Marios Mouratidis

Project: 3D Copy Shop A Wooden Codel Was Created from a Plaster Face Cast

A Contribution from Eri

  • A photo series was created from a plaster face mask.
  • A point cloud from the photo series was created with Linux/Colmap.
  • The points were cleaned up and processed with Meshlab
  • The milling paths were generated with Pycam.
  • The toolpath files were created with a tool developed in-house.


simplified so that the GCode can be run with the Fablab CNC software as well as NCcad.

Face1_Punkte
  • The workpiece: a 1 1⁄2 year old, dried piece of end-grain wood, pre-drilled for “spaxing” onto the sacrificial plate.
  • Cutter: 6 mm cylinder for “roughing” and 6 mm spherical head for “finishing”.
Face2_Tools
Face3

About The Manufacturing Process

The feed rate for milling could be increased significantly. The cutter length was not sufficiently taken into account during the creation. This is how the saying of the day came about: “One more delivery is possible”. Before any collisions occurred, it was stopped. After remodelling and x-times finishing (Proxxon), the following emerged:

Face4
Face5
Face7

This project was kindly supported by the University of Siegen. Many thanks for this, especially to Daniel for his collaboration and Helga for text drafting and layout.

Remark:
Only a very slow Linux notebook (Ubu 19.04) is available on site. (possibly faster with SSD or cloud computing ??)
Network access for updates planned.
Friday afternoons are aggravating and not so well suited for such projects with public traffic and the limited time of the staff.
Other spax screws are missing or have not been found.
The cutter selection is limited.
Unsolved : Chatter marks.

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Thursday 13.2, 7 pm: Lecture “FabLab Maya – Can Technology Help Preserve Traditions?”

On Thursday (13 February) Christian will give a talk about Fab Lab Maya at 7pm. Christian visited Fab Lab Maya in the Mexican jungle and would like to tell us about it. There they try to support the local population and traditions with modern technologies.
The title of the lecture is “FabLab Maya – Can technology help to preserve traditions?

Facts

  • Admission is free!
  • When: Thursday, 13 February 2020
  • Start: 7 pm
  • Where: Fab Lab, Herrengarten 2, 57072 Siegen
By Marios Mouratidis, ago

The Lab is now also open on Wednesdays and Saturdays

We can now offer you new opening hours for the Lab! Friday remains in place. We are also open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We would also like to take this opportunity to remind you of our safety briefings twice a month and our plenary once a month. The 3D Printing Happy Hour merges into the Wednesday appointment and no longer exists in its own right.

The opening hours are valid until we move out of the Herrengarten.

New Opening Hours

  • Wednesdays: 13:00 – 17:00
  • Fridays: 14:00 – 20:00
  • Saturdays: 12:00 – 18:00

At these times, work can be done freely in the Fab Lab. All interested parties are welcome to attend. We are looking forward to your visit! If you want to work in the Fab Lab, you must have taken part in an appropriate safety course beforehand.

Important: We may have to cancel opening hours from time to time due to other events or teaching at the Lab. But then we’ll announce it beforehand! So before you go to the Lab, check here on this page to see if it’s really open.

Safety Instructions

Safety instructions are held at 4 p.m. every first and third Thursday of the month. Registration is not necessary. Read more here.

Plenary

On the last Thursday of the month we have our plenary for everyone at 5pm. More Information here.
Just come by.

Happy Making,
your Fab-Lab-Team

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Visit from Mascat (Oman) to Fab Lab Siegen

On 22 November, we had a visit from a delegation from the German University of Technology (GUTech) in Mascat, Oman with 20 mostly female students of technical disciplines and two teachers.

The delegation was interested in the concept, implementation and benefits of Fab Labs at universities, as we are pursuing in Siegen.
Prof. Dr. Volkmar Pipek, Director of the Fab Lab on this:

“We are very interested in sharing our experiences in setting up and running a Fab Lab and networking with Fab Labs worldwide.”

As you may have noticed, we have several international partnerships, such as the YALLAH exchange with universities in Palestine and Gaza, the Global Innovation Gathering network and Greece Communitere.

Prof. Pipek also emphasised again how important a lab is for exchange, the acquisition of knowledge and also for intercultural understanding. Prof. Pipek continues:

“In addition to implementing vocational qualification pathways, Fab Labs also serve as learning sites for technical skills for the population and can thus make an important contribution to democratising technical knowledge in all countries and cultures.”

There are more than 1700 Fab Labs worldwide. Discussions are currently taking place to support the establishment of a Fab Lab at GUTech in Mascat by the University of Siegen.

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Not Bad for Friday The Thirteenth

A contribution by Ingo Schultze-Schnabel

On the evening of that December day in 2019, I held in my hand the first copy of a 3D print of one of my designs.

