Inkjet & Digital Printing
Roland DG Sponsors FAB9 – The 9th International Fab Lab Conference – as a Vision Sharing Partner
Tuesday 13. August 2013 - Roland DGA has announced that its parent company, Roland DG Corporation (TOKYO: 6789), the world's leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and 3D devices, will sponsor FAB9 - The 9th International Fab Lab Conference - as a Vision Sharing Partner, Platinum Sponsor. The week-long event will be held Aug. 21-27, 2013 in Yokohama, Japan.
A Fab Lab (Fabrication Laboratory) is an open workshop featuring digital fabrication, as well as analog tools, created with the aim to make “almost anything.” The Fab Lab concept, which was originally proposed by Dr. Neil Gershenfeld, Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), has quickly gained international popularity, with Fab Labs springing up from inner-city Boston to rural India, and from South Africa to the North of Norway. Currently, there are more than 200 Fab Lab locations in 50 countries around the world.
FAB9 will attract Fab Lab managers, core members, FAB researchers and practitioners from the global Fab Lab network and beyond. The event’s packed week of activities includes dialogue sessions, hands-on workshops and a one-day symposium offered by the Global Fab Lab Network centered around the theme “Personal Fabrication as the Dawn of New Renaissance.” FAB9 is hosted by The Social Fabrication Laboratory at Keio University SFC in Japan, in conjunction with the CBA at MIT, Yokohama Creative Center (YCC) and the Global Fab Lab Network (including Fab Lab Japan Network). Over 200 Fab Lab representatives from countries all over the world are expected to attend.
According to Roland DGA Corporation President Rick Scrimger, Roland DGA has been involved in the personal fabrication movement in North and South America for several years. “Interest in independent design and manufacturing is growing significantly in our part of the world, and we plan on continuing our involvement in these endeavors and STEM educational programs that support them,” said Scrimger.
Roland DG’s Experience in Developing 3D Digital Devices
Driven by a vision of “Transforming Your Imagination into Reality,” Roland DG has been developing proprietary 3D digital equipment for more than 25 years. These include 3D milling machines, 3D laser scanners and engraving machines that are based on core technology to control XYZ-axis positions, a function which replaces skilled hand movements and can thereby bring the benefits of digital devices to craftsmen. These 3D products share the same basic characteristics: compact size, ease of use and affordability. Since 1986, Roland DG has been promoting the concept of “desktop fabrication,” which enables users to easily transform images into real objects, even without specialized knowledge of digital milling, by simply connecting Roland products to computers.
“Roland DG and Fab Lab share the same spirit of craftsmanship,” said Roland DG President Masahiro Tomioka. “Our concept of desktop fabrication and Fab Lab’s concept of personal fabrication are the same in the sense that they both aim to inspire people’s enjoyment of creativity through the application of digital technology while expanding the potential of craftsmanship.”
Fab Lab began in 2002, and Roland DG’s Modela MDX-20 small 3D milling machines and CAMM-1 GX-24 vinyl cutting machines have been installed in Fab Labs around the world as recommended devices. At FAB9, Roland DG will have a special exhibition booth where visitors will be able to see Roland’s advanced craftsmanship solutions and digital offerings in action. Roland DG will continue to support international Fab Lab activities through the development of new and innovative digital tools that broaden the potential of digital craftsmanship