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Current Meeting & Topic Schedule
Regular Meetings are Saturdays from 9:30-11:30 AM Directions
Knights of Columbus Building - Meeting Room, 1114 American Blvd West, Bloomington, MN
April 6, 2013
Future Studies
Title: The Emerging Revolution in 3D Printing and Fabrication
Presenter: George Kubik, PhD (Anticipatory Futures Group, LLC)
Abstract: What are “Fab Shops”? Fab shops are digital-based fabrication shops that use 3d printing to produce physical products. Although Fab Shops are a fairly recent phenomenon, they are rapidly expanding in abundance, popularity, and importance. They are also exerting a growing impact on the global scene: 3D fabrication capabilities are rapidly democratizing the processes of design and production, and they are driving what some observers refer to as the new industrial revolution.
As a result of ongoing breakthroughs in 3d printing, two trends are emerging: (1) Industrial fabbers are producing increasingly complex and larger multi-material products; and, (2) Rapidly decreasing costs of 3D printers are enabling home fabbers to create small-scale digital factories. The resulting range of fab shops are enabling dramatic increases in the production of customized products and the integration of increasing numbers of consumers in design and production processes. “Fabbers” (digital fabricators) are also enabling the production of an accelerating range of products with ever-decreasing product lifecycles, and on-demand manufacture of spare parts and customized products in limited numbers.
In the future, it is forecast that the growing number of Fab shops, coupled with the Internet of Things and the increased availability of intelligent materials and high-performance synthetics, will result in a new industrial revolution. Printed vehicles, houses, and guns are among the subjects that we will review and discuss. Sound too good to be true, join us Saturday (06-Apr-2013) and judge for yourself.
April 13, 2013
Topic:Economic Futures
Title: TBA
Presenter:George Zitek
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Topics Pending for 2012
Future schedule work in progress
Roundtable: Tech Breakthrough Forecasts for 2015-2020
See topics awaiting dates above.
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