A digital manufacturing lab connected to the world
The Deusto Fab Lab is a centre for creativity, innovation and development for the design of new products, services and experiences, which is part of the Faculty of Engineering and is closely related to the new Bachelor's Degree in Industrial Design Engineering.
A FabLab is therefore more than just a digital fabrication lab consisting of a set of 3D printers and other prototyping technologies. "FabLab is a concept in itself, where all the labs in the network share technology, knowledge and designs and collaborate across international borders. Thus, if we enter our Deusto FabLab, we should be able to manufacture the same objects that have already been manufactured in Boston, Amsterdam, Barcelona or Nairobi. A consequence of all this is that the essence of a FabLab emanates from collaboration.
The Deusto Fab Lab is part of a global network of more than 660 manufacturing and innovation laboratories equipped with digital manufacturing machines and technologies for the production of objects. They started as a project of the MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology -and have grown into a global network of people researching a new mode of production that affects all levels of the professional world of design, architecture, engineering, industry and social innovation.
Another feature that defines a FabLab is that public access is essential since one of its aims is to open up access to tools for self-expression and invention. Today, the Deusto FabLab is the only active FabLab in the Basque Country. It is also distinctive for being located on the University of Deusto's Bilbao Campus, which brings together more than 8000 students and 1200 workers from various disciplines (Engineering, Law, Business Administration and Management, Education,…). Therefore, Deusto FabLab is a trigger for research, as it is a driving force for the implementation of new methodologies and for the development of new ideas and working models.
FabAcademy is a Digital Fabrication Programme led by Neil Gershenfeld of MIT, which provides students with advanced knowledge in digital fabrication. This course is an accelerated, hands-on experience in which students develop a new project each week, using the various technologies available and shared in the FabLab. The FabAcademy consists of a five-month commitment by students from January to June, and many in-person hands-on hours spent in the FabLab. Global classes, broadcast from MIT, will be held every Wednesday from 9:00 - 12:00 EST, requiring a minimum of 30 hours of work per week from students.
DEUSTO FabLab has been participating in the FabAcademy programme since 2016. Further information about the programme can be found on the official website: www.fabacademy.org. For registration details please email us at fablab@deusto.es
The projects carried out at the DFL have Industrial Design as a common factor in all its aspects and applications. We understand Deusto Fab Lab as a place to develop, prototype and test the ideas generated as part of the iterative process of Design Thinking.
The projects developed in the DFL focus on three lines:
1. Work by students of the Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Design Engineering, as part of their own course subjects or workshops held for this purpose.
2. Projects developed by researchers at the University of Deusto for companies, institutions or organisations, in collaboration with the DFL team.
3. Projects developed by companies, institutions, organisations or individuals, external to the University of Deusto, in collaboration with the DFL team.
In all cases, projects and research to be carried out in the DFL must be previously submitted to the DFL Coordinators to assess their feasibility, by contacting them at fablab@deusto.es
Deusto Fab Lab has the collaboration of Material Connexion, the Aula de Ecodiseño / Ihobe and the Fab Labs/MITnetwork.
Contact us: fablab@deusto.es
