A fab lab is a small workshop that offers customised digital fabrication services; it is generally equipped with a range of computer tools that can flexibly and semi-automatically create a wide range of objects. Among these are technological products generally considered to be exclusive to mass production.
While they cannot compete with mass production, and related economies of scale, in the production of consumer goods, fab labs have shown great potential in providing their users with the tools to build their own technological devices. Such devices can be adapted to local or personal needs in ways that are not yet accessible to large-scale production.
Usually inside a fab lab there are a series of tools for digital manufacturing:
- 3D printers
- Milling machines with numerical control
- Laser cutter
- Machines for vinyl cutting
- Electronic welding and machining station
Digital Innovation Hub are technology clusters defined by the government “a bridge between enterprise, research and finance”. The representatives of Confindustria and of the Association R.ETE. Enterprises Italia, which was born as an evolution of the “Pact of Capranica” between Casartigiani, CNA, Confartigianato, Confcommercio and Confesercenti, will have to think about them. The idea was born from the European program “Digital European industry” of April 2016, which made available 500 million euros throughout Europe.
The Digital Innovation Hubs represent a lean and concrete model of innovative support to companies with a bottom up involvement of territories, universities and research centres of excellence and constitute a strategic asset for the growth and economic and industrial development of our country. The main objective is to ensure that manufacturing, the flagship of excellence of our economic system, passes from the current 15% contribution to GDP to at least 20%”.
Directly or through the innovation ecosystem (University, Competence Centre, Cluster, Test Lab/Industrial Player Centres/ICT Services, Research Centres; Science Parks and Technology Poles, Start-up Incubators, Fab Lab, Investors, Local Authorities), the activities of DIH in favour of enterprises shall focus on:
- Awareness raising and training on opportunities related to the application of 4.0 technologies, through the organization of seminars, workshops, and study visits.
- Support in innovative investment planning activities.
- Orientation towards Competence Centre of Industry 4.0.
- Support for access to public and private financing instruments.
- Mentoring service to businesses.
- Interaction with European DIH.
- Orientation towards the innovation ecosystem: national and European competence centres, smart factories and demo centres, lighthouse factories, universities, technology parks, technology clusters, public and private research centres, technology transfer centres, incubators, and fab labs.
Competence Centre aims substantially to encourage the relationship between universities and companies, hitherto not accustomed to interacting. They are “few and selected” and act at national level. The objectives of the Competence Centre:
- Training and awareness on Industry 4.0.
- Live demo on new technologies and access to best practices always within the fourth industrial revolution.
- Technological advisory for small and medium enterprises on Industry 4.0.
- Launch and acceleration of innovative projects and technological development.
- Support for the experimentation and “in vivo” production of new I4.0 technologies.
- Coordination with European competence centres.
DEMIX Group offers business support as a business accelerator through the provision of services such as the organization of networking activities, the provision of strategic advice on the business model ranging from the definition of the project to be developed to the establishment of the team, fundraising, management of any pivots until the product is launched on the market and the provision of physical spaces in which to work, including currently our coworking in the province of Lecce.
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