22 March 2008
Fab Lab Visit
On Saturday we were given a tour of the
Fab Lab
at the
South End Technology Center (SETC).
The Fab Lab is an educational outreach
component for the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology (see
about the Fab Lab).
Fab Lab
.. is a group of off-the-shelf, industrial-grade fabrication
and electronics tools, wrapped in open source software and programs
written by researchers at the Center for Bits and Atoms. Currently the
labs include a laser cutter that makes 2D and 3D structures, a sign
cutter that plots in copper to make antennas and flex circuits, a
high-resolution milling machine that makes circuit boards and
precision parts, and a suite of electronic components and programming
tools for low-cost, high-speed microcontrollers. MIT has additionally
written a Computer-Aided Machinery (CAM) program that can read all of
the different kinds of ways that people describe things digitally and
turn them into tool paths for all of the different ways it's possible
to make them. Researchers have written another program for Fab Labs
which helps users share their files and experiences as they work, so
that users can teach each other rather than relying on a fixed
curriculum.
Thanks to Edward Baafi and all of the helpful staff at the Fab Lab.
Equipment
Laser Cutting
Another Satisfied Customer
