Implementation of a digital fabrication laboratory at the School of Engineering of Bauru - UNESP

• Grant number: 16/22038-8
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Technical Reserve for Institutional Research Infrastructure
• Start date: April 01, 2017
• End date: March 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering - Manufacturing Processes
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Valle França
• Grantee: Thiago Valle França
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FE). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Bauru. Bauru , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Nowadays the decentralization of manufacturing represents a paradigm shift and a could be visualized by the emergence of digital manufacturing centers, whose most famous model is the Fab Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology - MIT. Conceptually Fab Lab relates to a digital fabrication laboratory equipped with a set of computer-controlled flexible tools covering various ranges of size and materials. While not competing with mass production, the Fab Labs make it possible for individuals to design and manufacture on a small scale most diverse devices, becoming a facilitator for innovation. In these places, users can produce functional products, a practice so far restricted to industrial lines. The proposed project aims to implement a digital fabrication laboratory at the School of Engineering of Bauru that will support the engineering departments in both research and teaching. The expected results are a greater integration between the engineering courses with the implementation of integrated and multidisciplinary activities. These will be assessed by the amount of projects developed in the laboratory with the students from different courses. (AU)