[ExI] Fwd: [RepLab] FabLab inventory and Beyond

Bryan Bishop kanzure at gmail.com
Mon Nov 23 04:09:27 UTC 2009


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Marcin Jakubowski <joseph.dolittle at gmail.com>
Date: 2009/11/22
Subject: [RepLab] FabLab inventory and Beyond
To: replab at googlegroups.com, Open Manufacturing
<openmanufacturing at googlegroups.com>, Olle Jonsson
<olle.jonsson at gmail.com>, Erik de Bruijn <info at erikdebruijn.nl>, Marc
Juul <marcjc at gmail.com>, Leo Dearden <leo.dearden at googlemail.com>, Jeb
Bateman <jeb at ocha.net>, Smári McCarthy <smari at anarchism.is>


Friends,

I would like to call out further for participation in RepLab. The
focus is economic significance, ie, applicability of open source tools
to real production functions of society. Sam discussed this point in
his post, On Replication.

I am posting this same message to announce at lists.hackerspaces.org and
discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org . If someone knows more effective means
of contacting hacklabs, pass this on. We also need to pass this on to
the FabLab people.
----
As such, the discussion on RepLab needs to start with components. We
propose these here, and then ask collaborators explicitly what they
can contribute to the RepLab tool inventory development process. We
are looking primarily for people who have can research, design, and
build equipment. The goal is producing tools that can lead to
disruptive change by combination of open source business model and
Type 3 replication (see above article). We should be clear that the
development has openness as a priority - including the enterprise
model for building respective machines. The enterprise model must
include economic analysis and ergonomic analysis for the RepLab tool,
to promote economically significant production of that tool or of its
product. This is in the name of distributive economics - and to spawn
a large number of production facilities worlwide that rely on open
source tooling. This is a means to address bootstrap funding towards
post-scarcity economics for many of the groups involved - by earnings
from viable, open business models.

It should be said that the common ground between RepLab development
and toolchain application towards economically significant production
(such as automated circuit fabrication proposed by Sam) is the
development of the toolchain components. This means that if we want to
develop toolchains - we need tool chain components - and that's where
the core mission of RepLab lies. We are hoping that a large pool of
developers from many hackerspace-related initiatives come together on
developing the various Open Source Fab Lab tools, since all of us are
interested in at least some tools of production.

Sam proposes automated circuit fab as one viable enterprise. Erik
brings RepRap developments to the table, and I hope that this becomes
a viable open business model, possibly co-developed with Makerbot. FeF
brings RepTab to the table - we have an untested prototype so far, and
we welcome on-site collaborators.

The list of tools needed is below, with only the key items listed.
Please get back to us specifically on what you can contribute. In
particular:

(1), tell us the tool of interest to you;
(2), what specific technical developments you are willling to
contribute to the project - such as design, calculations, research,
fabrication, testing, documentation, web development, marketing,
resource development, parts sourcing assistance, etc.
(3), resources and infrastructure that you have available, and what
gruops you are involved with or that you can leverage for assistance
(4), suggestions on strategies and enterprise models that can be
utilized in development
(5), suggestions on tools missing, and how you're willing to
contribute to devloping them
(6), how much energy you can commit - do you 'have a job' or can you
commit significant time?

TOOL LIST - from FabLab (see  detailedhis for a list)
1. Laser cutter - large DIY community exists for C02 lasers
2. ShopBot - RepTab is the Factor e Farm version
3. Precise router for milling circuits
4. Plasma cutter - power circuit is main point to opensource
5. Welder - power circuit is main point to opensource
6. Oscilloscope - can a computer oscilloscope cover most needs?

Beyond FabLab:
1. RepRap - fabrication streamlining and open business model needed
2. Mill
3. Drill
4. Lathe
5. Induction furnace - power electronics are main point to opensource
6. Ciruit fab - automated process including pick-and-place
7. Aluminum extrusion
8. Metal casting - of ingot from induction furnace, and other molds
9. Hot rolling
10. Cold rolling
11. Forging
12. Metal shear and hole punch for up to 1" steel
13. Wire drawing

These tools cover electronics, precision fabrication, heavy metal
work, and ability to make other tools for producing any technology
known in advanced civilization. Tools created from the above can even
yield clean room technology. The above is quiate a limited set, but is
sufficient to generate other tools. The latter parts focus on serious
industrial process, with a bias towards building replicable,
post-scarcity resilient communities with capacity to bootstrap
largerly from scrap steel.

Comments and refinements of problem statement are welcome.

Thanks,

Marcin
marcin at replab.org



--
--------------------------------------------------
Marcin Jakubowski, Ph.D.
Open Source Ecology
http://openfarmtech.org
opensourceecology at gmail dot com
Skype: marcin_ose
--------------------------------------------------

Nobody said that building the world's first open source village would be easy.

-- Anonymous, 2009

A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion,
butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance
accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders,
give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new
problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight
efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

-- Robert A. Heinlein

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