Fabricademy Week 8: Open Source Hardware – from fibres to fabrics

Fabricademy Week 8: Open Source Hardware – from fibres to fabrics

This class was based upon the open source hardware field and we focused on its potential in the area of textile. Our instructors this week were Mar Canet & Varvara Guljajeva.

We looked at how we could enhance out of date machines for making textiles and how we might take advantage of fabricating digitally. We looked at open source technologies have come up with ideas to create an open source machine for knitting, weaving and invented new techniques. The importance of the tools, techniques and machines that make traditional fabrics will bee looked as well.

The lecture gave an overview “on the evolution of these tools and how these impact production and manufacturing, with the focus on hacking, both machines and tools, and creating open source accessible machinery for a broader public.”

Here are the subjects from the lecture:

  • Techniques & history of Knitting and weaving
  • Machines: knitting machines (mechanical, electronic, digital / industrial)
  • Machine: weaving looms (mechanical, electronic, digital / industrial)
  • Open source machines & hacking machines: knitic, circular knitic, open knit → kniterate
  • Updating the industry with new tools, democratising machines
  • Tools
  • Software: CAD / CAM: laser cutter, big milling machine, electronics setup

Assignment 1:  Hack some machines using tools and software


Here are 3 different topics explored, with the intention to do a lot more took hacking and create more open source tools!

BigBatik with Kuka

Lace-making scaled up : Big-Bad-Bobbins

Circular cog to knitting hoop

 

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