Aalto University opens the first Fablab in Finland
25.09.2012
Aalto Media Factory opens the first Finnish Fablab – the Aalto Fablab – on the Arabia campus. A fab lab (short for ‘fabrication laboratory’) is an open workshop, where everybody can make objects using techniques such as 3D printing or laser cutting. The Aalto Fablab is already open for Aalto people and it will be open for the public one day per week, starting 2nd of October.
Every visitor will design and implement their projects by themselves. Using the machinery is free but one needs to pay for the materials. The personnel of the Aalto Fablab, studio master Anu Määttä, producer Massimo Menichinelli and electronics studio master Jukka Helle, will help with using the fab lab machinery and planning work processes.
"Using the machines is not difficult. Anyone can be responsible for manufacturing their own project with our machinery after a short guidance. The instructions will be available at the laboratory and our website," says studio master Anu Määttä.
"It is recommended to reserve a time for using the machines beforehand because there is a lot of call for them. By dropping by at the laboratory one may get some tips for example on which machines to use to get started with one’s project," Määttä continues.
The Aalto Fablab is equipped with the following manufacturing machines: a laser cutter for cutting and engraving wood, plastic, fabric and other materials, a vinyl cutter for making signs, stickers and flexible electronic circuits, a small precision CNC milling machine for making cast molds, engraving different materials or printed circuit boards and two 3D printers that print plastic. Traditional tools and facilities for building electronics are also available.
"At the Fablab visitors are able to use such machines that typically only the students or professionals of this field have access to," Määttä clarifies.
The fab lab concept was originated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the moment there are over 80 fab labs in the world, for example in the Netherlands, India and Japan, and more are being planned and constructed. Fab labs share information about their projects with each other to build common knowledge about the work processes. The workshops are in continuous touch with each other through a video conferencing system and the lab personnel meet in international events from time to time.
In a broader perspective, the fab lab phenomenon can be viewed as an integral part of the blooming do-it-yourself culture or the so-called maker culture. Other examples of this movement in Finland are for example the Hackerspaces and Pixelache-festival.
The Aalto Fablab is a project initiated by Aalto Media Factory, one of Aalto University’s three workshops for novel expertise that were set up to produce actions that cross the traditional university curricula in research and education.
Photos: Anna Berg
More information and opening hours: fablab.aalto.fi
Aalto Fablab studio master Anu Määttä
Tel. +358 50 593 3203
anu.maatta [at] aalto [dot] fi