Digital Fabrication Lab

A close up of the equipment used in the Fabrication Lab at Century College East Campus.

The Digital Fabrication Laboratory (or Fab Lab), located on Century College’s East campus, is a “hi-tech tinkers” workshop for inventors and people who want to design, prototype, and build things. The Fab Lab and Innovation Center offer a blend of unique technology solutions designed to stimulate learning through the innovative life cycle utilizing new digital fabrication tools and techniques.

In our lab, individuals who envision an idea have access to a variety of technologies that allow them to produce a product through computer-aided design and desktop manufacturing technologies.

The Fab Lab is available to Century College students, faculty, and staff. To view Fab Lab training videos, check out Prof Jeff’s YouTube channel.

SOLIDWORKS and Fab Lab

Watch amazing SOLIDWORKS customers who are developing barrier-breaking products outside of traditional mechanical designs. Consider what’s possible when you use SOLIDWORKS to explore the farthest reaches of your imagination. Also, Sherry Lassiter president of the Fab Foundation provides insights into the impacts of digital Fab Labs.


Lab Equipment

The lab is equipped with open-source CAD/CAM software, allowing people to design and manufacture products.

Fab Lab equipment includes:

  • Laser engraver
  • Mini-mills - 2 Sherlines & 1 Modela
  • Vinyl sheet/sign cutter
  • 3D powder-based rapid prototyping machine
  • ShopBot (4’ X 8’ CNC Router)
  • Hand tools and bench-top machines
Student working on fabricating a template out of a plexiglass-type of material.

 It is possible to make almost anything in our lab, ranging from small electronic circuits to full-sized boats, and even small modular cabins. Watch a tutorial on how to make a 3D photo on a 3D printer from Nested Cube.



Local-to-Global Connection

In the last decade, Century College has been collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Bits and Atoms Global Fab Lab Network. Century was the first college in the region to install and implement a digital fabrication laboratory (Fab Lab) and incorporate the MIT initiative across its curriculum in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) areas.

Century’s Fab Lab is the foundation for the College’s vision and direction, leading to the development of a new degree program (in Additive and Digital Manufacturing), and the opening of our new facility. The Century College Engineering and Fab Lab – A Center for Makers and Innovators is a $1.1 million dollar, 8500 sq. ft. facility.