Instructor Bootcamp – Amsterdam
In January 2023, I flew to Amsterdam with my great colleague and friend Árni from Fab Lab Akureyri to attend the Fab Academy Instructor Bootcamp, a gathering of Fab Lab instructors, past students, and core team members from all over the world. The goal: level up our skills, share knowledge, and connect with the global Fab Lab network.
The Castle
After landing, we took the airport train to Amsterdam Central. The Fab Lab is right in the city center and even better, it's inside an old castle.
I had heard about this, but walking up to a literal medieval tower, ringing a bell, and entering a space full of cutting-edge digital fabrication tools was surreal. Climbing the stone staircase into the kitchen space, I was delighted to find a beautiful espresso machine, a machine every lab should aspire to own.
I stayed just across the river from the lab but didn’t go to the apartment until after the first day. Each morning and evening involved a 20-minute walk and a short ferry ride, which turned out to be a perfect time for reflection before and after full-on days filled with workshops and conversations that were deep, informative, personal, and often funny.
Meeting the Team
Meeting so many brilliant people from every corner of the world was easily one of the biggest highlights. I especially loved reconnecting with old colleagues, including Bas, my former Fab Academy instructor.
There’s something special about these in-person meetups after years of online chats and asynchronous collaboration.
Workshops & Projects
The days were packed. We covered everything from machine building and pedagogy to new tools like Modular Things, and everything was well documented on the spot. You can dive into the full documentation here:
👉 Instructor Bootcamp 2023 – Full Documentation
We got hands-on with new tools, skills, and workflows, shared ideas in show-and-tell sessions, and worked on projects. These are the moments where you really feel the Fab Lab network at work, connecting people who are building and learning with each other.
Projects
SVG-PCB
Leo introduced us to SVG-PCB a project that uses JavaScript to design PCBs directly from SVGs, skipping the schematic phase entirely. It’s an interesting new workflow and a refreshing take on board design.
Leo also comes from the Hack Club community and shared many other awesome projects they’re working on. One standout was Sprig, a DIY game console you can program in JavaScript.
Fully Printed Axis
The belt 3D printer (SainSmart INFI-20) had been cleverly mounted on the wall to save space and that sparked an idea. Babken wondered if it could be used to print a full 1-meter linear axis, something that had been tried before horizontally without much success.
Babken, who’s great with FreeCAD, drew up a new design and successfully printed the axis vertically. It was later integrated with Modular Things to create a functional linear motion system.
Team Voron
Voron is an open-source printer capable of very fast print times. The lab had printed and gathered most of the parts for one, so a team formed to assemble it. Árni joined the team, but unfortunately, a few key parts were missing so they couldn’t finish assembly or run tests during the bootcamp.
Talks & Presentations
Throughout the days, we also had ongoing Fab Academy–related discussions. Topics included the Assessment Guide, evaluation strategies, and schedule planning with Prof. Neil Gershenfeld. These sessions were documented on the Fab Cloud and offered valuable insight into how we approach teaching and evaluating digital fabrication worldwide.
15.5-Year Anniversary Party 🎉
Waag's Fab Lab has deep roots 15 years strong. Since they hadn’t managed to celebrate the actual anniversary the year before, the decision was made: let’s throw a 15.5-year anniversary party instead.
It was a beautiful event. People from all corners of the community came by, and the celebration included machines, music, and meaningful conversations.
I reached out to a certain Icelandic RAVE DJ known as DJoddi, who happened to be available. One thing led to another, and soon we had a proper dance party on our hands, which wasn’t too hard to get going.
Thoughts
What stood out most wasn’t just the content, it was the vibe. This bootcamp wasn’t about learning from the top; it was about learning with each other. Everyone had something to teach. Everyone had something to learn.
I left with new skills, fresh inspiration, and a renewed sense of why we do what we do.
Fab Labs aren't just spaces they’re communities built on sharing, tinkering, failing forward, and occasionally taking a ferry to get there.
