Open Source Fab Lab: Difference between revisions

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=What is an Open Source Fab Lab=
#REDIRECT [[RepLab]]
 
The Open Source Fab Lab is a robust flexible and digital fabrication facility. When the enabling information is available, a skilled worker may replicate the Fab Lab at the cost of materials. The tooling package that we are considered is based loosely around the [[MIT Fab Lab item list]], but is expanded beyond electronic circuits and laser cutting of Christmas ornaments - to foundry and heavy machinery production. The latter is accomplished with a 300 lb/hour steel melting furnace, CNC torch and plasma cutting, and welding as part of the basic components.
 
The formula for recasting a new civilization at the cost of scrap metal is:
 
[[Image:recasting.jpg]]
 
=Specific Fab Lab Components=
 
We are proposing the following equipment infrastructure, which is in addition to a number of small tools and diagnostics:
 
*300 lb/hour steel melting [[Foundry]] - $1000
*[[RepRap]] or similar 3D printer for printing casting molds - $400
*[[Multimachine]]-based [[Lathe]], mill, and drill, with addition of CNC control - $1500
*CNC [[Torch Table]] (plasma and oxyacetylene), adaptable to a router table
*Circuit fabrication - precise xyz router table
*[[Open Source Wire Feed Welder]]
 
Supporting hardware includes, at one technological [[Recursion]]:
 
*open source plasma torch
*computer oscilloscope
 
=Goals and Specifications=
 
Consensus amoung the Maker or Fab community seems to indicate that there are no concerted open source efforts to build an open source Fab Lab - outside of a number of individual efforts. We have proposed an open source [[Personal Fabrication]] infrastructure as part of the [[Global Village Construction Set]] - and are presently looking to deploy the set via the [[1000 True Fans - 1000 Global Villages campaign]] and the [[First World Conference on Open Source Ecology]].
 
We are proposing an open source Fab Lab with at least the above components. Tooling specifications should follow [[OSE Specifications]], and in particular, those of modularity, scalability, flexibility, and replicability.
 
=OSE Open Source Fab Lab=
 
See the video on our goals:
 
<html>
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</html>
 
See corresponding [http://openfarmtech.org/weblog/?p=487 blog post]
 
For the particular purposes of OSE's [http://openfarmtech.org/index.php?title=UM_Presentation Global Village Construction Set], here is a tool set that we need. It relies on proven techniques - no new inventions are needed - and immediate applications are the focus. The list of OS Fab Lab components belongs to Phase 1 technologies - primarily the equipment used in flexible and digital fabrication. Subsequent OS Fab Lab development stages include [[Fab Lab Phase 2]], [[Fab Lab Phase 3]], [[Fab Lab Phase 4]], and [[Fab Lab Phase 5]].
 
=Existing Work=
 
#New Work (Frithjof Bergmann) - good publicity material on high-tech self-providing [http://www.newwork-newculture.de/htep_fabricator.html in German]
#http://reprap.org/bin/view/Main/WebHome - a well-developed 3D printer project - already achieved self-replication
#http://opensourcemachine.org/node/2 - project implementations built by developer - I don't know if anyone replicated this yet; documentation needs development; Factor e Farm engagement - parts list and drawings being developed (6.08) and implementation scheduled for July, 08
#http://openfarmtech.org/index.php?title=Torch_Table - Factor e Farm progress - all materials sourced, torch table ready for assembly and connection to LinuxCNC - need a volunteer to visit us here to build this
#http://www.appropedia.org/Callooh - circuit fabrication router - project on paper; code work in progress
#http://www.instructables.com/id/CO2-laser-that-cuts-sheet-metal/ - CNC laser cutter for metal. There is evidence that by using laser engraver tubes ($200 each), say 10 of them, an industrial power laser can be put together at reasonable cost. The challenge is to work out the optics for paralleling the beams
 
=Software=
 
Message from Sam:
 
Marcin, I am in transit right now. But, a quick reply:
 
Although it is extremely difficult to learn to use, http://www.brlcad.org/ is the most robust that I have tried this far.
 
http://www.qcad.org/qcad.html is also really nice for 2D CAD work.
 
http://www.linuxcnc.org/ looks awesome, but is only an "Enhanced Machine Controller", and doesn't provide CAD drawing, nor CAM toolpaths (G-code drawing). What it does is interpret g-code toolpaths to move the actual XYZ table, or whatever machine you are controlling.
 
So, linuxcnc is essential, but as I have no machines to run yet, i have not had much of a way to test it out.
 
Also, for non-commercial use http://fab.cba.mit.edu/about/fab/  (cam.py and cad.py) those are some simple but useful software programs both cad drawing and cam toolpath generation (but are not fully open source, as we discussed earlier)
 
I am still searching for other software, but you can really do a lot with brl-cad and q-cad.
 
I still want to try http://www-rocq.inria.fr/OpenFEM/  and http://avocado-cad.sourceforge.net/ and http://www.cademia.org/frontend/index.php?sub=29 and http://www.opencascade.org/  don't know anything about those yet.
 
== BRL-CAD ==
 
If you plan on trying to use BRL-CAD, the PDF's on this page are essential reading http://www.brlcad.org/wiki/Documentation
 
==BRL-CAD Industry Diagram==
[[Image:BRL CAD.jpg]]
 
== Other Software Sam Rose is evaluating ==
 
* [Fandango http://www.soffernet.com/jaime/fandango/kfandango-doc.html] a C++ 3D CAD package with Python extensions.[]
* http://www.pythoncad.org/ (2D CAD a dead project but workable software QCAD probably a better choice here)
* GIT DARCS or Mercurial as a repository for DFX or other formats
*also will be copying to this tag http://delicious.com/srose/opensourceecology
 
=Links=
*Good PR material on the personal fabricator [http://www.newwork-newculture.de/htep_fabricator.html is here].
 
 
[[Category:OS Fab Lab]]

Latest revision as of 15:25, 6 November 2010

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