The Adelaide Fab Lab, showcasing cutting-edge 3D printing technology, will be open to the public on Thursdays and Fridays for the next six months.
The Lab was launched yesterday by the South Australian Science and Information Economy Minister, Tom Kenyon. It is the first Australian participant in the Fab Lab Network, started by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and aiming to introduce the public to advanced manufacturing in a hands-on way.
“A Fab Lab (fabrication laboratory) is a fully kitted fabrication workshop which gives everyone in the community, from small children through to entrepreneurs and businesses, the capability to turn their ideas and concepts into reality,” Neil Gershenfeld of MIT has said.
Kenyon explained that the potential uses were vast, from medical to clothing to furniture and other uses.
"The Adelaide Fab Lab will be a high-tech 'backyard shed' where anyone can watch their own designs come to life," he said.
Kenyon cited the SA government’s 10-year manufacturing strategy, launched last month, and the role of high-tech innovation in the industry’s future.
"We know that we need to compete with other countries by making products that are niche, high-value products, rather than cheap products made by workers on low wages," he explained.
Image: www.anat.org.au
