FAB 4:
The Fourth International Fab Lab Forum
and Symposium on Digital Fabrication

August 20-25, 2007

draft agenda

The Fab Lab Forum is an annual global gathering of fab-labbers for a week of hands-on workshops, held in conjunction with the Symposium on Digital Fabrication. Presentations and videos from last year's event in South Africa are available at http://cba.mit.edu/events/06.06.ZA/symposium.html; this year it will be in Chicago the week of August 20, hosted by partners including The National Science Foundation, The Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, The Museum of Science and Industry, The Fab Foundation, The Midwest Fab Lab Network, the Universities of Illinois and Chicago, and MIT.

Because of limited space in the workshops, attendance is limited to approved fab lab participants and requires registration confirmation with Susan Murphy-Bottari <susan@cba.mit.edu>.

Sunday August 19
Welcome Reception

Monday August 20

Fab Lab Forum
(Museum of Science and Industry)
7:30-9:00: Breakfast

9:00-12:00: Morning Meeting

Welcome, Overview
Partner, Participant Introductions
Fab Lab Reports
Project Presentations and Plans

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-4:00: Afternoon Workshops

Tutorial
2D, 3D CAD, CAM
Hardware
low-cost computing and long-range communications: thinner client and high-gain antennas
Software
remote collaboration: sharing and navigating broadband audio and video
Operations
Fab Lab Instruction: How To Make (almost) Anything

4:00-6:00: Fab Foo, Kids Workshop

6:00-8:00: Dinner

8:00-: Evening
Project Work in the Lab

Tuesday August 21

Fab Lab Forum
(Museum of Science and Industry)
7:30-9:00: Breakfast

9:00-12:00: Morning Review and Workshops

Tutorial
2D cutting: vinyl cutter, lasercutter, router
Hardware
macrofabrication: furniture and housing
Software
universal CAD/CAM design architecture: .cad/.fab
Operations
fab labs operations: safety, responsibility, sustainability

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-4:00: Afternoon Workshops

Tutorial
3D machining: PCBs and molds
Hardware
analytical instrumentation for healthcare and agriculture: electromagnetic and microfluidic measurements
Software
rapid-prototyping for embedded computing: visual design, modular microcode, and distributed systems
Operations
local, regional, global: supporting fab lab networks

4:00-6:00: Fab Foo

6:00-8:00: Dinner

8:00- Evening
Project Work in the Lab

Wednesday August 22

Fab Lab Forum
(Museum of Science and Industry)
7:30-9:00: Breakfast

9:00-12:00: Morning Review and Workshops

Tutorial
molding and casting materials
Hardware
energy conversion: solar, wind, and inertial power
Software
distributed development and documentation: fab world/siteserver
Operations
micro-VC, micro-franchise business models

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-4:00: Afternoon Workshops

Tutorial
electronics assembly, microcontroller programming
Hardware
rapid-prototyping of rapid-prototyping machines: machines that make machines
Software
network architecture: design clients, application servers, virtual machines, and real-time control systems
Operations
intellectual property

4:00-6:00: Reception Set-up

6:00- Reception

Thursday August 23

Symposium on Digital Fabrication
(University of Chicago)

Friday August 24

Fab Lab Forum
(Museum of Science and Industry)
7:30-9:00: Breakfast

9:00-12:00: Morning Meeting

The Fab Lab Ecosystem

The Fab Charter: vision, rights, and responsibilities
The Fab Foundation: invention as aid
The Fab Fund: micro-VC
The Fab Academy: distributed advanced education

12:00-1:00: Lunch

1:00-3:00: Afternoon Workshops

Project Planning Groups

3:00-5:00: Wrap-up

Project Presentations
Event Review
Future Plans

Evening
Closing Reception