About the Wanger Family Fab Lab
The Museum houses a state-of-the-art digital fabrication laboratory called the Wanger Family Fab Lab, a small-scale workshop for computer-based innovation, design and fabrication. The Fab Lab allows you to dream up, design and make almost anything you can imagine using cutting-edge software and equipment.
MSI’s Wanger Family Fab Lab is one of more than 100 such labs worldwide. They began as a community outreach program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have spread worldwide to rural India, Africa, Europe and across America. All Fab Labs share software, equipment and core capabilities, so that people and projects can be shared among all sites. Fab Lab users engage in problem-based learning and hands-on fabrication, becoming innovators of new projects and prototypes for limitless use and application.
MSI’s Fab Lab offers the Dream It, Design It, Fab It! program for Museum guests. Interested teens in our Science Achievers youth development program learn advanced skills and have developed prototypes of activities that are featured in Museum exhibits. Shortly after the Fab Lab opened in 2007, MSI hosted Fab4, the Fourth International Fab Lab Forum and Symposium on Digital Fabrication.
- Wanger Family Fab Lab Public Programs
- Stop by the Fab Lab to create a personalized item during one of our three workshops. These sessions are offered as part of our Live Science Experiences.
What's Here
- Design Circle: twelve CAD workstations (Win7/Linux) | video preview
- Electronics workshop | video preview
- Large CNC machine - Shopbot PRStandard | video preview
- 3D printers | video preview
- Stratasys Prodigy Plus (1), MakerBot Replicator 2 (6), Stratasys uPrint SE Plus (1), Up! Personal Portable 3D Printer (1) - Epilog mini laser cutter 35 watts (2) | video preview
- Roland CAMM-1 Servo GX-24 desktop vinyl cutter (2) | video preview
- Roland Modela MDX-20 mini CNC machine (2) | video preview
What Can You Do in the Fab Lab?
- Make almost anything, from t-shirts to furniture to robots
- Collaborate with other Fab Labs and design offsite using open-source software
- Learn digital design tools used by experts in the field
- Have hands-on access to fabrication machinery
- Become an expert volunteer
Contact Us
Email fablab(at)msichicago.org for tours, upcoming opportunities and events, and information on how to volunteer in the lab.
Video
Learn how MSI is transforming lives through science education.
- Happening Now
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Animal Inside Out
A stunning look inside the animal kingdom from the creators of BODY WORLDS.
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Space Junk
A visually stunning exploration of our planet's perilous ring of orbiting debris.
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Air Racers
Ride along as elite pilots fight for position, wingtip-to-wingtip, in the fastest motor sport.
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- Coming Soon
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Inventive Genius Lecture: Empires of Light
Jill Jonnes discusses the electric clashes between Edison, Tesla and Westinghouse.
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The Wooded Isle and Gardens of the World's Fair
Cathy Maloney discusses the gardens of the World's Fairs and tours the Wooded Isle.
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The Wooded Isle and Gardens of the World's Fair
Cathy Maloney returns to discuss World's Fair gardens and tour the Wooded Isle.
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New Online Activities
- Online Activity
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See the Colors in Leaves
Use chromatography to separate the pigments in leaves and see what they're made of.
- Online Activity
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Fly a Hot-Air Balloon
See what happens when air is heated as you build and fly a huge hot-air balloon.
- Online Activity
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Build an Electric Motor
Magnets and electricity work together to make an electric motor.