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About Our Lab 

How did the FAB LAB get started?


The FAB LAB concept was created by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Dr. Neil Gershenfeld and documented in his book “FAB: The Coming Revolution on Your Desktop.” In the summer of 2007, the FAB LAB at FVTC became the 17th in the world.

The FVTC FAB LAB team researched Gershenfeld’s work at the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT and began planning how to set up a FAB LAB at the college. In 2005, the team developed a customized approach to adapting the FAB LAB concept for FVTC, which included global consultation and digital fabrication technology to create almost anything.

Thanks to the partnership with MIT, FVTC FAB LAB users have the ability to link with students and experts worldwide via Web video access to Norway, South Africa, India, Barcelona and other locations. Other partners also include Century College in Minnesota and Loraine County Community College near Cleveland. Inventors, students and businesses can share knowledge to collectively learn from successes and failures.

There is a critical need for Wisconsin manufacturers to become more innovative, efficient, and flexible and future employees will need the knowledge of digital fabrication, the FVTC FAB LAB is taking a leadership role in innovation. Our future economy in Wisconsin and beyond depends on leveraging the power and innovation of leading-edge technologies found in the FVTC FAB LAB. Wisconsin is home to 24 statewide manufacturing driver industries, many of which depend on some form of fabrication (per Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership-WMEP research).

The Fab Lab has established a very successful S.T.E.M. outreach program with the districts schools. If you are interested in bringing your class, home schoolers or alternative education in to the Fab Lab to experience science, technology, engineering and math in ways you never thought possible email Steve Gallagher @ gallaghe@fvtc.edu

   Maintained by:

   James Janisse

   Last Modified:
   4/25/2012 11:18:50 AM