COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN + FABRICATION
A mini-factory.
At every desk.
Two labs connect design work on screen to objects students can make, test, and take home.
The idea behind the CADFABLAB.
Give students individual access to a computer and a high-speed 3D printer, so they can move through the entire design process in one place.
The published program documents 45 Bambu Lab X1 Carbon printers across Nekoosa’s high school and middle school. Projects build practical CAD skills, creativity, and experience solving problems through iteration.
THE PROCESS
- DesignModel an idea in Tinkercad or Autodesk Fusion.
- MakeTurn that model into a printed object.
- ImproveTest the result and refine the next version.
Alexander Middle School
The original lab tour documents 20 workstations, with access to a PC and printer for individual design work.
Nekoosa High School
The original lab tour documents 24 workstations for CAD, prototyping, and advanced fabrication projects.
Original lab tour
See the lab’s photographic record on the school’s Google Sites page.