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Fab lab

The Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) is a small scale workshop with the tools to make almost anything. This includes technology-enabled products generally perceived as limited to mass production.

While Fab Labs have yet to compete with mass production and its associated economies of scale in fabricating widely distributed products, they have already shown the potential to empower individuals to create smart devices for themselves. These devices can be tailored to local or personal needs in ways that are not practical or economical using mass production.

Examples of flexible manufacturing equipment within a fab lab:

Laser cutter, plasma cutter and water jet cutter - sheet material cutting
CNC machines - computer controlled mills, lathes etc
Rapid prototyper - essentially 3D printing with plastic
Printed circuit board milling

The fab lab program was started in the Media Lab at MIT, a collaboration between the Grassroots Invention Group and the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, broadly exploring how the content of information relates to its physical representation, and how a community can be powered by technology at the grassroots level. While the Grassroots Invention Group is no longer in the Media Lab, The Center for Bits and Atoms consortium is still actively involved in continuing research in areas related to description and fabrication but does not operate or maintain any of the labs world wide (with the exception of the mobile fab lab).

The fab lab concept also grew out of a popular class at MIT (MAS.863) named "How To Make (Almost) Anything". The class is still offered in the fall semesters.

Lab Locations

As of June 2008, there were 34 labs in 10 countries. A partial list is:

North America

mobile fab lab : a fab lab in a trailer!
USA, California, San Diego : run by the Heads on Fire organization
USA, Illinois, Chicago : in the Museum of Science and Industry
USA, Kansas, Wichita : sponsored by Spirit AeroSystems (coming soon!)
USA, Massachusetts, Boston : in the South End Technology Center
USA, Minnesota, White Bear Lake : in Century College
USA, New York, South Bronx : run by the Sustainable South Bronx
USA, Ohio, Elyria : in the Lorain County Community College
USA, Oklahoma, Ponca City : run by Pioneer Technology Center (Manufacturing Education Training System Skills on Wheels Mobile Lab)
USA, Oklahoma, Claremore : (run by Will Rogers Junior High School)
USA, Wisconsin, Appleton, in the Fox Valley Technical College

Central/South America

Costa Rica

References

Gershenfeld, Neil A.; Fab : the coming revolution on your desktop--from personal computers to personal fabrication, Basic Books, New York, 2005, ISBN 0-465-02745-8