2. Digital Fabrication in Education

[FLA 2025]

Fablab Opening Hours Signage

“Design and cut a sticker (or heat transfer) for your classroom/context that reflects your understanding of the maker mindset /maker movement in education.”

This week I decided to create a signage for the opening hours of the fablab new extension, in order to build a community of new users we need a better communication, it starts with sharing clearly our access modalities.

I designed the file using Adobe Illustrator, and created outlines for the texts to have only vectors before exporting to DXF file.

I have the Cameo Silhouette 4, so I use Silhouette Studio to launch my sticker project. What we are doing is creating instructions for the machine to cut our file on the vinyl sticker. In order to do so, we need to set some parameters in the Design interface, what is the size of our job, are we using or not a cutting mat, for instance.

Then we can reach the “Send” menu, and we have to add which type of material we are using, in my case this is a glossy vinyl.

Hi, Cameo 4.

Before launching a big project, it is wiser to “test” our parameters on a little surface, regarding the supplier of the material, or simply the state of the blade, even a known material can behave differently and not be fully cut.

Ready to weed.

Weeded.

Final material, placed on a transfer sticker, ready to be stuck. And a pile of sticker waste, that I could have anticipated.

Finally, after cleaning the surface and taking some measurements to place it straight and in the center (I tried), I transferred it on our windows in the fablab.

Tadam.

Reflexions

• Based on this week experience, What are some opportunties to integrate this technology in the classroom? How do you think it could support your teaching?

This machine allows a lot of different processes and materials to be used with, possibilities might be endless. In our case, the signage process would be wise to implement more in this new space, for communication. We would like users to feel autonomous and respectful of the space, I think we need clarity in the information provided inside of the lab to reach that.

Out of our context, I relly find it interesting to use this machine with kids, because thay have to create a file digitally, use a “soft” machine, and they developped motricity skills when processing the output.

• Shortly describe an educational activity in which you could use a vinyl cutter. Explain how would you implement each one of the steps of the design process model explained in the Master Class. Do not forget to discuss about learning objectives.

An educational activity in which we could use the vinyl cutter in the fablab would be cutting a copper circuit to integrate 555 microcontrollers and develop musical instruments. This would be an opportunity to discover the basics of analog electronics and boolean operations, plus, it would be a simple manipulative activity to uses resistors and test their effect while creating musical notes. This activity could also integrate design skills while creating the interface of the musical instrument.

• In which part of the digital fabrication continuum (DF for kids to DF by kids) would you feel more comfortable? Why?

I feel more comfortable in the Digital Fabrication by kids continuum, first they need to understand the basics, regarding the subjects or the processes we are working with, then I prefer them to develop something with their own imagination, and I interfere to ask questions, help them or challenge them.

[FLA 2024]

This week I worked with the Cameo 4 vynil cutter during a workshop with kids and their parents in a public library in Solers, France.

Building a “Grainotheque”

The goal of the workshop was to build a seed library for exchanging and discover plants and vegetables seeds species in a public library. The structure was previously milled by the association “L’Age du Faire” in our cnc workshop in Paris. This is a collaborative workshop with several ambitions, creating a citizen action through an exchange of knowledge, discovering digital fabrication practices and the empowerment of building something useful for a community, by the community, in order to create a bigger engagement.

Drawing & Vectorizing

During this workshops, the kids participating (between 5 and 13 years old) were asked to draw fauna and flora related to the seeds the grainotheque will be exchanging.

Using the software Silhouette Studio we used the vectorizing tool to be able to resize and cut their drawings.

After vectorizing their production, we sorted them to decide which vinyl colour to cut them :

When also wrote and vectorized text to create the signage on the structure.

Weeding & Placing

The participants learnt to weed and place the vinyl.

Here are some pictures displaying the results of this workshop :