Finished print still on the 3D printer

I have been working artistically with multipart images and objects since the 90s and was looking for a method to transform a design into a sculptural object from the 3D printer.

Members of Fab Lab Siegen accompanied me in several steps: From the basic information about the Fab Lab and its possibilities, the ways of designing from “my” graphics programme via CAD programmes to the printer control, a lot was new for me. But in the great working atmosphere it was fun to get involved with new things.

Now the new object hangs provisionally on the wall, for “test viewing”, so to speak. I am concerned with the mechanisms by which our perception “sees” something as a whole with the help of partial information. The quality of visual information, redundancy, the “information gap” – such terms run through my head.

3D print hung on the wall

Here in the work you can see how, despite the distances between the stripes, the impression quickly arises in many places that rectangles, seen in perspective, are being depicted there. The gap suddenly becomes information. With David Amend at the end of the day, I got to talk about how the exact same thing is happening with fake news, an area in which he had experience from a computer science perspective. This is how fragments become a narrative and how easily “truth” emerges in our minds. That brings me back to my artistic theme.

If you want to go a little deeper, you can find more material on my blog.

If you want to experience more art in Siegen, please refer to the ChaosFlux from 24-26 April. Mehr Infos: https://chaosflux.de/de/about/

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

The Creation of a Bow Handle

A contribution by Philipp Dasbach

The Problem

In archery, the repeatability of the entire shooting process is
crucial for a good result. I myself have owned an Olympic recurve bow with sights (aiming device) and stabilization system (weights for balancing, for smoother aiming) for several years.

Characteristic of this type of bow are the curved or backward bent ends of the bow, from where the English term “recurve” comes.
Unlike other shooting sports, where, for example, is shot over the rear sight and front sight, the sight of the recurve bow has only the front sight. Thus, the body posture and the stopping point of the bow (anchor point) form the second reference point of the recurve bow to define the direction in which the arrow flies. That is, even if the front sight always points to the gold (center of the target), but the bow is slightly different in your hand than it was when you shot it before, the arrow will hit somewhere else.

Therefore, many archers customize the grip of their bow with grip tape or modeling clay to craft a grip that is perfect and stable in their own hand. Since I was not satisfied with the grip of my bow, I decided to design my own grip, which also looks professional due to 3D printing.

The Recurve Bow

Attempts to apply known knowledge

Before I designed the grip according to my ideas, I first wanted to copy the original grip of my bow, so that I could make the adjustments that seemed reasonable from this basis.

Due to my mechanical engineering studies at the University of Siegen, I am familiar with the use of CAD software and have confidently approached the design. However, two things caused me an unexpected amount of problems.

First, it took me a long time to design the many interlocking fillets of the handle. These fillets are very difficult to reproduce with software solutions from the mechanical engineering sector, since they usually have defined geometries. This took me some time, but also forced me to learn new features and capabilities of CAD software.

The second issue that cost me a few tries in 3D printing is the measurability of the hard-to-define geometries.
Since the handle has only a very narrow, straight edge, it was very difficult to measure the position of the hole, bevels and radii. However, it is important for the attachment of the grip piece to the sheet that the geometry of the grip piece corresponds exactly to the geometry of the receptacle provided for it on the sheet. Since I could only roughly estimate many dimensions, I had to approach the correct geometry step by step through trial and error.

During this trial and error, I was able to learn a lot about 3D printing from the staff and makers in the Fab Lab. Above all, they helped me find the ideal slicer settings for my part and the right material. In addition, the Fab Lab works with different CAD programs, all of which have their strengths for different problems.

Prototyping

After four attempts I had copied the original grip of my bow sufficiently well and started with attempts to adapt the grip geometry to my hand. In the process, I tried a total of five different versions.

First, I made changes that seemed logical to myself to stabilize certain areas of the hand to prevent it from slipping back and forth. On the other hand, I combined this with geometries of grips from different manufacturers to arrive at my individual and optimal grip.

Currently, I have mounted a version of the grip on my bow, in which I have rounded some disturbing edges of the original grip and minimize the back-and-forth slipping by changing the angle of the contact surface.

Arch with mounted handle on bracket

Satisfied, but surely there’s more?!

I definitely achieved my goal of getting a better grip than the old one. Whether I have already found the ideal solution, I do not know, because there are still some geometries that I could try.

In the meantime, I uploaded the latest version of the grip to Thingiverse and hope to run into an archer who also uses my grip. Overall, I have to say that through the exchange in the Fab Lab I got ideas and tips that I would never have come up with on my own.

