Fab Lab Hub, a non-profit for which I volunteer, was started to help groups start Fab Labs in the MIT Network. A big part of our work involves educating the world on the power of Digital Fabrication and we’ll be doing just that at a Digital Fabrication Summit in Baltimore on May 6. Potomac Photonics, Inc. is hosting the symposium in celebration of opening a new Digital Fabrication Center at [email protected] South that includes a 3D Printing showcase. And we are thrilled with the program! A group of visionaries will be talking about the impact Digital Fabrication has on manufacturing, innovation, education, and society.
Keynote Speaker Avi Reichental
To kick off the day, 3D Systems Corporation CEO Avi Reichental will deliver a keynote, “Manufacturing the Future”. Mr. Reichental has been responsible for the dramatic shift from a technology for rapid prototyping to tools for mainstream markets including home printers and production manufacturing that competes with the quality and speed of injection molding. 3D Systems was, of course, founded by Chuck Hull, the inventor of stereolithography, and the presentation will include many examples of 3D Printing success stories.
Dr. Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms and founder of the FabLab Network, often says, “The power of digital fabrication is social, not technological”. He will speak about the broad implications Digital Fabrication has had on society through examples from the more than 250 FabLabs now in operation worldwide. Kegan Schouwenburg, founder of new 3D Printing manufacturer Sols, will describe her experience building the Factory of the Future for Shapeways in New York City. In addition, Ellen Hemmerly, Executive Director of the [email protected] will address the direction of the research and technology park in cooperation with the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Neil Gershenfeld working with a Fab Lab
Potomac brings 30 years of expertise in Digital Fabrication including laser micromachining, 3D Printing, enginering and CAD design, micro-CNC machining, as well as production processes such as hot embossing for microfluidic devices. Following the Symposium, Potomac President and CEO Mike Adelstein will lead a Ribbon Cutting and Dr. C. Paul Christensen will speak on the developments he has seen in Digital Fabrication since founding the company in 1983. Tours of the Digital Fabrication Center will round out the day.
We’re looking forward to engaging presentations that will stimulate lively discussion on the possiblities these new technologies bring to our lives.
