Onboarding
Welcome weary traveler! Stay a while and listen.
Learn here how to get to know the Munich Maker Lab – and how to become a member.
Find us and get to know the Munich Maker Lab
Before joining our community, you should get to know the space and the people to see if the Lab fits your projects. The best way: just drop by! Either visit one of our events or stop in when the space is open.
More details about how to find us and our open Thursday evenings are on our website.
We work hard to keep a friendly and open culture. So come in, say hi, and tell anyone you meet that you’re new and would like a tour. All members are encouraged to show newcomers around and answer questions.
Hang out with us
Had your first visit and enjoyed the vibe? Great! Come by more often. As an open workshop, you can already work on your projects here before becoming a full member.
Of course, the space lives through its active members and membership fees – so consider joining us to support the Lab and become part of our community.
Community Approach
At the Munich Maker Lab, we believe that great things happen when people take initiative, just like in open‑source software projects. Our space thrives because members and visitors contribute their time, ideas and skills to make it better. Whether it’s maintaining tools, organizing events, or developing new projects, everything only happens when someone takes it on.
We try to keep our organization and processes as open and transparent as possible. Everyone is welcome to get involved, suggest improvements and share responsibility. This approach can feel a bit unusual at first, especially if you’re used to more structured or hierarchical organizations, but it gives everyone the chance to shape the community and the space itself.
You don’t need a formal role to help out. Supporting the community can be as simple as taking on a small task, helping with one of our “Mini‑Jobs,” or joining an open lab project. Every contribution, no matter how small, helps the space grow and stay alive.
In essence, the Munich Maker Lab works best when people make it happen together..
Joining us
Did our creativity, tech magic and meme culture win you over? Welcome to the fold!
To join, fill out the Membership Form (German & English) and send it via email to the e-mail address on the form, or bring it by in person (yes, a bit of German bureaucracy never hurts).
Normal membership costs 20 € per month, with a reduced rate of 10 € for students, pupils, people without employment, individuals with special needs, and others eligible for concessions. You can contribute more if you like – and you’re awesome if you do! There’s no sign-up fee, and you can cancel quarterly. There’s no sign-up fee, and you can cancel quarterly.
Onboarding
- Membership: Signed the membership form? Wait for confirmation that you’re onboarded.
- Communication: While waiting, you can already join our Slack: slack.munichmakerlab.de
- Onboarding How to Use the space and Space Key: Once you’re on the member list, it’s time for onboarding! You can either join one of our onboarding events listed on our calendar (note: not all sessions may be listed) or contact Adrian Menzel on Slack or via email to find the next available slot. Onboardings usually take place on Thursdays or Saturdays, but other days can be arranged if needed.
- Documentation: Request your Wiki Account: Special:RequestAccount and check how to use it: MediaWiki HowTo
- Safety Introduction Courses: Sign up for device courses and safety introductions to get access to our bigger workshop machines, 3D printers, Laser Cutter or CNC: Calendar
- Rules: Check the Law and Order page to learn your way around.
Regular Meetings
We host a few regular community meetings throughout the month. You can find all regular and special events in our Calendar.
Open Thursday: Every Thursday from 6 PM
No registration needed, just drop by! Everyone is welcome to join, hang out, and work on projects. There’s no set agenda; it’s simply a great time to meet people, exchange ideas, and see what others are working on. If you’re new and want a tour of the space, this is the perfect opportunity. This is our most popular community event.
Plenum: Second Thursday of each month at 8 PM, and the last Saturday after Cleanup
The Plenum is our regular community meeting where everyone involved with the space can discuss topics, propose ideas and make decisions together. More details: Plenum.
Project and Cleanup Day: Last Saturday of the month starting at 4 PM
Our community comes together to tidy up the lab and work on space improvements and personal projects. We start with cleanup, maintenance tasks and projects and finish with the Plenum meeting. No registration required and everyone is welcome to help out and get to know the community.
Languages at the Space
While most people at the lab speak German, our main written and official communication language is English.
Munich Maker Lab has always had many international members, and using English helps us include everyone — something that makes our community a bit different from other makerspaces in Munich, which usually operate entirely in German.
That said, most members are comfortable with both languages, so feel free to use whichever you prefer.
It’s perfectly fine to ask questions or write messages in German, for example on Slack or in person. What matters most to us is clear communication, especially when it comes to safety.
Around the space, you’ll find signs, labels and safety notices mostly in both English and German and you’ll often hear a friendly mix of languages being spoken.
Main communication channels
- Find all events in our Calendar.
- Members mostly chat on Slack, this is our main communication channel. Make sure to join. Anyone currently on-site or on Slack can invite you – or just use the link above.. Main Slack Channels:
- #_general – Open discussions, announcements and anything space-related.
- #random – Off-topic chat, memes and general banter.
- #newsfeed – Automated feed with updates from our Mastodon account.
- #projects – Share and discuss your personal or lab projects.
- #3d_printing – All about 3D printing, materials and our printers.
- #lasercutter – Talk about laser cutting techniques, materials and settings.
- #workshop – For everything happening in the (dusty) metal and wood workshop.
- #cnc-router – Discuss CNC machines and projects.
- #electronics-lab – Electronics topics and our electronics workspace.
- #woodworking – Dedicated to all things woodworking.
- #wohnzimmer – Chat about our living room area and related improvements.
- #kitchen – Cooking, cleanup, and kitchen project coordination.
- #textiles – Textile crafts, sewing, and embroidery projects.
- #infrastructure – Discussions about our internal IT and space infrastructure.
- #spacestatus – Automatically shows when the space is open or closed. There are many more channels about specific topics for special interest groups. Make sure to check out the channel list in Slack.
- #garage-sale: Second hand and free2take offerings
- Feeling nostalgic? Join our IRC channel #munichmakerlab on the Hackint network (hackint.eu).
Mailing lists:
- Info – for external communication to the space.
Social media
Check our links on our contact page.
