The Fab Store: Difference between revisions

[[File:The Fab Store.jpeg|thumb|While nothing lasts forever, the Fab Store can make your things last much longer.]]

How often have you trashed an entire product because of a single broken part? What if you could simply replace the part, at a fraction of the cost and waste? The Fab Store pairs advanced 3D printing with repair experts to fix previously unfixable items. These stores keep more stuff out of our landfills and more money in your pocket!

In addition, Fab Stores may finally deliver on the promise of a small-scale manufacturing revolution.

Too often, a single broken part means sending the sum of all its parts to a landfill. For example- A hinge broke on my old electric tea kettle, preventing me from closing the lid properly.

[[File:Tea Kettle- Broken then Fixed.jpg|alt=Before and after shot of an electric tea kettle lid hinge. The before image shows a rusty, cracked hinge. The after shot shows it repaired and looking brand new.|thumb|A repair cafe's inability to fix a tea kettle with a broken hinge served as an inspiration for the Fab Store.]]

Imagine a store equipped with 3D printers and CNC machines capable of fabricating parts made of metal, wood, plastic, rubber, ceramic and more. An expert greets you, examines your broken item, prints out the broken pieces and repairs your item for you. We have the technology and talent available today. If only there were someone to make the store a reality.

[[File:Modix BIG-Meter 3D Printer.jpg|alt=Photo of a Modix BIG-Meter 3D printer. It's much larger than a home printer. The printer is taller than the man who is pulling a 3D printed object from it.|thumb|Fab Store 3D printers are way better than your home printer! This Modix 3D FDM printer is almost 5 feet tall, prints quickly and handles a wide variety of materials. [https://www.modix3d.com/big-meter/ Image courtesy of Modix].]]

Your friendly neighborhood Fab Store is on a street corner near you. As you enter, a repair expert greets you, examines your broken item and comes up with a plan to fix it.

The repair expert extracts the broken axle from the toy and scans it with a 3D scanner. The object appears virtually in CAD software, where the expert "repairs" the broken part in the software. Then the expert 3D prints a new axle and installs it in the truck. Your child gets more milage out of their toy and another item is spared from the landfill.

A Fab Store really consists of two buildings:

Let's look into what goes into Fab Stores and Fab Shops.

Considering all the equipment and skills that go into the them, Fab Stores can double as small-scale factories. You can manufacture a wide range of products using the wide range of materials and tooling available to you. By producing small batches of a variety of unique products, you may stumble upon a products destined for mass market success.  

[[File:Thingaverse - Tic Tac Gun - by 3DPatriot.png|alt=A 3D printed "Tic Tac Gun." The "clip" is an upside-down box of Tic Tacs. The orange plastic gun has a lever to load the Tic Tac and a trigger to shoot it.|thumb|Not just repairs. The Fab Store can make and sell items like the "[https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4883696 Tic Tac Gun]." One of millions freely available designs for 3D printers.]]

Places like the Thingaverse are filled with designs for imaginative items you can't buy in stores. Lurking among those designs might be the next best-selling product trend. You manufacture just one of each design and prominently display them in your store windows and on the web site. There's little risk in making products that don't sell and huge rewards when a product proves popular.

Who knows which design might turn into a commercial success. Producing a limited quantity of a wide range of products in search of a winner is a low-cost, low-risk way to discover the next hula hoop, hot jewelry trend or must-have phone case. Imagination is about the only limit!

You can also manufacture designs your customers find on the Internet. Not only does this create Fab Store buzz when your customers shows off their cool item, it also offers inspiration into which items to produce for your store window.

You should view customer-supplied designs as an insight into what kinds of products sell. If one customer wants the item, others likely do too. Look at the product space, not just the product, and you may find a profitable niche.

Customizing a user-requested product opens up a consulting revenue stream for the Fab Store. The user brings in a design that they would like to improve in some way. Maybe it's putting their name in the design. Maybe a certain part of the item needs to be larger. Maybe they want to combine two designs. Fab Store experts have the skills to create unique designs for customers who can pay for the expert's time.

I envision Fab Stores becoming as ubiquitous as 7-Elevens- on a street corner in every neighborhood in the US. Each Fab Store doesn't live in a vacuum, though. They are plugged into the Fab Store Network. The power of scale and collaboration makes individual Fab Stores even more profitable and capable.

The Fab Store Network pools the knowledge of individual stores while supporting their operations. Here's how:

Every custom made part, every custom design, every repair technique discovery goes into the design database. If any Fab Store has fixed it before, all Fab Stores know how to fix it in the future.

The Fab Store Network's design database ensures efficient repairs, improving profitability and enhancing the Fab Store's reputation as the master of repairs.

Often, the only practical solution to replacing a broken or missing part is 3D printing a new one. What if the part in question is a small screw, a spring or a latch, though? While you may not be able to find exactly what you're looking for at your local hardware store, parts like these are standard and used across many items and many product categories. It rarely makes sense to go through the time and expense 3D print a part when you can buy it for pennies.

When a customer's part or item needs go beyond the capabilities of Fab Store equipment, the Fab Store Network can fulfill the request.

When one Fab Store finds a winning product, other locations take notice thanks to sales data provided by the Fab Store Network.   

Fab Store Network sales data aggregated across all stores stores make each Fab Store more profitable. It also spots trends that may lead to the next holiday's must-have gadget!  

I believe an online process for shipping an item for repair is crucial to the early success of Fab Stores. Virtual window shopping is also part of the experience. This allows Fab Stores to service customers regardless of geography.