Fabville Somerville: FREE workshops in 3D printing, lasercutting, and CNC routing

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Katie Gradowski

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Jan 6, 2018, 1:13:11 PM1/6/18

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January is Tool Training Month at the Somerville Fab Lab

We are running a series of FREE workshops -- 3 sessions each, covering design, tool setup, and lots of hands-on practice -- to introduce people to our basic toolset. Drop in or take all 3 sessions to get your tool certification.

Intro to ShopBot: 3 sessions

Design with VCarve Pro: Tuesday January 9, 6:30 - 8 pm. REGISTER HERE. Learn how to design and set up a 2D file to cut with the ShopBot. This workshop will focus on drawing and layout in VCarve Pro, including tool demos and workflow, with the goal of getting people set up with a file that they can cut.

Setting up the Tool: Tuesday January 16, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE. Overview of toolpaths, router bit selection, and basic safety procedures for setting up the ShopBot to cut a file. We will look at VCarve Pro and the ShopBot control software, as well as physical setup of the workspace so that you can safely cut your file on the ShopBot.

Design a Cutting Board: Tuesday January 23, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE Use the ShopBot to make something practical for your kitchen! Participants with independent projects will have an opportunity to design and cut their work. Build something and take it home with you!

Drop in to the sessions that look good or take all 3 to be certified on the ShopBot. Classes are free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.fabville.net.

Intro to 3D Printing: 3 sessions

Design with Fusion 360: Wednesday January 10, 6:30 - 8 pm. REGISTER HERE. Fusion 360 is a cloud-based 3D modeling software tool that combines organic shapes modeling with basic principles of mechanical design. It is a go-to CAD program for people who have outgrown resources like TinkerCAD and want to develop high-quality designs for the 3D printer.

Setting up the Tool: Wednesday January 17, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE. Learn how to use Simplify3D to set up your design file for printing. This workshop will cover different types of filament, and basic safety practices for how to operate and use both types of 3D printers that are located at the Fab Lab.

3D Printed Jewelry: Wednesday January 24, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE. Design and print your own earrings, necklaces, key rings, and more! If you have an independent project that is ready to print, we'll print it out. NOTE: It takes 20 minutes to 6 hours to complete a 3D print file. Participants should plan to come back during open shop to pick up their projects!

Drop in to the sessions that look good or take all 3 to be certified on the ShopBot. Classes are free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.fabville.net.

Intro to Lasercutting: 3 sessions

Design with Inkscape: Thursday January 11, 6:30 - 8 pm. REGISTER HERE Whether your're creating ornaments, making your own signs, or etching a picture, the first step to using the lasercutter is being able to set up the file. Our first class will be an introduction to Inkscape, an open source tool that is one of the main platforms we use to design for the lasercutter.

Setting up the Tool: Thursday January 18, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE Set up a file and send it to cut! We'll go over speed and power settings for etching glass, cutting plywood, etching acrylic, and more. Participants will have an opportunity to experiment with different materials and go over basic safety practices that are required to use the lasercutter independently.

Lasercut Jigsaw Puzzles: Thursday January 25, 6:30-8 pm. REGISTER HERE Design a puzzle for the lasercutter using collage materials, or bring a picture and make your own! If you have an independent project that is ready to cut, we'll send it to the lasercutter and you can take it home with you.

Drop in to the sessions that look good or take all 3 to be certified on the ShopBot. Classes are free and open to the public. Sign up online at www.fabville.net.

All classes start at 6:30 sharp. Participants are welcome to arrive early and we encourage people to leave some extra time to find parking and locate the Fab Lab!

Stop by Open Shop!

Fabville Open Shop, Monday - Thursday

83 Highland Ave

The Fab Lab is open to the public Monday through Thursday. It is FREE and anyone is allowed to come! You do not have to be a Somerville Public School student or even live in Somerville. Open shop hours are as follows:

Monday: 3-5:30
Tuesday: 3-5:30
Wednesday: 3-8 pm
Thursday: 3-8 pm

All the Facts!

Where are you located? FabVille is located on the far east side of the Somerville High school campus (library side). To get to the Fab Lab, enter near the gym and go down the stairs to your right, turn left and head to the end of the hallway. We're at the very end of the Voc Ed department, last door on the right.

Who can come? Anyone is welcome, but the Fab Lab is primarily geared toward late middle schoolers, high schoolers, and adults. It's a professional toolset, and there's less of the "pull something out and build it!" that we have at Parts and Crafts. Kids 13 and under should plan to come with a grown-up.

Does it cost anything? All classes and workshops are offered free of charge. This includes advanced classes like Arduino robotics, lasercutting and 3D printing, and materials for small-scale manufacturing.

Who runs the Fab Lab? The Fab Lab is run by the City of Somerville in partnership with Parts and Crafts, a kid workshop and community makerspace located at 577 Somerville Ave. To find out more about our programs, visit www.partsandcrafts.org.

Please share widely!

Tell your friends! If you're connected to networks -- school networks, homeschooling meetup groups, PTA, maker clubs, and other organizations that might want to use the Fab lab -- please share this email! It's pretty unprecedented to have professional grade resources available for free to the community, and we're excited to get people in to use them!

Schedule a time to visit. If you'd like to set up a field trip or visit for your school or maker club, email contact@partsandcrafts.org. We are there Monday through Thursday and can easily set up a visiting day during afterschool or evening hours.

Check out other programming we're offering this fall! Lastly, if you'd like to check out our regular programs -- camp, afterschool, homeschooling, and spring classes at Parts and Crafts proper -- head on over to www.partsandcrafts.org to see what else we have lined up for Spring 2018.