Digital Fabrication Methods: LM225
Level 5
Credits: 20
Module leader: Andrew Sleigh a.s.sleigh@brighton.ac.uk

Aims

This module aims to provide students with a practical, hands-on introduction to a range of digital fabrication technologies.

Learning outcomes

  • LO1: Demonstrate a broad, critical understanding of a range of digital fabrication technologies and their underlying theories.
  • LO2: Apply a range of digital fabrication technologies appropriately to a series of design related projects.
  • LO3: Plan and critically evaluate projects using appropriate project management tools.
  • LO4: Document technical design projects through a coherent digital portfolio of evidence.

Teaching and learning activities

Students will be supported during a series of short, hands-on, practical design projects, through a series of weekly sessions which will include lectures, demonstrations, tutorials and workshops. Formative feedback will be delivered through peer and tutor evaluation after selected exercises.

A larger integrated project at the end which will be supported through tutorial sessions and through the online digital fabrication community.

The module uses a blended learning approach, including hands-on activities with face to face support and provided online resources.

Approach and background

A Fab lab, or digital fabrication laboratory, is a place to play, to create, to mentor and to invent: a place for learning and innovation. Fab labs provide access to the environment, the skills, the materials and the advanced technology to allow anyone anywhere to make (almost) anything.

It is a workshop space, but it is also a global network of labs and a community of people working together to learn, explore and make.

It is a working practice based on the free sharing of information, collaborative making of tools, and building on each others’ work. Most of the tools and teaching materials we will be using have come from this ethos, and this module aims not just to teach technical skills but a fab lab way of working and making.

A note on difficulty

Some of the material we cover will be very new and difficult. One of the aims of the course is to help you develop a mindset and tools to help you successfully approach difficult topics.

It’s tempting to think that digital machines work at the push of a button, like sci-fi replicators. This is far from the case! They are frequently stubborn, enigmatic and require lots of messy hands-on work to get from the thing you see on screen to a thing you can hold in your hands.

Reflecting on the things you find difficult, and the steps you take to overcome obstacles will be at the core of your documentation.

It will make your life easier if you prepare for sessions by watching/reading some of the introductory material. Not least, this will introduce you to some of the new language you will need to understand, so you’re not hearing it for the first time on Tuesday mornings. By the end of the course, you will be able to talk about kerf, z-hop, chip-forming and draft angles with confidence :wink:

Documentation and assessment

You will be assessed on what you document in your portfolio, not what you make. While it will be more rewarding and fun if you succeed in all the tasks, you don’t need to do this to get a great mark. The aim of the documentation is to help you develop a useful skill in technical practice: doing experiments, trying techniques, recording the process: what works, what could be improved and how you have succeeded or failed at each stage. If you consider all of your experiments failures, but you record the process well, you can get a great mark. If you breeze through and find all the techniques easy, you will have to challenge yourself to find new limits in order to have something to document.

As much as possible, the assessment criteria are aligned with what you need to do to document your work well – for yourself. This will be a skill that serves you throughout any creative career.

Full Assessment details

:pencil2: assessment.md

Overall course structure

  • Teaching time: 10am-1pm – 1 hour lecture + 2 hours guided making and tutorials
  • Lab access: Tuesdays 2-5pm – Come into lab and work on your assignments (subject to available student helper resource)
  • Rest of the week: Independent study (we are currently investigating the possibility of opening up the lab later in the week)

Weekly topics

Each week, we cover a new topic.

Ready, fire, aim

The weeks generally come in pairs. In the first, we approach something new, and try to make something. In the second, we take what we’ve learned and design something better. We lead with our hands, not our heads.

Flexible after Easter

After the break you’ll be supported in your final projects. There will still be lectures, but these will be tailored to tools and techniques that are most relevant.

Continuous formative assessment

While there is a scheduled formative assessment session in week 9, we’ll be reviewing your progress and documentation every week.

Study hours

This is a 20 credit module. You are expected to spend about 200 hours studying on this course. This includes the time that you will spend compiling your portfolio for assessment, which is a continuous process throughout the course.

All students are expected to undertake guided independent study, which includes wider reading/practice, follow-up work, the completion of assessment tasks, and revisions.

The course spans 15 weeks (including assessment and feedback) = 13-14 hours/week study time.
There are 3 hours of teaching time per week, so you should plan to spend about 10 hours/week studying independently.

There will be a student helper in the lab from 1-5pm every Tuesday, so you can carry on your work after the teaching session.

In order to get the most from each week’s teaching session, you will be expected to prepare in advance, for example, by installing and testing software, watching instructional videos, and preparing the groundwork to learn new topics. The course notes for each week include instructions on any prep you must do, and suggestions for resources you can review.

