Facilities

Workshop Space

Courtesy of the Pelican Trust, we have a small dedicated workshop area which contains a growing assortment of hand tools, power tools and larger equipment including saw, drills, planers, grinders, etc.

Some members also have access to additional equipment which may occassionally be used for hackspace projects if you ask them nicely! These include laser cutting, CNC routing, SMD pick & place, large woodworking facilities, and injection moulding machines.

Our workshop facilities are available for members to use Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm-10.30pm, and at other times by arrangement with one of our nominated keyholders.

Programming

Rapsberry Pis, BBC Micro Bits, Arduinos, PIC and AVR microcontrollers... If you can code it, we probably already do!

Come along and learn how to flash LEDs, control motors, measure the environment and make everything talk back to your PC.

The hardware is cheap, the software is free, and it's much easier than it looks!

(Keep any eye on our events page for upcoming Arduino workshops.)

Electronics

Why stop at programming?

We have all the tools you need to prototype, test and build custom electronic circuits to complement your microcontroller's in-built capabilities.

Members can even make their own printed circuit boards (PCBs) at the 'space, and we have a generous supply of common components just waiting for some solder.

3D Printing

all about the 3d printer.

CNC Milling

Our Seig CNC milling machine is available for members to accurately drill, cut or engrave a wide range of materials (e.g. wood, acrylic, aluminium, PCBs, etc).

If you're new to computer controlled machining, we'll show you how to set up the equipment and how to use the software.

With a bit of practice, you can even make plastic injection moulds with it!

Metal Turning

We now have a modest-sized metal lathe with an overhanging milling/drilling attachment. It has recently been serviced and can be used for wood, plastic and most metals.

External Facilities

Woodworking

Some of our members have occassionally worked on larger projects that required bigger equipment than available in the 'space.

By collaborating with others, they have been able to make use of external thrid-party workshops to get the job done.

No project is too big! We've even made a cross for Jesus!

Injection Moulding

Not one but TWO injection moulding machines!

Due to their size, neither is housed at the Hackspace, but moulds can be produced here using our CNC milling machine.

After that, members can arrange to get some moulding work done on an industrial machine. Here's a scrubbing pad holder we made earlier!

PCB Pick and Place

If you have an interesting electronics project to commercialise, we may be able to assist.

One of our members has an automated PCB manufacturing facility at work, and it's not always being used to full capacity....

Not really suitable for very short runs, but when a few hundred boards are needed this is a very useful asset Lincoln hackspace members can potentially make use of.

Fill, Form and Seal

Yes, there's a bagging machine available!

It was purchased by Lincolnshire County Council a couple of years ago, and it's used for rapidly bagging items into "crisp-packet" size plastic bags.

You'd need to invest in your own rolls of bags, but it's a neat piece of equipment for anyone needing to produce short batches of kits or components.

(Note: this machine is not on-site at the Hackspace. Arrangements in advance need to be made in order to gain access to it.)

University Collaboration

We have close links with the University of Lincoln, and occassionally work with their students and make use of their facilities.

On the left is a recent scanning electron micrograph of the surface of a 3D printed part. On the right is the surface finish of our homebrew injection moulded version.

(In a race to the finish, the 3D printer was quickest to make 50 parts, but the moulder was over the hills after that.)