MicroLab

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A crazy project inspired by the mini-fablab, the fablab squared and my various travels with a reprap or more machines.

Because a fablab truck could be awesome, but if you have to take a plane (or by bike when we'll run out of oil) you'd better have something more compact.

• The arbitrary goal is to make everything fit inside two luggages of 23kg (which is the weigh limit for a luggage if you travel with Air France)
• Such a kit will allow easy installation of a temporary fablab or to bootstrap a fablab's machines anywhere (the MicroLab may not have the same capacities of a full fablab, but with small machines you can make big machines ^^)

Thus also in the spirit of the RepLab (http://forums.reprap.org/list.php?128 and http://groups.google.com/group/replab/)

http://wiki.nybi.cc/index.php/%CE%9CicroLab (same in French and shorter)

Transportation

With a recumbent bike (ideally)

• aliaciklo
• moskito
• http://velocar.fr/

Content

What I imagine to have today in that theoretical kit :

• 3d-printer
  • a FoldaRap
• laser : next big project here, probably with a pocket engraver to start, but I'm sure we can do something to make a big folding structure based on tensegrity principles...
• mini-cnc : http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:9182 or this Brief case router
• 3d-scanner
  • a kinect
  • Photon
• a small-vinyl cutter
• projector
  • http://www.3mdirect.co.uk/p-2888-3m-mobile-projector-mp410.aspx?buttonstyle=3&utm_expid=1493557-4

• moldmaking silicon and resin to cast stuff

And a good toolbox !

Related links and interesting things to consider

• MakeLab suitecase-cnc
• Luggage-sized CNC
• popfab
• (see the nov12 newsletter, http://faboo.mobi/131/)