Research.

(Fablab)

What is fablab:

A Fab Lab is a technical prototyping platform for innovation and invention, providing stimulus for
local entrepreneurship.

Flexible manufacturing equipment within a fab lab can include:

Fab Labs typically include:

-A laser cutter that makes 2D and 3D structures

-A 3D printer

-A high-resolution CNC milling machine that makes circuit boards, precision parts, and molds for casting

-A large wood router for building furniture and housing

-A suite of electronic components and programming tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers and
on-site rapid circuit prototyping.

The critical machines and materials are identified in this list: http://fab.cba.mit.edu/about/fab/inv.html
and there’s a list of open-source software and freeware

4. Fab Labs must participate in the larger, global Fab Lab network, that is, you can’t isolate yourself. This
is about being part of a global, knowledge-sharing community.

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o 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object
from a CAD model or a digital 3D model.
o
 3-axis CNC machines: 3 or more axes, computer-controlled subtractive milling or
turning machines.

Numerical control (also computer numerical control, and commonly called CNC)

is the automated control of machining tools (such as drills, lathes, mills and 3D printers)
by means of a computer. A CNC machine processes a piece of material (metal, plastic,
wood, ceramic, or composite) to meet specifications by following coded programmed
instructions and without a manual operator directly controlling the machining operation.

 Printed circuit board milling or etching: two-dimensional, high precision milling to

create circuit traces in pre-clad copper boards .

Printed circuit board milling (also: isolation milling) is the process of removing areas of
copper from a sheet of printed circuit board material to recreate the pads, signal traces

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 and structures according to patterns from a digital circuit board plan known as a layout
file.

 Microprocessor and digital electronics design, assembly, and test stations.

A microprocessor is a computer processor where the data processing logic and control is
included on a single integrated circuit, or a small number of integrated circuits.

Digital electronics is a field of electronics involving the study of digital signals and the
engineering of devices that use or produce them. This is in contrast to analog electronics
and analog signals.

 Cutters, for sheet material: laser cutter, plasma cutter, water jet cutter, knife cutter.

Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to vaporize materials, resulting in a cut edge .

Plasma cutting is a process that cuts through electrically conductive materials by means of
an accelerated jet of hot plasma.

A water jet cutter, also known as a water jet or waterjet, is an industrial tool capable of
cutting a wide variety of materials using an extremely high-pressure jet of water, or a
mixture of water and an abrasive substance.

A vinyl cutter is an entry level machine for making signs. Computer designed vector files
with patterns and letters are directly cut on the roll of vinyl which is mounted and fed into the
vinyl cutter through USB or serial cable.

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

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Safety: Not hurting people or machines. / Operations: Assisting with cleaning, maintaining, and
improving the lab / Knowledge: Contributing to documentation and instruction.

WHO OWNS FAB LAB INVENTIONS?

Designs and processes developed in fab labs can be protected and sold however an inventor
chooses but should remain available for individuals to use and learn from.

HOW CAN BUSINESSES USE A FAB LAB?

Commercial activities can be prototyped and incubated in a fab lab, but they must not conflict
with other uses, they should grow beyond rather than within the lab, and they are expected to
benefit the inventors, labs, and networks that contribute to their success.

Hardware inventory list attached.

Software’s2D DESIGN, RASTER PICTURE, SCAN
 Gimp
 Photoshop
 MyPaint
 VECTOR
 LibreOffice Draw
 Inkscape
 Illustrator
 Scribus
 LibreCAD
 QCAD
 FreeCAD
 OMAX Layout
 Corel Draw
 3D DESIGN
 Fab Modules
 Autodesk 123D/a>
 Sketchup
 Art of Illusion
 FreeCAD
 OpenSCAD
 Rhino 3d
 Grasshopper 3D

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  SolidWorks
 Autodesk Inventor
 Autodesk Autocad
 Autodesk Maya
 Autodesk Alias
 Autodesk 3ds MAX
 Catia
 Pro/Engineer
 I-DEAS NX
 AC3D
 AUDIO / VIDEO
 Audacity
 KDENLIVE
 FFMpeg
 MEncoder
 VLC
 SIMULATION
 Nature of Mathematical Modeling
 Elmer
 COMSOL
 COSMOS
 Ansys
 Nastran

Funding
Excel file attached.
Locations
Attached.

:References
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Getting Started with Fab Labs (fabfoundation.org)