Nation’s First 4-H Fab Lab Holds Grand Opening Event

Roland DGA (Irvine, CA) announced that The Blue Ridge/University of Arizona 4-H Fab Lab – the first public school Fab Lab established in Arizona and the first 4-H Foundation Fab Lab in the U.S. – held its grand opening ceremony on Jan. 18 in Lakeside, AZ.

The cutting-edge facility, located at Blue Ridge High School and funded by the University of Arizona, is designed to train the next generation of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) professionals through the use of real-world digital fabrication hardware and software. For its printing, cutting and milling equipment, Blue Ridge chose Roland DGA. Included with the equipment were Roland DGA’s Project Based Learning (PBL) modules, which make it easy for students to learn through hands-on, step-by-step projects.

The Blue Ridge 4-H facility will serve as Arizona’s main 4-H Fab Lab, with smaller “mini-labs” planned in other locations throughout the state. Each Fab Lab will utilize the existing 4-H youth development network and programs. Within Arizona alone, 4-H programs record more than 185,000 student contacts per year.

The Blue Ridge 4-H Fab Lab will provide students with free access to an array of digital fabrication machines, such as Roland’s MDX-40A milling machine, LEF-12 flatbed UV printer, SP-300i wide-format printer/cutter and GS-24 desktop vinyl cutter. Included with each device are PBL modules to make learning quick and easy, even for novices.

To learn more about the Blue Ridge/UA 4-H Fab Lab, click here.

For more information about Roland DGA, visit rolanddga.com.

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