DigiFabCon to Feature Interactive Digital Fabrication Demos

Bringing 3D Printing, laser cutting and marking, CNC machining and all manner of Digital Fabrication processes to life, DigiFabCon will this year land in Baltimore, MD on November 17, 2014.  The day-long interactive making event will take place at the Maritime Center in Baltimore, Maryland and is a joint project of the Maryland local chapter of SME [the Society of Manufacturing Engineers] and Fab Labs led by Fab Lab Hub.

DigiFabLogo-Large

Potomac Photonics, a Digital Fabrication contract services company located at [email protected] in Baltimore, is serving as the program chair. The theme is how Digital Fabrication Impacts Innovation, Education, Manufacturing, Design, Business, the Arts, and Society with examples from around the country.  Says Potomac CEO Mike Adelstein, “We find that a lot of people in both manufacturing and education want to experience new technologies such as 3D Printing.  Potomac has worked in Digital Fabrication for over 30 years and we are able to bring the leaders in the field to Baltimore to share expertise in an interactive way.”

Micro 3D Printed Parts from Potomac Photonics

Micro 3D Printed Parts from Potomac Photonics

 

Seeing Digital Fabrication at work will be a highlight of DigiFabCon.  No plastic badge holders for this innovative group!  Instead Fab Lab DC is working on creating a badge design that will be fabricated with Fab Lab tools.  When attendees pick up their badges, a live demo will also show how they were made.  Other live demos include Michael Raphael, CEO of Direct Dimensions in Baltimore, showing sophisticated 3D scanning techniques, KC Harry, Founder of Digi-North 3D Innovation Hub in Ontario, Canada, demonstrating use of the Cube 3D Printer in literacy programs, Blair Evans, Executive Director of Incite Focus in Detroit, displaying a cargo bike with a mobile solar electronic device charging station, and Tom Singer, Professor & Director of the Sinclair Community College Fab Lab, will show how the National Science Foundation guitar-building project, teaches STEM subjects.  

Direct Dimensions' Michael Raphael with scanned bust

Direct Dimensions’ Michael Raphael with scanned bust

Keynotes will be delivered by Hugh Evans, VP, Corporate Development & Ventures at 3D Systems on the areas where 3D Printing is changing the world, and Sherry Lassiter, Director of the Fab Foundation will discuss cool projects from the more than 350 Fab Labs in the MIT worldwide network.  Blair Evans, Executive Director of Incite Focus in Detroit, will show just how a Fab Lab program can be central to inner city community-building.  A session on design led by Patrick Henry Community College [Martinsville, VA] Fab Lab Director Matthew Wade will follow. After lunch, Caroline McEnnis, of TIES in Baltimore, will lead a track on education, while Roger Kilmer, Chief Manufacturing Officer for NIST will delve into fabrication.

A group of Supporting Organizations including the Baltimore County Department of Economic and Workforce Development and the Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park are working with the Deutsch Foundation to help garner support for the event.  Their efforts have kept registration fees very low compared with other conferences in an effort to spread information in the community.

Space is limited to just 350 attendees, giving everyone a chance to interact with the presenters and get in lots of questions.  For details go to www.DigiFabCon.org where you can also sign up for what promises to be an inspirational day of Digital Fabrication.