OLSK stands for OpenLab Starter Kit, a powerful suite of eight open-source digital fabrication machines designed to make advanced production technology accessible to everyone.
The OpenLab Starter Kit includes:
OLSK Small Laser: A desktop laser cutter with a cutting area of 600 mm x 400 mm.
OLSK Large Laser: A dual-source laser cutter with a cutting area of 1000 mm x 700 mm.
OLSK Small 3D Printer: A compact FDM 3D printer with a printing volume of 240 mm x 240 mm x 240 mm.
OLSK Large 3D Printer: A large format pellet extrusion 3D printer with a printing volume of 1000 mm x 1000 mm x 1300 mm.
OLSK Small CNC: A desktop CNC milling machine with an automatic tool changer and a milling volume of 400 mm x 500 mm x 140 mm.
OLSK Large CNC: A large format CNC milling machine with an easy-to-replicate design and a milling volume of 2500 mm x 1250 mm x 300 mm.
OLSK Vinyl Cutter: The first open-source vinyl cutter with a cutting width of 300 mm.
OLSK 3D Scanner: An easy-to-produce 3D scanner using photogrammetry, featuring a turning table and three cameras.
Comprehensive Documentation
A key feature of OLSK is its extensive documentation. This includes CAD files, Bill of Materials, electronics schematics, and assembly manuals, all accessible in repositories. The presentation also introduced a new online assembly manual, offering a more dynamic and easily updatable resource.
For more information and regularly updated repositories of each machine, visit the InMachines website.
The OLSK is part of the dtec.bw project Fab City at Helmut Schmidt University, University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg and is funded by the Center for Digitalization and Technology Research Center of the German Armed Forces (dtec.bw) which we gratefully acknowledge. dtec.bw is financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
From April to December 2024, everything at Jupiter will once again revolve around the topic of circular economy in Hamburg and we are delighted to be live on site with the OpenLab Microfactory to demonstrate new concepts for local and sustainable production.
📣 Just drop by and get to know digital manufacturing technologies such as 3D printers or laser cutters live in action, no registration required.
OPENING HOURS
OpenLab Microfactory
Tue + Thu, 10-18 h
Jupiter general
Mon + Tue, 10-21 h
Wed-Sat, 10-24 h
Sun, 10-18 h
Public holidays are treated like the respective weekday.
21.05.2024 – Renata Siagian, Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia Hamburg, Colonel Budi Wibowo, The main duty of Defence Section / Defence Attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Berlin, and Vice Air Marshal Arif Widianto visiting the OpenLab Hamburg of the Laboratory of Production Engineering (LaFT/Helmut Schmidt University), accompanied by our Vice President Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernd Klauer.
Dr. Tobias Redlich, head of the New Production Institute, and doctoral researcher Marcello Tania (NPI) gave a joint tour of the OpenLab Hamburg with a short intro to the Fab City approach (Fab City | The New Production Institute) and the Fab Lab (Fabrication Laboratories) movement, of which the OpenLab Hamburg is also a member – with the overarching goal of making digital manufacturing technologies in particular accessible to everyone in order to produce almost everything we consume locally.
OpenLabs are thematically specialized technology labs in which private individuals, companies and start-ups can get to know and use open-source and digital manufacturing machines, such as 3D printers, CNC milling machines or laser cutters.
By using open source hardware machine tools, OpenLabs help to promote local innovation projects, support urban production and reduce dependence on global supply chains. Open source hardware also strengthens technological competence, with open documentation promoting local knowledge and global collaboration.
Researchers from the New Production Institute recently gave an insightful lecture to MIT’s MAS.865 class on Sustainability, Accessibility, and Usability. The presentation covered critical topics relevant to modern manufacturing and its impact on society. Their ongoing work closely aligns with these topics, and they were happy to provide their insights to students and faculty.
SUSTAINABILITY
Can the development, deployment and use of tools or machines be conducted in a way that is responsible to the environment, economically viable, socially equitable and technologically adaptable?
