Kickstarter Script

Note: see Crash Course for documentation on each of the prototypes already built.

CNC Torch Table/Router/Plasma Cutter with Oxyhydrogen Generator

The main point about it is that we have succeeded in developing the world's first, replicable, low-cost open source CNC torch table (I don't know of any others that meet the criteria) that at present costs $800 in parts for a 4'x8' torch table. Comparable machines cost $10k off-the-shelf.

The first fire is shown in this blog post. The goal is a machine comparable to $20k+ machines, after adding z height controls; OS stepper motor controllers; OS stepper motors; and integrated toolchain from FreeCAD to toolpath CAM files. The last part is noteworthy - as we found out that we have to go through 4 independent software packages to arrive at torch cutting - on top of modifying the resulting toolpath files to accommodate a proper hole-piercing algorithm.

On top of the above, we are going to opensource an oxyhydrogen generator - which allows one to generate oxyhydrogen cutting gas by electrolyzing water. This displaces the need for acetylene cutting gas, while retaining compatibility with any cutting gas of choice.

To go further into this ecology - we will open source a plasma cutter as well. This will make the torch table compatible not only with 6

The unique part of the torch table is that it is largely self-replicating: one will be able to cut out most parts (tubing and plates) for fabricating a copy of the torch table on the torch table itself. The design is largely bolt-together design-for-disassembly – so one can also scale the table readily to any size, as needed.

Using thicker tubing and plate allows one to create a much more stiff design, such that it can also accommodate a router for cutting wood and other materials. Imagine the product ecology of the toolchain from the open source sawmill to CNC router – for making furniture readily from on-site trees. In the Kickstarter offering, we will produce the above, and in further prototypes, we will include computer vision to recognize metal that is put on the torch table. We will extend the degrees of freedom to five axes, so that routing of molds and CNC welding enter into the digital fabrication repertoire of the Microfactory.

The unique feature of the Torch/Router table is its scalability, adaptability to different working heads, and focus on integration of the toolchain for turnkey operation on a totally open source platform. This includes developing the open source tool heads and CNC drive components such as controllers and stepper motors within this Kickstarter offering - and advanced features of variable automated gas feed controls, 5-axis CNC control, and computer vision in future prototypes.

Plasma Cutter

To go further into the torch table product ecology - we will open source a plasma cutter as well. This will make the torch table compatible not only with fuel gases, but also with an open source plasma cutter. Thus, the plasma cutter will be able to cut up to 1” thick metal, and the fuel gas cutter will be able to cut metal up to 7” thick.

Universal Welder

The plasma cutter is part of the Universal Power Supply – a modular power electronics infrastructure-in-a-box that serves as the core of plasma cutters, universal welders, induction furnaces, and other applications.

Our goal in the kickstarter is to build a prototype of a combination welder/plasma cutter as in the Universal Welder Concept – comparable to the Miller Dimension 452 multipurpose welder ($8500) but at 1/10 the cost. This would allow MIG, TIG, Stick welding and plasma cutting.

Laser Cutter

In addition to CNC cutting operations with the torch or plasma cutter, the CNC Laser Cutter provides high-precision, clean cuts in thin metal, wood, and plastic substrates. We will build on the work of Lasersaur to increase the cutting capacity from 40W in the existing Lasersaur by a factor of 10, towards industrial cutting capacity for precision metal parts. See also Lasersaur BOM.

Key to our developments will be the feasibility study for producing high-power laser tubes, as well as building on lower-cost open source linear bearings that are now being developed.

CNC Circuit Mill/3D Printer

We will adapt the SnapLock CNC circuit mill as the Prototype I platform for OSE's work on the Circuit Mill. This platform is the official stable release of the MIT Fab Lab, and its precision allows one to produce surface mount circuits. This is suitable for milling microcontrollers, and other working heads can be attached to this mill - such as the 3D Printer extruder head from the RepRap project. Our development work will include optimizing the toolchain from CAD to CAM for both circuit milling and 3D printing.

All of the power electronics devices in the Microfactory include controllers - and these can be fabricated with the circuit mill. The 3D printer allows the printing of useful plastic objects such as electrical plugs, insulators, grafting tools, or molds for metal casting.

Induction Furnace

The Induction Furnace is perhaps the most important device in the Microfactory, as it allows one melt scrap metals to generate virgin metals. This includes casting of billets for metal rolling, casting of parts, alloying, metal preheating in metalworking, and surface treating. Moreover, the induction furnace can be applied to melting glass - for making glass block or glass panes from scrap glass cullet.

