By Genevieve Callaghan
With monthly memberships now available for purchase, the Silicon Valley-inspired workspace is designed for makers of all kinds – startup founders, designers, craftspeople, tinkerers, hobbyists and beyond. Founded by Hans Chang, a former product manager of SanDisk in Silicon Valley, FAB9’s mission is to empower the makers of Melbourne.
Located on the banks of the Maribyrnong River in the Dream Factory – the 900m2, purpose-built space enables makers across a vast range of interests and industries to access the training, tools and prototyping equipment needed to turn ideas into physical realities.
The state-of-the-art space features 5 different spaces under one roof, including a Timber shop, a Digi fab lab, an Electronics lab and a CNC lab, with more offerings to come.
“Having access to this facility will prove invaluable to hardware startups – it will not only allow them to prototype quickly and cheaply, but to develop better products generally,” says Chang.
“Digital makers have skills that hands-on makers want, and vice-versa. So by bringing all these different kinds of makers together in one space, FAB9 offers its members endless opportunities to exchange skills, learn from others, and collaborate.”
FAB9 is backed by notable figures including angel investor Evan Malone, founder and president of NextFab, a network of makerspaces in Philadelphia and Wilmington, USA. Malone is also the co-creator of Fab@Home, the world’s first multi-material 3D printer.
Makers interested in signing up for a membership, or booking for a tour of the FAB9 makerspace, can do so at fab9.com.au.
