News
It’s big, it’s shiny, it’s new…
It’s our laser cutter! With the help of the Wichita Community Foundation and the Knight Foundation fund, our members now have acces to this 80 watt cutter from Rabbit Laser which features a 3ft x 4ft feed-through bed. It came highly recommended from other makerspaces and some locals, and we’ve been very happy with it so far! See our events list below for information about certification.
Introducing Maker Mondays!
Actually, it’s not anything new, but we are changing the name of “Open Hack Nights” to “Maker Mondays”. The old name came with incorrect assumptions about what happens at the makerspace on those nights, so hopefully the new name will be more inviting. Maker Mondays are still free and open to the public at 7pm – and yes, we will hold one on Labor Day! See you there!
What you missed
2nd Saturday Workshop: Wearable Electronics
We love it when makers collaborate. Tom and Barb teamed up to create this wearable electronics workshop for our August 2nd Saturday event. Participants learned about basic electricity and applied that knowledge to create fun, light-up garments.
devICT Talk: Fanning the Embers of your Web App
If you’re like me, you like to learn anything and everything you can. Unfortunately, I was not able to attend Gregg B‘s talk on Ember.js. Thankfully, for me and anyone else who missed it, devICT talks are recorded and available for later viewing!
Instructables build weekend with ShapeCrete
Instructables and Cheng Concrete partnered with us to bring ShapeCrete to the makerspace. ShapeCrete is concrete that can be worked and molded like clay. Several people came to play, learn, and create in this workshop lead by Mike D. Several different techniques were used, including molds, sculpting, dyeing, and more. I’m looking forward to seeing the Instructables post from these!
What’s coming up
September 10 – Open Wichita Meetup
The Open Wichita developers continue to make progress – let’s keep the momentum going! Come hang out and work on Open Wichita projects together. Collaboration is encouraged. Show up whenever, stay until whenever – just come get involved in some civic hacking!
September 12 – Space Painting with Tommy Engdahl
Tommy will instruct us in using spray paint to make awesome space paintings! You may have seen some of his paintings around the makerspace. Be sure you wear clothing appropriate for painting! Supplies will be provided and you will be able to make your own painting to take home.
September 18 – Inkscape wizardry for makers with Dominic Canare
Inkscape is a free, open-source application for creating vector graphics and designs. It has many uses, and designs created in Inkscape can be used for foam-cutting, laser cutting, 3D printing, and more!
This is an introductory-level workshop. Attendees will learn the Inkscape shape/drawing tools, layout tools, operators, and more. We’ll also be sharing some tips-and-tricks specific to taking your design from the computer into the tangible world.
September 19 – Laser Cutter Certification with Mike Doolittle
Attendees will create designs using Inkscape and/or Draftsight. .DXF files will be exported and used in LaserCut to interface with the laser cutter. Attendees will have an opportunity to work with cardboard, wood, and plastic materials.
Note: This is a members-only certification class, so only active members may attend. This certification is required to use the laser cutter at MakeICT. There are two sessions, but you only need to attend one. Space is limited.
September 19 – Make-o-Rama
Looks like we weren’t the only ones who had a blast at Maker Faire! Come join us and many others as we celebrate the growing maker movement in Wichita!
September 24 – devICT Lightning Talks
A lightning talk is a very brief, typically informal presentation. The idea is to give people a taste of something new or interesting without boring the uninterested with details. Come share a topic with us, or just soak in all the interesting ideas!
Maker Mondays
Don’t forget, every other Monday is a Maker Monday! We open our doors to the public and invite people to bring a project, bring a friend, or just bring themselves. There’s always something interesting going on!
- September 7 (+new member orientation)
- September 21