Where is it taught?

Room EM13: Fablab – in the Heavy Engineering Building, Moulsecoomb campus, Lewes Road Map: https://www.brighton.ac.uk/about-us/contact-us/maps/brighton-maps/moulsecoomb-campus.aspx

Assessment

Students will compile a digital portfolio to evidence the learning that takes place during these projects. This portfolio is the documentation of your assignments and experiments throughout the course.

There are two types of assessment you need to be aware of – formative and summative

Formative Assessment: takes place throughout the module through discussion and feedback from peers and your tutor on your work-in-progress. It does not contribute to the final mark of the module but instead supports the development of learning and prepares for summative assessment. Formative assessment will help you to identify what is good in your work and how to improve your work. Formative assessment is typically but not exclusively linked to the learning outcomes of the module.

Summative Assessment: takes place at the end of the module. During summative assessment your tutor will formally assess the work you have submitted.

In keeping with university regulation, written feedback on summative assessment is provided within 21 days of the submission date. As well as commentary on what you have done well and ways to improve your learning, you will also receive an indicative grade which will be submitted to the June Exam Board for ratification. Afterwhich, the chair of the exam board will write to you regarding your progression into the next stage of learning (level 6) and your transcript on student central will be updated.

Tasks

  1. Produce a digital porfolio which compiles evidence of the learning that takes place through the projects. It is expected that compiling this digital portfolio will take approximately 35 hours 80% (LO1, LO2, LO4). The volume of the portfolio is to be agreed in consultation with the module tutor. The framework for its content is determined through formative assessment, whilst the independent study hours of the module will be indicative of student effort.

  2. 500 word critical reflective statement 20% (LO3)

How do I submit?

In the first week, you’ll create blog using the Edublogs service and submit the URL of your blog to Student Central. This blog is what will be assessed.

In addition, to provide a static record of your blog at the submission deadline, you will submit a PDF of your blog.

What is the deadline?

We’ll be reviewing your progress each week, so you should aim to keep up with the weekly assignments as we do them.

The deadline for formative assessment is: 10am, Monday 30 March.

The deadline for summative assessment is: 20 May, 4pm Update: 27 May, 4pm

Late Submission: Students may submit work up to 10 days after the submission date. In such instances the assessment is capped at the pass mark of 40%. If you think you need to submit late, please contact your tutor.

Full Assessment details

:pencil2: assessment.md

Things you will need

I recommend you have a look at this software, much of which is available in the lab or at other university computing facilities.

  • Adobe Illustrator (student discount) or Inkscape (free, open-source) (or other 2D vector software such as Affinity Designer)
  • Adobe Photoshop (student discount) or GIMP (free, open-source) (or other image editor: e.g. Pixelmator, Acorn on Mac, many more on Windows)
  • Simple photo editing software – e.g. Apple/Windows Photos (free)
  • Simple video editing software – e.g. Free: iMovie, Windows Movie Maker. Paid: Final Cut Pro, Adobe Lightroom
  • Autodesk Fusion 360 (free for education use)
  • Ultimaker Cura (free)
  • Google Chrome or Safari for running web-based tools
  • An app for taking notes: Apple Notes, Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, or many others (Try a few out, and find one that suits your working style. You will need to take notes quickly and easily, so get comfortable with this tool.)
  • Screenshot / screen-capture tool (these are built into macOS and Windows. Find out how to use them.)

Equipment

  • Camera or smartphone (taking good photos is essential; bring the best camera you can)
  • Sketchbook and drawing tools

Where to find information

All the course content and supporting information is in the Github repository here: https://github.com/fablabbrighton/digital-fabrication-module/tree/master/docs/_course-notes-lm225-2020

That same content is published here: https://fablabbrighton.github.io/digital-fabrication-module/

Don’t know what Github is? Find out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3jLJU7DT5E

(Github is typical of the sort of tools we’ll be using throughout the module: based on open source tools that anyone can use or modify, and part of a globally connected community of people making tools to make things.)

Other useful resources

Fablabs

Learning technical skills

We’ll be covering a lot of new ground. There is far more to learn than can be covered in the lecture time available. Fortunately, there are many resources to help you.

  • LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com) has many courses including introductions to all the software packages we’re using. You can access these free with a student account. I strongly recommend watching some of these before each session.
  • YouTube tutorials (a great resource, especially for Arduino and electronics).
  • Fab Academy (this course is based on Fab Academy. Many of the lectures are derived from very similar ones, all available online here: videos, notes).

Student Central

Links to these resources are also on Student Central.

You will be submitting your assessment tasks there.