J.C. Mariscal-Melgar and Michel Langhammer discussed various aspects of sustainability, emphasizing the circular economy and local production initiatives such as the Fab City movement. They highlighted the significance of Open Source Hardware, repairability, and ethical material sourcing, alongside discussions on tackling plastic pollution and enhancing resource efficiency in machine tools.
USABILITY
How can we design and develop tools or machines so that they are easy to use?
Luisa Lange then focused on the concept of usability, covering usability standards, guiding principles, goals, user testing methods, and specific considerations for the usability of machine tools. She emphasized the importance of human factors ergonomics and the psychological impacts on users.
ACCESSIBILITY
How accessible are open-source machine tools in terms of financial affordability, physical access, educational opportunities, and inclusivity?
The final segment was led by Mohammed Omer and MIT’s Alexander Htet Kyaw. They discussed the critical role of manufacturing in economic development. Their presentation explored the challenges of accessibility in low-resource contexts and the potential of open-source machine tools. They also highlighted the importance of inclusive digital fabrication technologies to democratize making and innovation.
The lecture was a success, sparking a lot of discussion among attendees. The engaging dialogue has set the stage for future plans and collaborations.
Online Lecture
For more detailed information, access the lecture content here.
OpenLab Microfactory – produce locally, on site in small series.
After a three-week pilot phase in autumn 2023, the Pop-Up Circular Hub on the Jupiter campus is entering its second round. From 30 April to 31 December 2024, everything at Jupiter will revolve around the topic of “Circular Economy” and we will be live on site with the OpenLab Microfactory, accompanied by many free building workshops, exhibitions & co-working stations on all aspects of digital manufacturing technologies.
The event was ceremoniously opened with words of welcome from Corinna Nienstedt from the Hamburg Senate Chancellery and Lutz Birke from the Ministry of Economics and Innovation (Wieder-Eröffnung des Pop-Up Circular Hubs im Jupiter – hamburg.de). Together with experts, we discussed how the circular economy can be implemented in Hamburg and what role urban planning, for example, can play in promoting the circular economy.
Some of the many challenges that we will address and discuss at the Pop-Up Circular Hub:
We live in a throwaway society and waste too many resources! How can we improve this economically and individually?
Long transport routes have a high CO2 footprint and harbour increasingly higher risks for the economy and the environment. How and what can we produce locally?
Products are (usually) designed in such a way that they end up as waste! Can we avoid this through circular design?
Companies are major contributors to environmental problems. How can circular economy strategies help them to operate more sustainably?
What is a OpenLab Microfactory?
» A small-scale factory with various digital production machines such as a small laser cutter, a CNC milling machine and a 3D printer from the OpenLab Starter Kit, a set of open-source machine tools: In the Pop-Up Circular Hub, the New Production Institute of Helmut Schmidt University presents a small-scale factory in the middle of the city on more than 50 square metres. In addition to the machine setup, the OpenLab Microfactory focuses on sustainability and resource monitoring with a developed open-source energy monitoring system. The Microfactory thus demonstrates how open source principles can help to promote local and circular production. More at: OpenLab Microfactory – Open Lab Hamburg
„We are delighted to once again be part of the Pop-Up Circular Hub with the New Production Institute and to be able to demonstrate new concepts for local and sustainable production with the OpenLab Microfactory,” explains Dr. Tobias Redlich, Head of the New Production Institute at HSU/UniBw H.
In addition to the Microfactory, visitors to the exhibition can learn about the concept of the circular economy and get to know projects that are advancing Hamburg’s circularity with different focal points. The Co-Working Station demonstrates an application example of the circular economy on site: the transformation of an office from the 1990s into a modern, circular working environment.
Funding
The OpenLab Microfactory is funded as part of the dtec.bw research project Fab City at the Helmut Schmidt University (HSU/UniBw H) – dtec.bw is funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
Public holidays are treated like the respective weekday.
Project Partner
The “Pop-Up Circular Hub” is being realised as an exhibition and series of events by Fab City Hamburg e.V., the Hamburg Institute for Innovation, Climate Protection and Circular Economy GmbH, the New Production Institute, the Senate Chancellery and Hafen-City University.
