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Students at the recent Blue Ridge/University of Arizona 4-H Fab Lab Grand Opening check out one of the advanced digital devices – a Roland VersaUV LEF series printer – at the new, state-of-the-art facility.
A 4-H Fab Lab, the first of its kind in the United States, boasts 3D printing, milling, and cutting equipment from the likes of Ultimaker and Roland DG.
The Blue Ridge/ University of Arizona 4-H Fab Lab was the subject of a Grand Opening ceremony on January 18th in Lakeside, Arizona. It has been established to train the next generation of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Maths) students, introducing them to industry-standard digital fabrication hardware and software. This includes printing, cutting and milling equipment from Roland DGA, the North American arm of the corporation, as well as a range of Ultimaker machines.
Funded by the University of Arizona, the 4-H facility is located at the Blue Ridge High School. It will serve as Arizona’s main 4-H Fab Lab, with the intention of setting up smaller mini-labs in other locations throughout the state. Each lab would utilise the global 4-H youth development network and programs – In Arizona alone there is more than 185,000 students affiliated with 4-H programs. These labs will look to provide a platform for young STEAM students in Arizona, and in the future, perhaps nationwide too.
“There are 15 Arizona county cooperative extension offices and hundreds of individual clubs throughout the state – each of which can equip their own mini-labs as part of the network and use our flagship lab for added capabilities,” said Kevin Woolridge, the director of the 4-H Fab Lab. “Our goal is to have a mini-lab in every Arizona cooperative extension office within the next two years, and in every 4-H community over the next five years. Additionally, we’ll be sharing our program with 110 land grant universities throughout the country. Having the support from the University of Arizona and technology manufacturers like Roland DGA makes our success possible.”
Roland DG’s MDX-40A milling machine, LEF-12 flatbed UV printer, SP-300i wide format printer/ cutter, and GS-24 desktop vinyl cutter, are among the manufacturing tools available to users of the 4-H lab, supplemented by a total of 15 Ultimaker 3D printing systems (Three Ultimaker 3 Extended; Four Ultimaker 2 Extended and eight Ultimaker 2Go). Together it provides the Blue Ridge students with a comprehensive range of modern manufacturing equipment, brought to market by industry-leading players.
“We’re excited about playing an integral role in the opening of the country’s very first 4-H Fab Lab,” commented Andrew Oransky, Roland DGA President. “While the machines we have provided incorporate cutting-edge technology, they are also incredibly simple to operate. Within no time at all, students of all levels can be using our devices to learn and apply STEAM education in fun, practical ways.”
