Fab Labs and Sustainability
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Fab labs provide the general public with digital fabrication capabilities to rapidly prototype and personally manufacture a limited number of items. While this enables innovation, fab labs are not suited for large-scale production, distribution, repair, or recycling. The document discusses how personal fabrication could help address sustainability issues through localized production and reduced transport if environmental concerns related to materials use and emissions are also addressed.
Fab Labs and Sustainability
- 1. FAB LABS AND SUSTAINABILITY #sustmake London, Machines Room, 26 Oct 2015 Cindy Kohtala Aalto University https://blogs.aalto.fi/makerculture/
- 2. Fab labs have altered the landscape of innovation by providing the general public with an opportunity to appropriate the digital fabrication process: to make things personally. They enable rapid prototyping but are not suited to production on a larger scale (a limited number of identical pieces can be made if the hardware is not overused), nor are they suited to distribution, repair, or recycling. SOURCE: Eychenne, F. (2012). Fab Labs Overview.The Fing (Fondation internet nouvelle g辿n辿ration). Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/slidesharefing/fab-labs-overview
- 3. the inverse of digital fabrication is digital recycling the construction of digital materials can contain the information needed for their deconstruction. Bad guys are already impressively effective at acquiring the best available technology for the destruction of their enemies; fab labs are likely to have a far greater impact on the stability of the planet by helping everyone else acquire the technology they need for their survival. SOURCE: Gershenfeld, N., 2005. FAB:The Coming Revolution onYour Desktop From Personal Computers to Personal Fabrication. Basic Books, NewYork.
- 4. SOURCE: Kohtala, C., Hyysalo, S., 2015.Anticipated environmental sustainability of personal fabrication. Journal of Cleaner Production 99, 333344. Open access from http://authors.elsevier.com/a/1R0Rk3QCo9EPdT until 1 July 2015.
- 5. SOURCE: Kohtala, C., 2014.Addressing sustainability in research on distributed production: an integrated literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.039 bespoke fabrication: tailored, individualized products, design and fabrication in hands of producer mass fabrication: unique products, design and fabrication in hands of users in interaction with each other mass customization: batch/modular personalized products, design and fabrication in hands of producer personal fabrication: unique products, design and fabrication in hands of user, shared designs market influence non-market influence WHAT IS DISTRIBUTED PRODUCTION? control over user/consumer input scale large small digital manufacturing peer-to-peer production
- 6. mass fabrication: transformed supply chains, elimination of embodied energy of redundant intermediaries mass customization: less pre-consumer waste, greater potential for re-manufacturing, eco-guiding configurators for consumers bespoke fabrication: localized production and lower transport emissions, less product replacement personal fabrication: localized production, higher environmental impact per unit but overall lower volumes (than MP and MC) ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS exploit user/consumer input exploit scale exploit modularization exploit small and local ensure quality for attachment, satisfaction exploit learning opportunities SOURCE: Kohtala, C., 2014.Addressing sustainability in research on distributed production: an integrated literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.039 According to existing research claims, these are the environmental benefits.
- 7. mass fabrication: distanced from consumer recycling systems and safety standards, increased transport of components and materials mass customization: customized products add to mass production material flow rather than replace bespoke fabrication: high quality leads to resource and energy intensive production, difficulty to reuse bespoke products personal fabrication: greater personal exposure to toxic materials/emissions, unregulated emissions to environment ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS regulations and standards scale global local quality drivers less regulation SOURCE: Kohtala, C., 2014.Addressing sustainability in research on distributed production: an integrated literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production. doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.09.039 What those previous researchers didnt mention
- 9. In Fab Labs today, BARRIERS >invisibility of issues >lack of eco- champions >time poverty >situatedness OPPORTUNITIES >visions of societal responsibility >material understanding and time engagement >openness and willingness to share >stepping stone to new paradigm