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The two, whose backgrounds sweep across coding, making (for Peter Jackson), creating and beingsocially/societally useful have taken a big punt along with their financial backers.
It is specifically provided for those looking to make one-offs, prototypes and sellable itemsfrom plastic, metal and wood – but who don’t have either their own facility nor the scope orscale to necessarily approach larger scale engineers or fabricators.
MakerSpace links into the mass customisation trend (see sticK story
These CAD files in turn are able to be turned into physical products by MakerSpace’s three(especially sexy) machines that you normally don’t find in a home workshop – a lasercutter/engraver, a CNC 3D router and a 3D extrusion printer.
The five-roomed venue also has a swag of other power and hand tools (see
At their heart though, the two are looking at the mashing and intersecting world of design,manufacture and the democratisation and providing a place for this to happen.
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“Over the past two or three years we’ve talked about creating such a space, we’ve had lotsof people say what a good idea it is, and how they’d use it if it was built,” says Taylor; thecoder side of the equation.
“Now I guess we’ll see whether those who talk the talk walk the walk.”
As they start promoting both the facility’s manufacturing capabilities, and their own andothers’ abilities to teach the skills required to drive such machines, MakerSpace has one or twoclients potential clients for whom it is looking to carry out some contract creation.
One of the main jobs though is to spread the word, let people know MakerSpace exists.
The slightly underground digital cum creative cum design cultures of Wellington are already wellin the know about MakerSpace. Already it has a number of people who have signed up for its DayExperience, Maker and UberMaker (monthly ‘passes’).
“But we want lots more people to be aware of us, let their kids and parents now we exist andcan help,” says Bennett.
“Word of mouth, and spread of that word through social media networks are aspects we’reparticularly keen on.”
Another trend MakerSpace is looking to tap into is the almost immediate feedback that can beprovided through creative people developing a new product (say a piece of jewellery), testing at amarket (e.g. Frank Kitts on a Sunday) to gauge demand, and then selling the item across theinternet.
This form of (relatively) instant market validation is perfectly suited to what MakerSpace canprovide.
“And naturally, if the product’s successful, we’d like them to continue to use MakerSpaceto manufacture,” says Taylor.
Taylor himself is a prime example of how this might work. See
Bennett envisages that one day, a MakerSpace-like facility will be attached to libraries and befound throughout a community. As more people become adept at designing their own one-offs andpotential world-beating products, the likes of MakerSpace will become commonplace.
The challenge is to now, you suspect, spark the interest and unloosen the wallets of thosecorporate-type employees looking for an outlet (literal and actual) for their own good ideas.There’s sure to be any number of bureaucrats for a start with thinking time on their hands whohave a much greater opportunity to visualise and create in 3D.
A Melbourne colleague, when pointed out the existence of MakerSpace made the observation. “Oh,I’m so jealous. We don’t have anything like that here, but wouldn’t many love to have one.Well done Wellington.”