As a part of the celebration of the International Women’s Month, FAB LAB Mindanao in partnership with The Bridge Student Center, The Department of Trade and Industry, and the Global Innovation through Science and Technology conducted a training for mothers on digital embroidery and laser cutter that is geared towards entrepreneurship last March 28, 2019. The goal of the training is to give the maker mom’s the avenue to be exposed to digital fabrication tools and park their creativity in terms of design, innovation, and invention. During the training, the maker moms from Suarez National High School were able to learn the basics of digital fabrication through digital embroidery. From exporting an image to designing, and up to machine operation, they created their own embroidered design. The maker moms were also able to learn the basic laser cutting machine operation such as 2D designing, wood etching, and cutting. At the end the training, the maker moms has achieved the goal to level up their skills by digitizing embroidery as a part of the celebration of the International Women’s Month to #makeAlmostAnything!
Fabrication Laboratories or Fab Labs have grown into a global and collaborative movement of engineers, researchers, designers and entrepreneurs in transforming their ideas into usable prototypes.
Fab Labs started as an outreach project of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Center for Bits and Atoms.
Today, the MSU-IIT in partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), opens a P4.9 million fabrication laboratory at the first floor of the College of Engineering building.
Dubbed Fab Lab Mindanao, it is internationally recognized as one of the four Fab Labs in the Philippines (www.fablabs.io). The other three are: Fab Lab Bohol in Bohol Island State University in Tagbilaran City, PSHS Fab Lab of the Philippine Science High School in Diliman, Quezon City and Fab Lab UP Cebu at the University of the Philippines in Cebu City.
DTI provides sets of laser cutters, small milling machine with rotary, print and cut machine, 3D printer, big milling machine, and sewing and embroidery machine for Fab Lab Mindanao. As part of DTI’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) program, the institute’s Fab Lab is seen as a strong partner in providing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) a facility that will help them increase their productivity and improve the quality of their products.
Aside from DTI, the Department of Science and Technology provided P1.6 million worth of additional equipment such as 3D printer, 3D scanner and solid work standards. While MSU-IIT will provide P1.4 million in the laboratory renovation and other equipment.
Fab Lab Mindanao is currently managed by Lemuel Clark Velasco, a faculty member of the School of Computer Studies.
Interested parties can contact Fab Lab Mindanao office for the use of equipment and schedule of trainings as well.
Please check the February 2016 issue of Gazette, the official newsletter of the Institute which featured Fab Lab Mindanao on page 3. – OPI
The month of August is celebrated as Innovation Convergence month of Iligan.
Aimed to foster sustainable Innovation Ecosystem in Northern Mindanao, the Innovation Convergence is a collaborative consortium of different offices and agencies in Iligan City, namely: iDEYA:, FabLab Mindanao, DTI Negosyo Center, MSU-IIT’s Technology Application and Promotion Unit (TAPU) including Bamboo Technology Center and Ceramic Training Center, Innovation and Technology Support Office (ITSO) and Intellectual Property Unit (IPU) and InnoHive.
Its main collaborators are the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Region X, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Extension (OVCRE), MSU-IIT’s College of Engineering and College of Business Administration and Accountancy. The consortium is supported by Ideaspace Philippines, USAID, Negosyo Center, PLDT Innolab, RISPh, DICT Region X.
Based on its event brief, the consortium is “geared towards providing sufficient and sustainable innovation, technopreneurship, and science and technology ecosystem for the community by the community.”
Moreover, its goal is “to create an avenue for collaboration and innovation for the community, discover homegrown talents and build up portfolio, open opportunities and promote innovation to different colleges and universities, and support and strengthen research and development activities around the community.”
The whole month of August is filled with Innovation Convergence activities. All of the activities are held in MSU-IIT and are for free but registration is compulsory for each activity. A calendar of events is posted with this news and in their facebook page https://www.facebook.com/innovationconvergence/home.