Handle piece, mounted on bow

Copyright Pictures: Philipp Dasbach

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Creation of a Tabletop Game

A field report by Tim Dümpelmann

When I entered the Fab Lab for the first time in November, I was really amazed that there was such a great place here in Siegen. The people were very nice and open-minded and I felt comfortable right away. I guess it’s also because I’ve always been a bit of a technology nerd.

An Idea is Quickly Found

The 3D printers have aroused special interest in me. Not only because it was exciting to watch them work, but also because I am somewhat involved in 3D modeling as a hobby. Over the next few weeks, I was at Open Lab every Friday. There I met many nice, interesting people who were all working on great projects.

I think creativity is somewhat contagious. Therefore, it did not take long and I had also decided on my first project:
i wanted to create a tabletop game, model all the game pieces myself and make them with a 3d printer.
Since I had just rendered a great picture (see below) of a “MechMiner” for a science fiction contest, I took it directly as a template for my first figure, the “resource collector”.
mechminer-modell
minersmall

The Right Manufacturing Process

Then I just started modeling. In doing so, I often reached the limits of the FDM printing process due to the small dimensions of my figures and the many details in the 3D models. Therefore, I considered a modular plug-in system to be able to print as efficiently and detailed as possible. I was offered to use an SLA printer, which has much higher precision, but dealing with resins and other liquids is not really my thing.

IMG_20190329_223633_426
IMG_20190329_223626_578

Build, Build, Build

With most problems, both in modeling and in manufacturing, someone was always ready to help me. Since the laser was a little more complicated to use than the 3D printers, I was also quite happy about it.
Since the laser was a little more complicated to use than the 3D printers, I was also quite happy about it. This one was perfect for making a nice modular game board. At the moment the game is not finished yet, so here you can see only a prototype for testing the game mechanics.

IMG_20190317_003814
IMG_20190329_223410

It will be some time before the first version can be played. Balancing will take a long time, and there are still many game cards to be designed.
I have already put the 3D models into a Github project. Stay tuned!

And Around It: The Lab

I myself could also help some people with their projects with my knowledge, and it makes me a bit proud :). I think coming together and working with like-minded people is what makes Fab Lab such a great place.
The technical competence of the staff is high and they do their work very professionally.
The Lab provides opportunities for everyone to try out technology. And I definitely found some people there that I would call friends.
In the meantime, I own my own 3D printer to move the project forward.
Thanks again to everyone who helped set up and troubleshoot!

IMG_20190316_193046

In my opinion, a place like the Fab Lab is an enrichment for Siegen. I just don’t understand why so many people walk past it. 😮 Anyway, I’m looking forward to spending more time there.

Until then: Happy work!

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

A Raspberry Pi Case Rarely Comes Alone

A field report by Henning Schroeder

In mid-January 2019, during the course of a project with my Raspberry Pi (Wikipedia) 3B+, I was looking for a suitable case that would hold my PI with a 3.5-inch TFT screen. Since I’m new to Raspberry Pis, I thought that doing as much as possible myself would get me up to speed faster than click and buy products from various online markets. With this in mind, I searched for a company in Siegen that performs 3D printing. Right on the first Google run, I came across the Fab Lab website. After a quick phone call to the Fab Lab, I got the info to just come by the following Friday. So it happened that shortly after I entered the Fab Lab I was shown the entire Fab Lab, the staff and the equipment in an extremely friendly manner. The concept of the Fab Lab was previously only known to me from articles on the web. However, this still seemed a long way off for a city like Siegen. All the more I was surprised and thrilled. Everyone present made a very nice impression while focused but always helpful in the Fab Lab.

The 3D Model and Printing

So, with the help of Fabian, I started using the Slice program (Wikipedia) to prepare the file I had previously downloaded via Thingiverse for the 3D printer, brand “Prusa“. After slicing, we exported the generated G-code (Wikipedia) to an SD card, again plugged it into the 3D printer, and started preparing it at the printer. This consisted of removing any previous printing residue from the printing plate with an alcohol solution and then briefly polishing it. After that, we started printing with a few keystrokes. According to the ad, this was supposed to last longer than the Fab Lab’s opening hours, whereupon Fabian made me the offer to put the print on a shelf after it was finished, from which I could pick it up at any time. After a few more Q&A situations that I needed to understand the complexity of the community/open source model in Fab Lab, I left.
Print of the Raspberry-Pi housing

Mistakes Lead to New Ideas

Of course, only to return to the Fab Lab three days later in the evening, full of excitement.
I tried to insert the PI including the screen into the case directly after I had fetched the case from the aforementioned shelf. Unfortunately, the top layer of the screen cracked in the process. This can probably be attributed to the ambient temperature at that time, which is probably not very good for a screen at 0°C. Mistakes in a project and frustration lead to new ideas (at least for me).

