FabLab iMAL
Operates a digital fabrication laboratory and arts center providing community access to 3D printing and CNC tools for artistic and educational prototyping.
- CEO / Founder
- Luc Courard
- Team Size
- 11-50
- Stage
- Active
- Total Funding
- €2.2M
- Latest Round
- Grant
- Key Investors
- Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Vlaamse overheid, Vlaamse Gemeenschapscommissie, Commission communautaire française (Cocof), European Regional Development Fund (Feder)
Technology & Products
Key Products
Digital fabrication equipment access; Artist/designer residency programs; Workshops and community learning; Research collaboration
Technological Advantage
Hybrid model combining a cultural arts center with a technical fabrication laboratory, supported by structural public funding rather than commercial revenue.
Differentiation
Value Proposition
Provides low-cost access to advanced manufacturing tools and a collaborative creative network, enabling artists and students to prototype complex designs without high capital expenditure.
How They Differentiate
Focuses on artistic and cultural output rather than industrial prototyping, differentiating from academic labs like Fablab Brussels (VUB) through its integration with a contemporary arts center.
Market & Competition
Target Customers
Artists, designers, engineers, developers, students, and citizens.
Industry Verticals
Contemporary Art; Design; Education; Engineering/Prototyping
Competitors
FabLab Ghent (Timelab); Fablab Brussels (VUB)
Growth & Milestones
Growth Metrics
Expanded facility to 1,200m² in 2020; maintains a community of 1,400+ followers and active artist residency programs
Major Milestones
1999: Project initiation by Yves Bernard; 2000: Legal establishment as non-profit; 2007: Opening of 600m2 center in Molenbeek; 2012: Opening of FabLab iMAL; 2016-2019: CASTII expansion project doubling infrastructure; 2019: Launch of formal residency program; 2021: Resignation of founder Yves Bernard
Notable Customers
Gluon, Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, various Brussels-based schools and independent artists-in-residence