Since the induction furnace power supply involves an inverter, the induction furnace is related to the welder, where a welder also uses an inverter for its power supply. Therefore, inverters - such as for generation of AC electricity from batteries, are a byproduct of this work.

The noteworthy feature of the induction furnace is that our design will be scalable, so that any power can be produced - limited only by the amount of power that one has available to run the induction furnace. The basic power requirement is 1kW/hr/lb (see bid).

A remarkable feature of the induction furnace project is that the induction furnace lends itself to drastic cost reduction - from hundreds of thousands of dollars to approximately $5k in materials costs - or up to 100x cost reduction compared to industry standards.

Metal Rolling

Metal rolling is the forming of metal into useful cross-sections. Metal can be rolled into flat stock, any solid shape, u-channel, rod, shaft, wire, and other useful shapes. The resulting shape depends on the shape of the roller dies used in metal rolling. The resulting profiles can we welded to make pipe and tubing.

This is critically important because the value of abundant scrap steel can be increased 100-fold with access to the induction furnace, followed by machining operations.

The unique feature of our proposition is to demonstrate an economically-feasible metal rolling operation on the scale of about 2 ton per day production. The next smallest commercially-feasible operation is on the order of about 1000 tons per day.

CNC Multimachine

See Multimachine Concept and Multimachine Working Concept.

The noteworthy feature of the Multimachine is that it is a versatile precision machining center. It is essentially a solid block to which additional functionality can be attached. The basics include CNC milling, lathing, and drilling, plus the surface grinder attachment.

The noteworthy point of this is that this machine is designed to be the core of all precision machining operations. The surface grinder attachment allows one to take stock steel and grind it for precision - thereby attaining perfectly flat surfaces on the order of fractional mil uniformity over 4 feet.

The additional part of the Multimachine is that it is truly versatile. The central structure has 4 sides, and different other tools can be attached to these sides: such as a metal band saw, cold cut saw, shop press, bolt machine, and even precision grinding for ball-bearing production (in conjunction the steel hardening capacity enabled by the induction furnace). If there were one component upon which literally all of modern civilization revolves - it would be the ball bearing.

The Multimachine is designed to be the key to fabricating hydraulic motors, modern steam engines, electrical generators, and other components.

The unique feature is the absolute simplest design with modular, OS components, where we will document the full tool chain for automated production. For example, the machine is driven by hydraulic power, so different hydraulic motors may be attached, depending on the purpose required. We will even include a station with an electromagnetic base and a smaller hydraulic motor, so that this device may be moved to the workpiece - for cold-cut and drilling applications.

With one of these machines, any community should be enabled to produce its own essentials: nuts and bolts, motors, engines, plumbing fittings - and most importantly - ball bearings.

The hands-down breakthrough of this is to bring the fabrication of ball bearings down to the community scale. The implications are absolute technological autonomy of any community which has this capacity. The ball bearing is the heart of any precision machine. Reducing the cost of precision drives (CNC, automation) is one byproduct of this capacity. The predicted material cost is about $5k for a $200k equivalent machine if bolt production, ball-bearing production, and surface grinding are considered.

Ironworker Machine

This is an industrial-duty machine for cutting and punching holes in metal up to 1" thick. We have already shown a $800, 150 ton hole puncher prototype, and we will be extending this work to metal and angle shearing in Prototype 2. 150 ton Ironworkers of this capacity cost $20k.

The importance of this is that the ironworker machine is the heart of any custom fabrication enterprise, where cutting of metal is performed in seconds as opposed to minutes by other methods such as drilling, torching, or cold-cutting - yielding about a 100-fold productivity increase.

Summary

The Microfactory provides a range of cutting, welding, melting, forming, precision machining, and precision cutting operations. On top of this, the Microfactory provides the toolchain for computer-assisted fabrication, starting from circuit milling for automation. Together with the other power electronics devices (induction furnace, welder, plasma cutter, laser, oxyhydrogen generator) – a robust production system can be created on the scale of a 3000 square foot facility – capable of producing $80k of value per month. This in turn allows one to create a technology base of advanced civilization – essentially any electromechanical device - wherever scrap metal is available. Components that can be produced by the Microfactory include virgin structural steel derived from scrap metal, hydraulic motors, steam engines, electrical generators, nuts and bolts, microcontrollers, precision machining equipment, and others.

It is difficult to put a price label on the entire Microfactory cost. An estimate is $500k-$1M for the whole capacity described above . The cost of the above, when deployed in the open source, is $19k in materials.