Irvine, Calif., July 16, 2015 – Roland DG Corporation, a leading worldwide manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers and 3D devices, announced today its participation as one of the key sponsors of Fab11, the 11th annual meeting of the global Fab Lab community, to take place Aug. 3-9, 2015 at MIT in Boston. The event is expected to attract hundreds of attendees from around the world to the MIT campus, the birthplace of the Fab Lab concept, for hands-on workshops, a symposium, project demonstrations and a youth track, followed by a free weekend Fab Festival, open to the public, hosted by the cities of Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.
Created by the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Fab Labs allow anyone – from students and hobbyists to entrepreneurs – to turn their ideas into reality. Under the theme “The Possibilities Are Endless,” Roland DG will supply a wide range of its digital products for demonstration and use by Fab11 attendees, including 3D milling machines, a 3D printer, vinyl cutters, wide-format inkjet printers and UV benchtop flatbed printers. Roland DG will also present a workshop titled “Customization of Fab Modules with the Roland DG SRM-20 CNC Machine” which will include a demonstration of a hacked SRM-20 mill and discuss the possibilities of open source hardware and software and their importance for the future of digital fabrication.
“We are pleased to sponsor this global Fab Lab event again,” said Masahiro Tomioka, Chairman and President of Roland DG Corporation. “We share the same commitment to education and to expanding the possibilities of digital fabrication to unleash the imagination and creativity of people everywhere. We are very excited,” continued Tomioka, “to see the results of everyone’s ideas for improving our daily lives, our cities and the environment, as well as their concepts for helping to solve the global challenges we all face.”
Hosted by FAB FOUNDATION, Fab11 will explore how the ability to “Make (almost) Anything” is impacting individuals, communities, businesses and collaborative research and projects around the world. As a desktop fabrication pioneer for over 30 years, Roland DG cutters and milling machines have been recommended as tools for Fab Labs around the world since their origin in 2002. Combining the latest digital technology with desktop-size, ease of use and affordable prices, Roland DG’s digital devices allow individuals from a wide variety of fields, including product designers, engineers, graphic designers, decorators, students, Makers and hobbyists, to bring their ideas to life.
To learn more about Roland’s complete product lineup, visit www.rolanddga.com.
About Fab Lab
A Fab Lab is an open workshop offering digital fabrication as well as analog tools with the aim to make “almost anything.” The concept was originally proposed by Professor Neil Gershenfeld, the Director of the Center for Bits and Atoms (CBA) at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Currently, there are over 450 Fab Labs in over 55 countries, which under the three concepts MAKE, LEARN, SHARE, support Personal Fabrication, giving people the unprecedented ability to design and then produce their own customized products. Each local Fab Lab is connected to a network of Fab Labs around the world in order to freely share information, brainstorm ideas, and collaborate on solving problems and accomplishing projects. The Fab Lab Conference takes place once a year in a different city around the world, and serves as a forum to gather Fab Lab managers, core members and practitioners from the global Fab Lab network and beyond.
For more information, please visit: www.fab11.org
About Roland DGA
Roland DGA Corporation serves North and South America as the marketing, sales and distribution arm for Roland DG Corporation. Founded in 1981 and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Roland DG of Hamamatsu, Japan is a worldwide leader in wide-format inkjet printers for the sign, apparel, textile, packaging and vehicle graphics markets; engravers for awards, personalization and ADA signage; photo impact printers for direct part marking; and 3D printers and CNC milling machines for rapid prototyping, part manufacturing and the medical and dental CAD/CAM industries. Roland DGA is ISO 9001:2008 certified, and Roland DG is ISO 9001:2008 and 14001:2004 certified.
