Fab25 – Bridge the Gap

Fab25 – Bridge the Gap

Ahoj Fab25 and díky for everything! Once again this year, HRW FabLab took part in the Fab Conference and gained a lot of new experience. In case you haven't heard, Fab25 took place in the Czech Republic this year. More specifically, in Brno and Prague.

Fab25 kicked off in Brno in beautiful weather for the first five days before it got cooler. Many workshops were offered in Brno, such as Japanese Wood Print x Lasercutter, Open Footwear, and Designing the Reuse Economy. The graduation ceremony for all graduates of this year's FabAcademy was also held here. Three of our colleagues received their certificates that evening. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them once again!

Tuesday brought a real highlight. The organizers arranged for a train from Brno to Prague—the Maker Train—which took all Fab25 participants onward to their next destination. This is how a networking conference becomes a truly memorable event!

New workshops followed seamlessly in Prague, where the “Quantum Minilabs” project also came into play. We offered three workshops on our BMFTR-funded “Quantum Minilabs” project. On Wednesday, Fab25 was all about quantum research, so we helped prepare for the day, hired speakers, and prepared workshops. Two workshops, one an introduction to Quantum Minilabs and the other a DIY workshop for ultrasonic levitation, were organized by the University of Applied Sciences Ruhr West. The third workshop was offered by project partner openUC2 and showcased their DIY microscopes. We are thrilled by the high level of interest, which shows that our work in quantum technologies is important and that many people want to learn about it.

A small highlight in Prague was the factory tour of the Prusa facility. Since we at HRW FabLab own several Prusa 3D printers ourselves, it was great to see where everything is manufactured. Did you know that Prusa has five alpacas in their yard? We didn't either, so we were all the more surprised when the tour ended with the animals. What a great day!

In addition to the workshops, there was always plenty of networking on the agenda, as contacts with other FabLabs and makerspaces are very valuable and regularly open new doors. Of course, there were also opportunities to explore the cities. And we can say: it's worth it! If you have the chance, be sure to check out the cities. At the end of the conference, there was a farewell party with all the participants. Next year, Fab26 will take place in Boston, USA.