CLC's new fabrication lab to inspire students, inventors and entrepreneurs
To create a space where students, designers and innovators can develop 21st century products - from artificial limbs to remote-controlled drones - the College of Lake County has unveiled plans for a fabrication lab, or Fab Lab, at the Grayslake Campus.
The 1,875-square-foot lab will consist of two adjacent laboratories in the Technology Wing, one for design and one for construction. A basic version of the lab has already opened to CLC students, using existing equipment.
The design Fab Lab will contain the latest engineering design software, such as Inventor,® ProE and SolidWorks,® in addition to 3D printers used in creating design prototypes. The design Fab Lab also will feature an Epilog® laser cutter, Roland® tabletop CNC milling machine, 3D digital scanner and electronics workbenches. Other tools include material testing equipment, a vinyl cutter and a vacuum former, which creates a product by heating a sheet of plastic and forcing it into a mold using vacuum pressure.
The construction Fab Lab is designed to have the look and feel of a woodworking shop. Proposed equipment includes a CNC wood router, project workbenches with hand tools, as well as shop tools such as a drill press, grinder, belt sander, drills and a chop saw.
"To help Illinois to remain competitive in a global economy, Lake County needs a space where students, teachers, entrepreneurs and business people can develop their ideas for the next life-changing products," said Rob Twardock, CLC engineering department chair and coordinator of the project. "The Fab Lab also will allow innovators to collaborate and share ideas with others in a worldwide network."
The lab's primary users will be CLC students in fields such as such as engineering, engineering technology, computerized numerical control, machine tool trades, computer aided design, architecture, art or mechatronics, Twardock said. Presently, two 3D printers have been added temporarily to the construction Fab Lab, allowing students in an engineering graphics class to create plastic design prototypes.
"Today's students crave real-world engineering projects," noted Jan Edwards, a CLC engineering professor who is designing the lab with Twardock. "The Fab Lab will allow students to obtain practical design experience early in their programs. In an open lab setting, they will be able to design, fabricate and test their projects as well as use a variety of equipment that will add to their
resumes. They'll also gain hands-on experience collaborating with others to build projects. This experience is especially important for engineering majors planning to transfer to the University of Illinois, including those in our Engineering Pathways program."
In addition to serving students, the lab will be open on a limited basis to inventors, small businesses or other groups.
An estimated $250,000 is needed to add all of the proposed equipment and renovated features for the lab, which Twardock expects to fully open in 2018. The Fab Lab will be funded in part by CLC, but donations and corporate partnerships are needed to develop the facility to its full potential, he said. Funds donated to the project will be used for equipment, furniture, facility upgrades, student workers and material supplies needed for prototypes.
"This is an exciting opportunity for individuals, businesses and other organizations to inspire a new generation of Americans and support STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics)," Twardock said.
The Fab Lab will be the first in Lake County. Other area community and technical colleges that have Fab Labs include Gateway Technical College in Kenosha and Prairie State College in Chicago Heights. CLC's Fab Lab will be part of a United States Fab Lab Network, which is associated with the Fab Foundation and the Center for Bits and Atoms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Since its beginning in 2001, about 1,000 Fab Labs have opened around the world, including 85 in the U.S. The network is an open, creative community of artists, scientists, engineers, educators, students, amateurs and professionals, from youth to senior citizens.
Find out more at www.fabfoundation.org or www.usfln.org
For more information, contact Twardock at eng491@clcillinois.edu or (847) 543-2903. Or contact Beverly Frazier, dean of the Engineering, Math and Physical Sciences division, at bfrazier@clcillinois.edu or (847) 543-2499. For details on the Fab Lab and how to donate, visit www.clcillinois.edu/fablab.