business backgrounder | education & workforce
A High-tech Tinkering Paradise
From 3-D printers to laser cutters, a makerspace in Edmonds called The Facility opens up a world of high-tech tools to budding entrepreneurs.
Brian Mittge
The notion of manufacturing empires born in a garage is a classic American success story— but what if every tinkerer had access to nearly $ 1.5 million of machines to make their ideas come to life? Enterprising builders in Edmonds now have access to these kinds of expensive, precision tools thanks to an innovative program at Edmonds Community College known as The Facility.
In a digital world that seems to be fixated on the next big app, a hands-on makerspace full of high-tech tools in Edmonds is dedicated to the idea that it’ s cool to build physical, tangible things.
“ I think we’ re at a tipping point where we as a society are going to realize again that it’ s the people who make things who build the world,” said David Voetmann, the makerspace project designer and lead evangelist for The Facility.
This new and still-under-development program at Edmonds Community College( ECC) is designed to put expensive, high-tech tools in the hands of folks who would never otherwise have access to them.
The Facility offers $ 1.5 million worth of cutting-edge tools— from 3-D printers to a laser cutter and plastic injection molders— to community members in the same way that someone might join a health club and pay a monthly fee to access expensive exercise machines. at a glance
The Facility is aimed at do-it-yourself types who want access to advanced tools for prototyping and fabrication. The Facility does not mass-produce goods.( There are, however, tips offered to connect users with industrial production facilities that can mass-produce or on-demand build the finished prototypes for sale.)
Members must take a quick training class or certification test to ensure that they won’ t hurt themselves or the equipment. Once approved, they can use the high-tech tools for any project they’ d like.
The Facility has about 500 pieces of equipment worth about $ 1.5 million at its 11,000-square-foot shop on the campus of Edmonds Community College.
The program is still in the midst of a soft opening, which began quietly last summer. They have about 50 members who have been vetted to work on site. They anticipate the numbers to climb quickly once marketing begins.
Bob McChesney, designer of the bGroovin desktop speaker system, discusses his work at The Facility as part of a panel discussion at the 2016 AWB Institute Manufacturing Summit. David Voetmann( center), project designer at The Facility, looks on.
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