Calling innovators, cutting edge creators, makers and disruptive product designers.

As part of our new Innovation Design Week between 19 and 23 October, we will be opening our brand-new Plus X Brighton workshops. State-of-the-art product design prototyping facilities – a game-changing development for Brighton and the UK’s product design and innovation industry.

Equipped with the highest specification machinery and tools for batch production, the workshops are made up of a Fab Lab, a heavy-duty maker space, wet lab, material library, spray booth and assembly area.

This means that our hardware and product focused members can take their product from concept to reality all in one amazing space.

Accessibility is an inherent issue in the maker space industry – something that we are actively aiming to improve. We are on the ground floor; most workshop desks are height adjustable and our dedicated workshop team are on site to help.

We are proud to continue our sustainable Plus X values in the workshop by connecting to the Precious Plastic network. This network joins together hubs all over the world that host Precious Plastic machines for recycling plastics into raw materials. Eco pioneers – this one’s for you! Time to get creative and drive the world’s sustainable future.

The Fab Lab

Our digital fabrication workshop is a space for prototyping and experimenting (for the non-makers, this is where your computer syncs up with one of our machines to bring your designs to life). The Fab Lab is home to a Batch Works 3D printer farm which is a stack of 3D printers enabling our members to auto-print small batch runs of product parts. Over the lockdown period, we helped Batch Works use this tech to make over 10,000 visors for use by the NHS.

Linking us to a global network of similar spaces, our workshop also connects us with the Fab Lab located within our neighbours, the University of Brighton. Collectively, we are building the foundations to be a Fab City hub for Brighton. FabCity is a global movement of cities aiming to make more than they import by 2054. We will be a collaborative and connected hub for ambitious makers and creators to use as their base for creating exciting new products.

Heavy workshop

This space is for working on bigger projects or to produce high-precision engineering or manufacturing prototypes in metal, plastic or wood. As well as digital machines for cutting and milling, you’ll also find more traditional workshop equipment in here such as bandsaws, mill drills and sanders.

The space is fitted with industrial extraction, keeping the air quality clean (air quality is a key component of our commitment to WELL Building Standards which you can read more about here).

Walk-in Spray Booth

Fitted with extremely efficient extraction to ensure WELL Standards air quality, members can use the fume room for painting, oiling and adding finishing touches to their prototypes in safety. This means that designers will be able to get a professional finish on their prototypes, ready to present to investors. At 18 square meters, this space is significantly larger than your average spray booth.

Material Library 

Taking the workshop to the next level is the Material Library, not just a bookshelf this area houses our testing equipment – 3D scanners, tensile testing machine and spectrometer. The Library showcases different materials and ideas for material alternatives that product designers can come and use for inspiration and comparison. The library will be hosted on a shared database with Brighton University meaning the catalogue will forever grow.

Browse the materials library and you will find everything from recycled plastics, bio leather alternatives and innovative surface materials such as Richolite made from paper.

Bio Lab 

The wet lab or bio area is a space for wet designs to come to life. Designers can work with plaster, casting in silicone or brewing biomaterials.  Lucy Hughes, founder of MarinaTex, and winner of our Disruptors competition, will be using this space to develop her plastic alternative, made from waste from the fishing industry.

Assembly space 

This is the area where you assemble your project to its final stage and join a collaborative space where people will work together, discuss projects and seek expert and peer to peer advice. You can also find our workshop team here and pull on their expertise for support with your project.

Do you have an invention that you always ponder over? Perhaps you want to understand the process of how entrepreneurial makers and disruptive product designers transform their innovations from concept idea into a viable product?

Between the 19 and 23 October, Plus X will be hosting Innovation Design Week.

Not only will this week celebrate our brand new facilities, we’ll also be hosting VIP tours of our new workshops and sharing plenty of inspiring online content. Follow us on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter to stay up to date.