Hamburg Institute for Innovation, Climate Protection and Circular Economy GmbH
The HiiCCE Institute is a research institute affiliated with the Hamburg University of Technology and is also a subsidiary of Stadtreinigung Hamburg. The institute develops holistic solutions for the global challenges of climate protection and the circular and resource economy and conducts research into various areas of the circular economy.
Fab City Hamburg e. V.
In June 2019, the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg became the first German city to join the global Fab Cities Alliance. In doing so, it has taken on the challenge of transforming the urban economy into a comprehensive, digitally supported circular economy: Hamburg will then be able to produce (almost) everything that is consumed in the city itself. Fab City Hamburg e.V. was founded in 2020 to institutionalise the Fab City in Hamburg. It is funded by the Ministry of Economics and Innovation. The association publicises the idea of the Fab City, supports its development and documents its progress. More at: fabcity.hamburg!
New Production Institute
The New Production Institute emerged from the interdisciplinary value creation systems research group of the Laboratory of Production Engineering at Helmut Schmidt University Hamburg. As a think tank for the future of value creation and production, the experts at the New Production Institute are involved in various projects dealing with the transformation of value creation systems against the backdrop of new possibilities for networking and production in times of digital transformation. The focus is particularly on the operationalisation of openness in new modes of value creation (open innovation, open design, open production and open source).
Senatskanzlei, Referat Europapolitik
The Senate Chancellery’s European Policy Unit deals with European law issues and EU funding programmes. The unit’s team coordinates EU projects focussing on the circular economy, mobility and climate adaptation. In the DECISO project, ten partners from five countries are researching funding opportunities for circular economy ideas. The KARMA project is focussing on sustainable construction. Seven partners from five countries are exchanging ideas on circular policy instruments in the construction sector. www.hamburg.de/europa
HafenCity University Hamburg | University of Architecture and Metropolitan Development (HCU) is a university focussing on the built environment. The HCU unites all aspects of construction in design and drafting, engineering and natural sciences as well as humanities and social sciences under one roof. The HCU’s overarching research priorities are climate/sustainability and digitalisation. Among other things, the HCU is involved in the development process of the national circular economy strategy.
Fab City as a model for the circular economy and sustainable development
This open access book provides current, interdisciplinary research insights into the Fab City concept, which promotes global collaboration and local, decentralised production with the help of open source technologies (open source software and hardware).
The aim is to create the most sustainable production and value creation possible:
Ecologically sustainable by avoiding long transport routes and closing local material cycles on the basis of recycling principles.
Economically sustainable by avoiding restrictions on competition through open-source technologies and dependencies through federated approaches.
Socially sustainable through a participatory value creation system in which access to knowledge, expertise and means of production is unrestricted.
The bilingual work contains contributions on:
» Citizen & Collaborative Innovation and Design, » Circular Design & Economy, » Open-Source Software Tools for Open Source Hardware Development, » Digital Product Passport, Federated (Open-Source) Systems, » Open Source Hardware Dissemination, » Technical Literacy, and Economic Governance.
Experts such as Prof. Neil Gershenfeld (Director, The Center for Bits and Atoms MIT) and Tomas Diez (Founding partner and executive director of the Fab City Foundation) emphasise the importance and opportunities of these technologies for sustainable production.
The Pop-Up Circular Hub (PUCH) exhibition took place from November 20 to December 8, 2023, in the JUPITER building, a former sporting goods retail store in the heart of Hamburg. The event was a collaboration between the Hamburg Institute for Innovation, Climate Protection and Circular Economy (HiiCCE), BUKEA, Fab City Hamburg and The New Production Institute with the aim to create a temporary hub for circular economy actors in and around Hamburg.
The New Production Institute therefore deployed a pop-up microfactory (so called OpenLab Microfactory), spanning approximately 25m² on the 4th floor with an exhibition space next to it. The microfactory space was equipped with different types of digital manufacturing machines like the Small Lasercutter, CNC-Mill and 3D Printer of the OpenLab Starter Kit (OLSK) as well as different hand tools. The focus beside the machine setup was on sustainability and resource monitoring with a developed open-source energy monitoring system.
