What is the RE.FAB Tour?
We write this in the introduction of every article on 3D printing for repair: “This article was written as part of the RE.FAB TOUR project.” But what is it about?
This article was written as part of the RE.FAB TOUR project, funded by the Walloon Region. Stay tuned for regular articles on 3D printing for repair. Find the whole series here, as well as resources for further study and training!
The RE.FAB Tour is a Repair Together project, funded by the Walloon Region, which aims to explore the potential of 3D printing for repair, and to deploy its possibilities via a training tour.
Find out more about our upcoming training courses here
The first objective is to use this grant to train the community of volunteer repairers in the use of this technology. This training is crucial to the subject at hand. 3D printing is a complex subject that requires mastery of Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills, knowledge of the machines and materials available, as well as their capabilities and limitations. It is also important to provide training in the specifics of 3D printing in general (parameters, printing orientation, etc.) and in the context of repair (analysis, redesign and simplification of design, constraints, etc.).
Another aim is to open up this theme to audiences other than Repair Cafés volunteers. Technical, design and engineering students, makers of all kinds: 3D printing is a great way to bring everyone together around the theme of repair! The aim of this project is to establish partnerships, mix communities and create emulation around the theme by organizing this training within FabLabs, makerspaces, training centers, colleges and universities.
This project builds on the expertise and initial training developed as part of the Sharepair project, in partnership with TUDelft in particular. In addition to developing and disseminating these training courses, this project aims to co-construct content and expertise on repair, and share it in open-source format, notably via this series of articles. 3D printing could be a way of repairing more and better in the Walloon Region, in particular by enabling Repair Cafés to design certain spare parts themselves, mainly in plastic, unfortunately no longer produced by brands or sold at too high a price.
Find all our resources on 3D printing for repair here
For the future, this project opens up a number of interesting prospects: organizing longer, more professional training courses, encouraging the sharing of parts diagrams for repair, strengthening collaborations between Repair Cafés and FabLabs, creating a 3D printing unit at Repair Together, etc. In short, this exciting project is for the long term!
An important clarification: the aim of the Re.Fab Tour is to explore the potential and limits of 3D printing for repairs. It’s not to push or impose this technology at all costs and in all Repair Cafés! New technologies are never solutions to structural societal problems. The possibilities offered by 3D printing should not blind us to the fact that the root of the problem and the main challenges lie in the eco-design of objects and access to repair and spare parts.
As you can see, the Re.Fab Tour has already begun! You’ll find our next training courses on the subject in our agenda at . Others are planned all over Wallonia, and we’ll be announcing them as we go along. Stay tuned!