A Project Rarely Comes Alone

So it came that I was looking for a new housing project. This I started slightly smaller and simpler than the screen case. Again on Thingiverse. Once again soaking up ideas. Using software called Blender (Wikipedia), I created a “thrifty” cage-look bumper case over many hours of gruesome desperation. The next Friday, for the next Open Lab, I sought out the Lab again to dive into 3D printing. After a little help from the Lab visitors and staff present, the bumper case printing began. This one also worked to complete satisfaction and fits spot on.

Now I am busy with my thoughts around the next project at Fab Lab Siegen.

3D Models to Copy and Develop

The 3D models for the Pi cases are also available for download:

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Fab Lab Siegen in Regensburg – A Makerspace at the Mensch und Computer Conference 2017

What do four people do with a station wagon, a lot of luggage, various boxes full of stuff, a 3D printer, virtual reality equipment, moderation cases and toolboxes? – Right. Play Tetris.

On Saturday, 09.09.2017 in the afternoon we packed some of the most beautiful treasures and a little hardware from the Fab Lab and headed to Regensburg to the Mensch und Computer (MuC) Conference, which took place from 10-13 September 2017. Interested parties and experts from the fields of human computer interaction, user experience and usability meet there every year. Not only professors, researchers and students can exchange their research results and projects, but also representatives of different companies and developers are on site to make contacts, gather inspiration and inform themselves.

The focus of such a conference is on submitted written contributions in the form of scientific papers and posters on a specific topic, the contents of which are presented as presentations. In addition, workshops will be held. Fab Lab Siegen should be represented in such a workshop. In keeping with the theme of the conference, “Interacting easily through play”, we decided to have an open Makerspace that could be visited at any time on one of the conference days.

Together with committed members from Hackspace Regensburg – the Binary Kitchen – we transformed the drab concrete look of the conference building at the University of Regensburg into a colourful and flashing place on Monday, inviting people to interactively find out about Fab Labs, Hackspaces and Maker Culture between coffee and lectures. Under the motto “Make – Hack – Learn – Share”, visitors were able to create 3D models in virtual reality, which they could then either place in the real world as augmented reality holograms using the Microsoft HoloLens or even print out using the 3D printers. Different exhibits and projects from the Fab Lab caused general amazement and interest. However, the many lighting gimmicks of the Binary Kitchen have also attracted the most attention. In a mini-soldering experience, the conferees were able to assemble their own flashing clothes peg.

The Makerspace was represented at the Mensch und Computer conference for the first time and was a great success. The visitors were enthusiastic and after the positive feedback we hopefully were not there the last time.

By Marios Mouratidis, ago

Cytrill – Game Controller Made in Siegen

Hackspace Siegen has developed a single-board computer for gaming, education, and experimentation that allows over 32 people to play together on one screen at the same time – a collaborative project for which our Fab Lab, among others, was used. From hardware to games, everything at Cytrill is open source.

It took about a whole year until the members of HaSi could hold the first finished controller in their hands. The idea was there, but a lot of thought went into the implementation: what should the game controller look like in the end? Which design is best for the use? In the end, a small, colorful single-board computer was created, which is similar in appearance to well-known controllers. Apart from the many buttons, the minimalistic, differently colored grips, which are plugged into the sides of the board, are striking. These grips were printed from PLA with the Luzlbot in our Fab Lab.

In the future, however, a second variant will also be created, in which two transparent Plexiglas plates are used instead of the grip panels, so that the complete circuit board remains visible. This variant is to be produced as a prototype in our lab using laser cutting.

Meanwhile, there are already several games for the controller: “Wallhack” (similar to Achtung the Curve), “RaceCtrl” (a car race), “Crystal Mett” (a game in which you have to collect crystal pigs in teams) and “SpaceCtrl” (a spaceship game). All games were created in the open source game engine Godot and so there is a GD script that controls the LEDs on the controllers that show the status or the current game color. The board itself is based on an ESP8266 radio module and has four small joysticks on each side. The controllers have a USB interface, but this is only used for loading and programming. Wifi is used to connect to games and applications, and power is supplied via a battery. The plates are decorated with an octopus and gold details.

Cytrill and individual games could already be tested in public, for example (as seen above) on the Day of Technology or the Siegen Art and Culture Week Art!Si, and gave pleasure to both young and old. The small colorful controllers attracted attention and as soon as they were tried out, some could hardly detach themselves from them. People who didn’t know each other before played against and with each other with visibly a lot of fun, much to the delight of the developers.

In the future, Cytrill will be used in workshops at our Fab Lab, but also for university teaching. The invention shows that the hacker and maker culture has already arrived in Siegerland and that it enables jointly developed, innovative projects.

Cytrill on detail:

By Marios Mouratidis, ago