⫸ The local network of actors for the microfactory deployment and operation included InMachines Ingrassia GmbH as machine supplier (original equipment manufacturer (OEM)), Insel e.V. with its OpenLab Circular Plastics as service manufacturer for recycled plastic sheets, and Fab City Hamburg e.V. with activities in hands-on workshops, knowledge transfer and engaging the local community.
Setting up a microfactory
The planning phase involved considerations for space and energy consumption limits, emission thresholds, and time scheduling with other organizations sharing the space. Material procurement involved sourcing electronic components for a modular lamp (published as open-source hardware) and obtaining plastic sheets from Insel e.V. for the Parameo picture frame. Diverse materials for ad-hoc manufacturing included 3D printing filament, cartonage, and wood sheets. The deployment process encompassed logistics, transport of equipment, installation, calibration, and testing of machines, along with the configuration of the data platform.
The microfactory operation was visible on a dashboard showing the live energy consumption of the machines:
Other operation activities included direct exchange with visitors, performing hands-on workshops like 3D printing intro or building a 3D printer in 2 days. Prototyping included designing cards for one of the art galleries in the building, as well as key rings for Ghana, while production focused on modular mini lamps, Christmas souvenirs, milling precious plastic plates for a solarbox, and Parameo picture frames. CAD/CAM technology played a crucial role in creating and processing designs for machines, including 3D printers and laser cutters.
The development of the data platform and IoT stack aimed at modularizing Node-Red and Grafana Dashboard for easy integration of new machine types and tracking manufacturing process parameters such as energy and material consumption.
Three weeks of local production
Visitor statistics revealed approximately 330 people over three weeks visited the space, with various feedback from people wanted to manufacture their own invations to suggestions for a more visual and less textual content for easier understading.
Manufacturing statistics included the production of 30 modular lamps, aorund 60 Christmas decorations/gifts, repair of a powerbank using 3D printers, 3 laser-engraved cards, 1 laser-engraved and cutted custom post box, milled boxes from recycled plastic sheets for a solarbox, and two Parameo milled picture frames.
Overall, the exhibition showcased a successful integration of sustainability practices, innovative designs, and community engagement in a circular microfactory setting.
Funding
The OpenLab Microfactory is funded in the framework of the dtec.bw research project Fab City at Helmut Schmidt University (HSU/UniBw H) – dtec.bw is financed by the European Union – NextGenerationEU.
An exhibition and series of events on the topic of the circular economy in Hamburg.
The focus: local production, repairing, recycling and reusing for a resilient, sustainable green and circular economy directly on site.
From 20th of November until 7th of December 2023, the Pop-up Circular Hub will open in the Jupiter Campus, the former Karstadt-Sport building on Mönckebergstraße – and we from Fab City Hamburg will be there.
Visitors can expect an exciting mix of expert talks, thematically diverse exhibitions, hands-on workshops and other educational opportunities on the topic of the circular economy. The exhibition invites visitors to join in the discussion and contribute their own ideas and questions directly in order to promote exchange and participation in this important area.
In the Pop-Up Circular Hub, the New Production Institute of the Helmut Schmidt University presents the possibilities of local, circular production through an open microfactory (OpenLab Microfactory). Using open-source hardware machines and data-based operation in the form of digital product data and the automatic measurement of electrical energy consumption, it is possible, for example, to make statements about the energy used per machine job.
Program
Grand opening on Nov. 20 at 11 a.m. together with Senator Jens Kerstan, the Ministry for the Environment, Climate, Energy and Agriculture (BUKEA).
The Build Workshop “Open Lab Starter Kit (OLSK)” is designed as a learning experience for participants to learn more about open source machines and local production. During the workshop, participants will build a 3D printer from a pre-built kit together with experienced tutors.
In addition to the workshops, the three-week exhibition in the form of a microfactory will showcase other digital machine tools and factory setups that explore the potential of local production. Specific products that have been or can be manufactured in the micro-factory will also be exhibited.
The OpenLab Microfactory is funded as part of the dtec.bw research project Fab City at HSU/UniBw H – dtec.bw is funded by the European Union NextGenerationEU.
