The Embracing of Digital Fabrication Technology in Polk County, Florida

Four Saxes: An original drawing (right) scanned and re-conceived with 3 different digital fabrication tools: Engraved in wood (ShopBot CNC router), 3D printed with ABS plastic (Ultimaker 3D printer), and laser cut out of thin acrylic (Epilog laser).

Early in May, I visited Polk County, Florida as a part of a TIES team. Polk …

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NYSTEEA and Chocolate Mold-Making for STEAM

The tastiness of making mistakes.

 

In the 52 years that the New York State Technology and Engineering Educators Association (NYSTEEA) has been meeting, there have been a lot of changes in the design software and equipment available to teachers and students. Schools have been adding digital fabrication equipment, including CNC, into …

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Digital Fabrication Education at USFLN in Edwardsville, IL

From March 13-15, 2017, ShopBot Tools attended the 2017 USFLN Symposium at Lewis and Clark Community College’s St. Louis Confluence Fab Lab in Edwardsville, IL. This year’s theme, “Stairway to Making”, featured a number of workshops and sessions highlighting the various steps that Fab Labs and Makerspaces can take to start, grow, and succeed in bringing digital fabrication …

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Our History, Our Future

We made a jig to CNC the tops and sides of our CO2 cars.

Hello, my name is Devin Wilson and I am excited to be a part of the ShopBot world! I am a first year Carpentry and Technology teacher at Rosman High/Middle School in Rosman, NC. There have been some ups and downs, but …

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Bill Young’s Dirty Digital Jobs Tour: Visiting Rural Studio

First, let me give you a little background. In 2008, I drove my camper from my home in VA to Austin, TX with a couple of friends and collaborators, heading to the Austin Maker Faire to build a digitally fabricated shed at the Faire. On our way through Alabama we stopped at Rural Studio in Newbern …

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Fashioning Hat Blocks: Digital Technology Enhances a Dying Art Form

Creating the right look for a character on the stage is one of the tasks of a costuming department in a theatre. When creating a hat for a character, a felt hat must have the material draped over a form, or hat block. The hat block must be able to accept pins to hold …

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Digital Fabrication in Education Workshop

 

Do you have digital fabrication equipment such as a ShopBot CNC machine, laser cutter, and/or a 3D printer, and an interest in education? Do you want to know more about the software and machines available to you? Are you a facilitator of a digital FabLab or Makerspace who would like to join a …

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You Don’t Need to See to Have Amazing Vision

 

As a US Army veteran with 28 years of service, Jerry Abney has never been one to back down from a challenge. Upon return from a tour in Iraq in 2004, the vision in his right eye deteriorated to the point of blindness. The very next year, he was diagnosed with retinoschisis of the left eye, leaving …

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CNC Education with ShopBot and Construct3D

ShopBot Tools is excited to be a part of Construct3D 2017 at Duke University in Durham, the first national conference on digital fabrication to focus entirely on 3D printing for educators. This inaugural event will be held May 5-7, and addresses a wide range of topics including fostering student engagement, supporting research, and understanding the role of …

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Professional Development for Educators in Pittsburgh: Carnegie Science Center

Carnegie Science Center is a popular spot for a play date, where children and adults can experience science first hand. It is also home to a Chevron FabLab, a digital fabrication laboratory for innovation and invention.  The Carnegie FabLab holds camps and programs for children 8 – 18.  Its mobile lab brings in depth digital …

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