T For Technology Around the Moray Firth

A new group has been formed to provide opportunities for everyone in the community to try out new technology.

Co-founder Bill Graham of Forres says that a main aim is to open up the possibilities of new types of technology that bring the means of production into the home.

“The new 3D printers that are now becoming available let you to print an object you need, with the machine building it up layer by layer into the shape you’ve designed on the computer screen. So spare parts for machines can be made, and indeed with a new 3D printer kit you can actually produce many of the parts needed for its successor.

“The software for the design work is available online without charge, so it is going to be possible for our homes to carry out the manufacturing of small parts for us, just as the personal computer enabled so many people to become home publishers.”

At meetings of the new group – called the T-Exchange – members will be able to try out some of the new equipment that is becoming available and assist each other with learning the full potential of the various systems. The first meeting at Findhorn Village Centre recently was attended by more than a dozen people with about the same number joining the group on-line.  Group members enjoyed the opportunity to look at some of the equipment and what can be made with it.

Online members come from places ranging from Drumnadrochit and the Black Isle to Blackburn in Aberdeenshire. The next meeting at the Centre, this coming Friday (24 February) at 7 pm for 7:30, will give everyone a chance to get into action.

The T-Exchange development in Moray is part of a new movement starting to spread around the world under the name of ‘hackerspaces’. These are venues for people to try out equipment, with the emphasis on sharing, assisting and generally enjoying.

There is a commercial potential as well, as one of the other co-founders, Tom McCallum of the Hopeman software company Gulfstream, explains.

“The PC opened the way for so many industries of today when it made possible so many things with text and photos, and in the same way developments like the 3D printer are going to open up all kinds of possibilities. Communities where people can try out the new equipment and probe the possibilities are going to have an advantage when it comes to developing possible applications. This could be for home interest or for business benefits – the first stage is just to explore the possibilities, and the new T-Exchange evenings are open to everyone.”

Further information is available from the group website at www.t-exchange.net

ENDS

First Press Release

Bill Graham