Makershift is the fabrication workshop: 3D printing, CAD, laser cutting and product design, for anyone who wants to turn an idea into an object.
3D printing, product design, laser cutting and digital fabrication.
What you learn at Makershift
3D modelling: From Tinkercad's first shapes to Fusion 360 and Blender.
3D printing: Slicing, materials, tolerances, and rescuing a print that went wrong.
CAD and engineering design: Sketches, constraints and assemblies: parts that fit the first time, or the third.
Laser cutting and engraving: Vector design, sheet materials, and joints that hold without glue.
Product design: Starting from what a person needs, then sketch, model, prototype and test.
Digital fabrication: Combining printing, cutting and hand tools in a single build.
Prototyping: Fast, cheap versions that answer one question each.
From idea to object
Don't just look at designs. Idea, then Sketch, then Model, then Make, then Assemble, then Test, then Iterate. The objective isn't a pretty model on a screen. It's an object that fits, works and survives being used.
Courses and programs at Makershift
3D modelling and printing
Design a part on screen, hold it in your hand.
3D design with Tinkercad, ages 8 to 11, Starter. Shapes, holes and grouping, from a first keychain to parts that fit together.
3D printing lab, ages 10 to 18, Builder. How printers slice, layer and fail, and how to rescue a print that went wrong.
3D art with Blender, ages 11 to 18, Builder. Modelling, sculpting, texturing and lighting characters and scenes.
Engineering CAD with Fusion 360, ages 12 to 18, Engineer. Sketches, constraints and assemblies, the way engineers design real products.
3D printing for entrepreneurs, for Founders and small businesses, Starter. A printed prototype of your own product
Fusion 360 for product designers, for Designers and engineers, Builder. A fully modelled, multi-part product
Making and fabrication
Hand tools, laser cutting, and turning ideas into prototypes.
Cardboard engineering, ages 6 to 9, Starter. Cutting, folding and joining with safe tools, and a great deal of tape.
Hand tools and woodwork, ages 9 to 14, Builder. Measuring, sawing, drilling and sanding safely, finished properly.
Laser cutting and design, ages 12 to 18, Builder. Vector drawing for cutting and engraving, and parts that slot together without glue.
Invention studio, ages 13 to 18, Engineer. Find a real problem, prototype a fix, test it on real people, and pitch it.
Digital fabrication workshop, for Makers, architects and artists, Builder. A fabricated object, and the files to make it again
Who it's for
kids
students
schools
makers
professionals
The first print never fits.
That's the lesson. Measure, change one thing, print it again. By the third version, a learner understands design better than a lecture could teach it.