People who come to a Fab lab for the first time have similar questions. Like, how does this machine work? What is the process? What is the input file?
Since most of the fablabs have similar inventory, I thought why not make a handbook which an ordinary person can use to get a general idea of what can be done in a fablab and the processes involved.
Since then I've been trying to bring together a content structure that tries to address most of these questions. After a couple of months I arrived at something I think would be helpful.
Each Fabrication technique has four pages,
1. How it works? (Explain the process)
2. Machine Details (Explain a bit about the machine, and capabilities)
3. A DIY Example (An easy example which explains all the steps)
4. Fabrication Possibilities (What all can be made with this fabrication technique)
I have tried to keep the technicalities to a minimum, only explaining what a person needs to know about the fabrication technique and expand his mind to the possibilites it offers.
Make a platform independent version of Handbook. The aim being to create a framework with all the layout built in (like a bootstrap theme), so more people can contribute to it.
This version of the hanbook is designed to be an ebook or print focued on Fablab Kerala. In the next version, I'm hoping that more people would contribute and we can create a universal framework that any lab can use to make handbooks of their own or contribute to a single source.
This is a work in progress, I'm by no means an expert, and have written it to the best of my knowledge. There are a lot more techniques and machines available than the ones in this book. What my aim is to bring together the knowledge from different fab labs into one place so that more people have access to it.
