Invention, Intellectual Property and Income

The invention developed during Fab Academy is called PrintVault Pro.

PrintVault Pro is an intelligent environmental control system designed to monitor and regulate temperature and humidity inside a controlled enclosure. The system combines custom electronics, embedded programming, mechanical design, user interfaces, and remote monitoring capabilities into a single integrated product.

The project was developed as a solution for filament storage and conditioning in additive manufacturing environments. Through the use of sensors, heating elements, ventilation systems, a camera, and a custom monitoring interface, the system helps maintain optimal conditions for materials used in 3D printing.

What makes PrintVault Pro unique is the integration of multiple fabrication disciplines into a single platform. Instead of relying on commercial off-the-shelf products, the system was designed, fabricated, programmed, and assembled from the ground up using digital fabrication techniques learned throughout Fab Academy.

Intellectual Property (IP) refers to the legal framework that protects creations of the mind, including inventions, designs, software, documentation, and creative works.

During the development of PrintVault Pro, several original elements were created:

• Mechanical enclosure design.
• Custom electronic PCB.
• Embedded firmware.
• Monitoring and control interface.
• System integration architecture.
• Project documentation.

Rather than restricting access to these developments, the project follows an open knowledge philosophy that encourages learning, collaboration, and adaptation while maintaining recognition of authorship.

PrintVault Pro © 2026 by Rodrigo Zarate Fernandez is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

This license allows others to:

• Share the project documentation.
• Copy and redistribute the material.
• Adapt and modify the design.
• Create derivative works.

Under the following conditions:

• Attribution must be given to the original author.
• The material cannot be used for commercial purposes.
• Any derivative work must be distributed under the same license.

This licensing model aligns with the collaborative principles of the Fab Lab network while ensuring that the original creator receives proper credit for the work.

The CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license was selected because it offers a balance between openness and protection.

One of the primary goals of Fab Academy is to share knowledge and enable others to learn from existing projects. By adopting this license, future students, makers, researchers, and educators can study, replicate, and improve the project.

At the same time, the NonCommercial clause prevents third parties from directly selling the work without permission, while the ShareAlike clause ensures that future improvements remain open under the same licensing conditions.

Although the project is licensed under a non-commercial Creative Commons license, several future business opportunities could be explored through separate commercial agreements or future product versions.

Custom Manufacturing

Fabricating and assembling customized versions of PrintVault Pro for makerspaces, universities, and 3D printing businesses.

Educational Kits

Developing learning kits that teach electronics, fabrication, programming, and environmental monitoring concepts.

Consulting Services

Providing design, integration, and automation services based on the technologies developed during the project.

Premium Versions

Future versions could include cloud connectivity, mobile applications, predictive maintenance, and advanced analytics.

Workshops and Training

Offering training courses focused on digital fabrication, embedded systems, and smart manufacturing.

The main value of PrintVault Pro lies in its ability to combine multiple technologies into a practical solution that improves the reliability of additive manufacturing workflows.

By reducing material degradation caused by humidity and improving environmental control, the system can help users reduce failed prints, save material, and increase productivity.

In educational environments, the project serves as a complete example of interdisciplinary engineering that integrates mechanical, electronic, and software design.

Future iterations of the project could include additional intellectual property assets such as:

• Registered industrial designs.
• Trademark protection.
• Commercial licensing agreements.
• Expanded software platforms.
• Advanced monitoring systems.
• Cloud-connected infrastructure.

These developments would enable the transition from an educational prototype into a market-ready product while preserving the project's open-source roots.