Transformative Potential of Digital Manufacturing Laboratories: Insights from Mexico and Spain
[EN] This article presents a comparative analysis of digital manufacturing laboratories (DMLs) in Mexico and Spain. It is argued that DMLs, also known as makerspaces or FabLabs, play a key role in innovation and experimentation, but that their success depends on the relationships they establish with...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2025 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) |
| Repositorio: | RiuNet. Repositorio Institucional de la Universitat Politécnica de Valéncia |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:riunet.upv.es:10251/230263 |
| Acceso en línea: | https://riunet.upv.es/handle/10251/230263 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Digital manufacturing laboratories (DMLs) Governmental support Transformative innovation Embeddedness 08.- Fomentar el crecimiento económico sostenido, inclusivo y sostenible, el empleo pleno y productivo, y el trabajo decente para todos 09.- Desarrollar infraestructuras resilientes, promover la industrialización inclusiva y sostenible, y fomentar la innovación 10.- Reducir las desigualdades entre países y dentro de ellos 12.- Garantizar las pautas de consumo y de producción sostenibles |
| Sumario: | [EN] This article presents a comparative analysis of digital manufacturing laboratories (DMLs) in Mexico and Spain. It is argued that DMLs, also known as makerspaces or FabLabs, play a key role in innovation and experimentation, but that their success depends on the relationships they establish with social actors, such as local governments, universities, and firms. Key concepts of the transformative innovation approach such as ¿protective space¿ and ¿embeddedness¿ are introduced, which allow us to understand how DMLs operate within a complex system. The comparative analysis of a DML in Mexico City (Mexico) and a DML in Valencia (Spain) allows us to identify similarities and differences in their operational contexts. While the Mexican DML faces a lack of government support and dependence on the private sector, the Spanish one benefits from strong institutional support and public policies that facilitate its development. This results in greater stability and capacity for action for the Valencian FabLab VLC compared to the Mexican FabLab Finally, we reflect on how the embeddedness received from different social actors affects the autonomy and transformative capacity of DMLs, suggesting that while both labs have the potential to innovate, their contexts and relationships determine their effectiveness and sustainability in the digital sociotechnical system. |
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