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Nitty-gritty: How fabrication labs will work
Fab labs are expected to astound us like no other technology has. The labs consist of expensive equipment and supplies
Modern developments in science have helped shape technologies in every sphere of life. And, where almost every industry has made headway, the manufacturing industry has also taken giant steps forward.
In the last few decades much progress has been made in the designing and production of products. It is even predicted that the day is not far off when manufacturing units would not be needed at all!
From where will we get the needed products, then? Well, we would be having fabrication centres at our own houses, for producing things needed in our day-to-day lives. The concept of fabrication labs is all about making these manufacturing centres a real part of our lives. So, let’s find out in some detail what these labs are all about.
The fabrication lab, or fab lab, is a machine and a fabrication shop rolled into one, specializing in high-quality work. It has a line of proprietary products for use in clean rooms and laboratories.
Fab labs are expected to astound us like no other technology has since the steam engine’s invention. So far these labs consist of $25,000 worth of high-tech equipment and supplies, including a laser cutter, a vinyl cutter (for cutting copper for circuits) and a 3-D milling machine to make circuit boards.
The idea is that all the equipment would be connected to Linux-based computers loaded with open source design and manufacturing software. The equipment have already been used to try out new ideas and designs for businesses.
The technology would be sufficiently cheap and sophisticated to make the labs useful. The shift of large-scale, expensive machine tools to personal use can be likened to the evolution of computers, in which room-sized mainframes were replaced by personal computers.
Prospects
The potential of fab labs is enormous. Prof Gershenfeld — a physicist and a computer scientist, who runs the Centre for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) — envisions a time in the near future when fabrication centres within our homes would be capable of downloading a description, say, of a toaster.
We would be designing the toaster ourselves, with the help of our computers. The design and the raw material would then be fed into a personal fabricator. And, with the push of a button, the fabricator would be bringing out the personally designed toaster.
Prof Gershenfeld says machines would be created which would be capable of “printing” 3-D objects, including their circuitry and moving parts. Such machines, which may be called “replicators”, may be available within a decade.
Meanwhile, the technology has the potential to go beyond just producing fabrication centres. It can also be used for empowering the poor, especially in the rural and developing communities. Fab labs would help provide people with the capacity to design and manufacture tools they may need to resolve their problems.
This would allow them to own small businesses, helping them to improve the quality of their lives. One such project is being run in India, in collaboration with the MIT.
The concept of fab labs has already taken roots in various parts of the world. In Ghana, users are attempting to find an inexpensive way to build large solar energy collectors to turn the country’s near constant sunlight into electrical power. In Pabal, India, a small community has made a small fabrication lab.
The users developed diagnostic instruments to help fix tractor engines with timing and other problems. In Norway, users are working on GPS systems for boats. Costa Rica and Boston’s South End are also expected to open their labs very soon.
Drawbacks and limitations
The technology has certain shortcomings, forcing scientists to revisit the idea. The first problem is that it has the capacity to replace human labour, potentially widening the gulf between the rich and the poor.
Fab labs also impose certain limitations on what can be made, as anything bigger than the machines cannot be produced. The laser cutter, for instance, cannot cut more than 2ft, nor can it cut very deep. It would take a day to slice through an inch of plywood.
The human attitude towards fab labs also poses a problem. As in South Africa, which is considering opening fab labs in various cities, people are reluctant to be a part of the new technology, as people don’t want to be scientists or engineers at home.
Then, there is the question of sustainability and longevity of the products produced at these labs. However, efforts are being made to effectively address this very serious question.
The science of fabrication labs is still very young. But a lot of work is being undertaken to extend its frontiers and to remove its shortcomings.
The writer is a student at the Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi. Her email address is
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