Autor: Michael Wahl

Makerspaces foster creativity, collaborative work and craftsmanship. Anyone interested can use tools, machines and technologies to realize their own projects and develop their technical skills in the process. They also provide an inspiring environment where people with different backgrounds and expertise come together to learn, experiment and support each other. The following article discusses the importance, features and equipment of makerspaces, in particular the Innovation Laboratory Digitalization, which promotes interdisciplinary work at the Trier University of Applied Sciences and serves as an interface to the specialized labs. In addition, the process of prototyping is described using several application examples.

Additive manufacturing, i.e. the printing of three- dimensional workpieces from different materials, offers the possibility of quickly producing functional prototypes. Digital optimisation is an important building block for the rapid implementation of functional product ideas. Based on digital models, the product is virtually optimised and continuously improved. Once the product has been digitally optimised in terms of its properties, it is checked and, if necessary, adapted for additive manufacturing. The product is then manufactured, reworked and finally tested. The article shows the optimisation possibilities using the example of a dispenser from the food industry. An existing component is digitised, a flow optimisation is carried out on the digital model and the improved product is additively manufactured.

Additive manufacturing is a central component of the fourth industrial revolution, which was initiated a few years ago. The growing interconnection of machines and processes and the ever-increasing individualization of customer needs mean that manufacturers have to adapt to changing markets in a continual process due to global competition. The production of prototypes or individual series using machines that produce complex three-dimensional workpieces is becoming increasingly important for manufacturing companies and, thus, for research institutions in the training of qualified specialists.