini metal and mini wood shops. The CNC shop walls were decorated with vinyl stickers, and Dyllan hung three new airscrubbers in the woodshop. Jordan laser cut dozens of nametags and Daniela planned the Makerspace Institute. In just a few weeks we completed these and countless other tasks to present the shop at its best for Makerspace Institute
Morning Sessions
Makerspace Institute was jam packed with activities, discussions, and “deep dive” immersive workshops. Each morning, Daniela led workshops and activities about shop operations, culture, and curriculum. This included high level strategizing such as defining mission and vision statements, integrating shop projects into curriculum, tool safety, training pedagogy, and budget prioritization. Participants were especially interested in curricular integration of shop activities exemplified by classes like Mechanical Prototyping and Design for Manufacturing.
Activities immersed participants in Olin’s culture of ideation and user-oriented design. Each presentation included breakout discussions about how Olin’s policies and frameworks could apply to their personal lives and makerspaces. Worksheets, shareouts, and examples helped guide participants through these abstract frameworks.
Coffee Breaks
Coffee breaks helped break up these morning sessions. Each break also featured a tool for making shop branded swag. On Wednesday, participants made custom coffee mugs using dye-sublimation printing. Participants arranged printed logos and graphics onto their mugs, then heated them to transfer the ink onto their mug. Unsurprisingly, the most popular prints were of Professor Mud and [insert Dyllans cats name].
On Thursday participants used the hot foil press to print the makerspace institute logo onto notebooks. The press uses a heated stamp to bond the foil to the notebook. Ram used the CNC mill to create the custom brass stamp for the Makerspace Institute logo. Friday’s coffee break featured the CNC embroidery machine, which we used to make custom Makerspace Institute patches for everyone.
These coffee break activities served as an example for how the Shop uses low risk tools as a gateway into the space, reducing barriers to entry.
Deep Dives
As with all Olin students, the first training of makerspace institute was the intro shop training, teaching participants how to use the band saw, drill press, and belt sander. Participants came with a wide range of shop experience. Some operate their own shops and know the machines well, but others were professors who didn’t have any shop experience. The intro training offered an opportunity for everyone to get into the shops and experience what the spaces felt like, how they were organized, and what the training covered.
CNC Joinery Typeface
In Coby’s CNC Joinery Typeface deep dive, participants used Shaper CNC routers to cut letter shaped tenons and mortices that fit together. The Shapers are useful because they provide some CNC capabilities, but take up much less space than a conventional CNC router. This deep dive also demonstrated how CNC can make woodworking more accessible, as many of the participants didn’t have prior woodworking experience but were still able to make beautiful joints.
Pain-Staking Projects: Kiln Formed Glass
In Dyllan’s kiln-formed glass deep dive, participants used the kiln to create fused glass tiles. This deep dive introduced glass, its unique material properties, and how it is integrated with the Olin curriculum. Kiln forming is also a gateway into more advanced glass fabrication in classes like form to fire.
Bridging the Layer Gap
This deep dive, led by Daniela, explored how the Olin Shop prepares students to use 3D printing in industrial settings. In addition to 3D printing, it demonstrated how prototypes are brought to production using silicon molds. This deep dive focused on the technical differences between 3D printers and filaments, creating molds and casting, and how it is integrated into Olin’s curriculum
Mech Proto
The Mech Proto deep dive, led by Georgia and Jordan, focused on curricular integration of shop spaces. Participants learned how Mech Proto introduces students to the shop, as well as teaches them to have intuition about different mechanical systems. Participants not only heard about this, but got to experience it as they designed and laser cut their own project 1 box.
Cats + Wedges
This deep dive demonstrated how the Olin curriculum integrates the Wood Shop. Dyllan led a carving activity that teaches how wood behaves as a material and handcarving techniques. This deep dive integrated artistic expression with material understanding and analysis of wood.
Design for Manufacturing
This deep dive demonstrated how integrating the shop into the curriculum prepares students for industrial manufacturing. Daniela gave participants an overview of design for manufacturing curriculum and how it prepares students for industry. Participants learned how 3D printed prototypes can be scaled for mass production by injection molding.
FOMSO Day 1 Clamp
In this deep dive, participants made their own Day 1 FoMSO Clamp. This project utilized the milling machine, and lathe and served as an introduction into machine zeroing, multi-setup operations, CNC controls, and work-flow optimization. We also took time to discuss the scope and objectives of FoMSO and the power of hands-on learning.
KISS - Keep it Simple Silly
In this deep dive, participants discussed how to manage student project scope and design to use the simplest machines possible. We explored how purpose-driven iteration can guide students to meet their learning goals and project requirements with fewer tools, time, and resources. The deep dive culminated in an activity emulating Olin’s first-year curriculum, in which participants will make three rapid iterations to prove out their ideas.
Electronics Prototyping
Ram led this deep dive, showcasing how Olin teaches basic electronics and soldering. Participants partook in the electronics orientation and soldering training, also discussing how these skills are integrated into courses like PIE. Finally, they used an Arduino and breadboard to make a spotlight.
Conclusion
The Makerspace Institute was a great success, bringing together educators from around the world to discuss and learn about Olin’s shop culture and pedagogy. Participants immersed themselves in the shop spaces and tools, learning how Olin’s shops are structured and the culture curated in them. Beyond the physical spaces, participants discussed how shops can be integrated with curriculum and adapt to broader institutional needs. We learned so much by hosting Makerspace Institute, and hope that participants did as well.