An Introduction to ProtoSpace,

FabLab Utrecht5 November 2009

Digital Revolutions

communication

computation

fabrication

Past

Present

Future

Origin of FabLab

• Class “How to make (almost) anything”

Prof. Neil Gershenfeld,director of CBA

Personal fabricationExamples

Book by Gershenfeld

First FabLab: Boston

Machines in a FabLab

Laser cutter

Vinyl cutter

Milling machine

Milling machine

Video conferencingsystem

Machines creating machines

DIY 3D printer (RepRap)

FabLabs worldwide

fabrication andinstrumentation divide

India

Costa Rica South Africa

Norway

International network of decentralized labs

FabLabs NetherlandsUtrecht Amsterdam

Den HaagGroningen

EnschedeTilburg/Eindhoven

Rotterdammany more...

Why in NL?

• Good innovation climate

• Good subsidy infrastructure (eg. EFRO)

• Strong drive

Initiators of ProtoSpace

Goal: InnovationOpen

InnovationTraditionalInnovation

RepRap Q-snap

Early prototyping

Share

Ideas

Knowledge

Train your peers

Designs

Just in time education

Bottom-up

Empowerment EmpowermentEmpowerment

Education

Problem solving

Job creation

Invention

Education

Target groupsArtists/

Designers

Inventors

Conceptual !ight frame A conceptual scale model of the !ight frame design was produced in support of the presentation at the ‘Fly Your Thesis’ selection workshop at the European Astronaut Centre in Cologne, Germany. The 1:5 model portrays the hardware set-up for the Watervrees project studying the aggregation of soil particles to study water repellency of soils.

The model has been produced using the Zcorp 450 3D printer of ProtoSpace, based on a 3D Studio model produced by Naked Architecture. The baseplate was produced using a CNC gui-ded laser cutter.

Macroscope & CCD cameraDVD hard disk recorders Video monitor & in-!ight sample drawer

Students

Start-ups