Here, there, and everywhere!

As you’ll see in this issue, we’ve been all over the world visiting facilities, helping with installations, and sharing our latest developments, everywhere from San Francisco to Paris to Israel. We've found that traveling is a great way for us to really stay in touch with the people who use our tools, learn what's important to them, and help everyone make the most of digital fabrication technology. Do you have events coming up in your area? Want to arrange a group training? Get in touch! We can't guarantee to visit everywhere, but this way we can make sure you're on our radar.

ShopBot was Here

ShopBot’s CNC Village at Bay Area Maker Faire

There was a lot of buzz inside our huge tent at Maker Faire in San Mateo, May 15 -17. About 130,000 people attended, and ShopBot was excited to use our space to shed light on creative makers from the Bay Area, as well as to introduce new developments from ShopBot. The Handibot team shared Handibot 2.0 and its new features (read about that in Handibot developer Brian Owen's post).


 
We also demonstrated FabMo, the new wireless, universal motion control software we're developing via open source, and previewed our newest tool, Desktop Max, the much-anticipated larger version of our popular Desktop CNC tool. Read ShopBot's Jeanne Taylor's post about the three-day extravaganza!
 

Camp ShopBot in New Jersey

ShopBot's Matt Schmitz and Randy Johnson were guest speakers at a Camp ShopBot for about 30 participants in Mays Landing, NJ, this past month. Matt writes, "The morning started with Randy sharing his considerable knowledge of feeds and speeds, maintenance, tips, and tricks. I gave a presentation on the ShopBot Indexer, a ShopBot accessory that works like a controlled lathe and allows machining of full-3D parts." The afternoon brought “show and tell” and more shared tips and tricks. Read Matt's blog post here.
 

ShopBot "Internationale"

In early May, ShopBot's Sallye Coyle attended Maker Faire Paris. In addition to visiting with LeFabShop, which hosted a ShopBot Desktop and two Handibots at their booth, she spent time with TechShop Paris folk. TechShop is partnering with one of France’s biggest DIY hardware companies, Leroy Merlon, to open a series of TechShops around France.
 
Sallye also visited the digital fab lab, FabMake, at AirBus’s composites research center near Nantes, France. In addition to a 48” Buddy, the lab houses a laser cutter, a 3D printer farm, embroidery sewing machines and an electronics area. Since the research center works with materials other than wood, part of the conversation during the day was how to machine plastics and soft metals such as aluminum.

Sallye visited FabLabs in Jerusalem and Holon, Israel, each associated with Graduate Schools of Design. The Fablab in Holon is located in the poorest neighborhood in Tel Aviv. One of its missions is to help the local residents succeed in school and learn skills, including digital fabrication, to become gainfully employed to break the cycle of poverty.

ShopBotters at Work

Playmakers Repertory Company's ShopBot
plays a key role

One of the country's leading professional regional theatres is Playmakers Rep on the campus of UNC Chapel Hill. Like many theatres, Playmakers has adopted CNC technology in recent years to boost productivity and enable greater creativity on the part of scenic and costume designers. We visited their scene shop recently and got a behind-the-scenes view. Read Michael Berliner's blog post.

ShopBot has long helped various arts-related professions such as theatres and museums. Learn more at the ShopBot website.
 

ADX Makerspace brings CNC and more to the community

ADX Portland is a vibrant makerspace serving the growing creative community of Portland. They offer classes, digital fabrication services, and memberships so you can bring your next project to life. Owner Kelley Roy emphasizes that the coolest think about ADX is the connections that are made every day by its members — learning from one another and collaborating on new products! Read about it on the 100kGarages blog.
 

Fab Academy teaches hands-on making skills

The Fab Academy program is a recent development of Fab Labs, which began as an outreach program from MIT’s Center for Bits and Atoms. The program is a distributed educational model providing advanced digital fabrication instruction for students through a unique, hands-on curriculum and access to technological tools and resources. In her new Makezine series Erin (aka RobotGrrl) is sharing her experiences with the Fab Academy program as she progresses through the courses.