Mon 9 May 2011
Posted by Marcin
Sparks are flying in the workshop, and the Torch Table is ready for computer-aided manufacturing (CAM). Will is producing CAD and CAM files for the Tractor, from across the ocean, so we can cut tractor parts automatically:
Sat 23 Apr 2011
Posted by Marcin
We have built the complete automatic controller for The Liberator Open Source Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press a year ago, and have demonsttrated up to 16 brick per minute brick pressing rates. Now we move on to technological recursion of the open source CEB controller technology – by circuit milling our own control circuits with an open source CNC Circuit Mill instead of buying them off-the-shelf. (more…)
Fri 22 Apr 2011
Posted by Marcin
Last year, we didn’t use any automation in our fabrication procedures. For example, check out the LifeTrac II build. We’re moving to digital fabrication this year. Our work this year will be a test case for optimizing production – to determine whether even your grandma can build industrial-grade tractors in her garage. To do this, we need your help. Read on.
We are taking the open source tractor, now in Prototype II phase, as the first test case. To create Prototype III, the first task is to take the existing LifeTrac design – full CAD in Blender (18 inch shorter version) by Will – and export it into CAM tool path files for every component - to be cut out on our computer controller (CNC) torch table. We are using LinuxCNC as the open source control software. As we go along, we are documenting the status and needs of the open source solution for providing a robust platform for digital fabrication of economically-significant products. Our first contribution to this is the torch table, which if we develop the open source stepper motor controller, will cost $800 in parts for a 4′x8′ working area, not counting the computer and plasma cutter. (more…)
Tue 12 Apr 2011
Posted by Marcin
We have just built a 750 square foot workshop addition:
Workshop Addition from Open Source Ecology on Vimeo.
Rosa from Los Angeles is an early adopter who invested in our Tractor-Soil Pulverizer-Compressed Eearth Brick (CEB) Press package – to start a construction business. We will be producing one of the equipment packages for her in our workshop addition. (more…)
Fri 23 Jul 2010
Posted by Marcin
Our infrastructure for flexible fabrication along the lines of the Open Source Fab Lab, RepLab, is evolving nicely. We reported recently on Prototype I the heavy duty, open source, drill press, and here we are reporting on Prototype I deployment of our 150 ton hole puncher. Both of these are critical to fabrication ergonomics optimization for resilient communities in general, and, in particular – for Factor e Farm’s present fabrication of The Liberator open source CEB press and the LifeTrac open source tractor. For comparison, see earlier notes about our off-grid flex fab facility in a blog post from 2 years ago.
Here is a video on the hole puncher, with explanations.
Open Source Metal Hole Puncher – Prototype I from Marcin Jakubowski on Vimeo.
The implementation required a high level of attention to the extreme heavy build and die positioning precision requirements – much more than anything we’ve done with the open source tractor, automated CEB press, or other devices. This is our first device that required at least some consideration of structural engineering – beyond brute-force overbuild. The local fab shop helped on the design. You can download the dxf design file at our design repository.
Tue 23 Feb 2010
Posted by Marcin
Here we continue to document the fabrication ergonomics from where we left off on the Compressed Eearth Brick (CEB) press.
Transfer punch and drill holes for frame – 3 hours.
Mount the arms – 1.5 hours.
Build soil-loading drawer – 3 hours. 
Build hopper interface plate
and hopper – 4 hours. (more…)
Wed 10 Feb 2010
Posted by Marcin
We’re now in production of the open source, Compressed Earth Block (CEB) press. Here we document the fabrication ergonomics for the first steps in the build. This is for those of you considering replication.
It took 11.5 hours to cut the steel for The Liberator Beta v2.0 CEB press according to this cut list. This involved punching some of the holes, shearing, and bending – care of the local fab shop.
It took me 2 hours to build the press foot:
It took 2 hours to build the grate. Here is the grate with spacers between rebar prior to welding:
So far, the total is 15.5 hours of fabrication. If we had a hole puncher, we could probably save ourselves 2 hours of outsourced labor. So here’s our design of the hole puncher, to be built – as part of an ironworker machine:
The dxf files are here, so you can download them and continue the design if you want to get involved. This is an invitation to collaboration, starting with the wiki. First part of the ironworker is a hole puncher, and second step is metal shears for up to 12 inch wide metal, 1″ thick. The shears could save us a few more hours of outsourced labor.
There are holes on the u-channel that don’t lend themselves to hole punching, so these will be drilled using the FeF Multimachine in-the-making.
Hey, look, I found two, scrap six cylinder, in-line, 300 cubic inch Ford engine blocks in the back of the pickup.
That will be the start of the next version of the Multimachine.
Cutting out the hopper took about an hour.
If we had RepTab, the open source torch table up and running already – we could cut the 1/8″ sheet in about 5 minutes at the rated cutting speed of our 60 amp plasma cutter. So here’s a case for spending 2 dedicated weeks to get RepTab shaken down into full running condition.
In the meantime, William has been learning MIG welding in preparation for his arrival in May. Here’s a video:
He is also learning QCad, so we’ll hit the ground running on design and build of a new civilization.
Sun 31 Jan 2010
Posted by Marcin
Kevin Carson, Research Asociate at the Center for a Stateless Society, just published a book called The Homebrew Industrial Revolution: A Low Overhead Manifesto. This is a progressive review of industrial history, culminating in the present option of post-scarcity economics. Open Source Ecology is featured as one of the Case Studies in the Coordination of Networked Fabrication and Open Design in the Appendix of Chapter 5. If you are interested in a comprehensive overview and of the technological ecology that we’re pursuing at Factor e Farm, this is a worthwhile read. It’s an insightful and quite accurate third-party analysis of our work, and the chapter provides a more in-depth understanding of the relationship between access to cheap, modern tools and collaborative design repositories – and how these combine for radical democratization of industry. Thumbs up for this important work. It is one of the cultural creative writings of the times, aimed at breaking through society’s limited consciousness on technology and production as a means of evolving to freedom. Read more about it on Kevin’s blog.
I’d also like to bring up a seminal book on the psychological basis of anthropogenic, societal ills suffered in the world today - Political Ponerology: a Science on the Nature of Evil Adjusted for Political Purposes, by Andrew Lobaczewski.
Tue 26 Jan 2010
Posted by Marcin
RepTab, our open source torch table – was featured in the January edition of MAKE Zine. Read the full article online at MAKE. You can follow the history of this development in former blog posts. Read more about RepLab – the Open Source Fab Lab – of which RepTab is a part.
Wed 2 Sep 2009
Posted by Marcin
Lawrence has finalized the open source torch table design, after 11 days at Factor e Farm. 
Today, we are preparing the workshop space and he’s putting together the frame. Our goal is to complete the prototype in the stated 30 day period.
The design has come a long way since our initial work from 2008 and redesign of 2009. The open source torch table has now reached the technical design stage, according to our open source product development method. 
The project is part of our flexible fabrication workshop infrastructure,
which we discussed initially in an earlier post.
We now have the completed and documented design for an open source, GPL license or compatible, CNC torch table. You can download the Blender design file, which is dimensionally correct and contains the entire design. This design is now up for review, so please comment if you have experience with building CNC machines, or if you can direct other qualified individuals to this work.
We challenge, once again, anybody to propose any further simplification that does not reduce performance. The design uses stock steel throughout, with consistency of parts in the x, y, and z directions. The only fabrication requirement is bolting, after all the steel is cut. This lends itself well to selling CNC torch table kits at competitive cost, especially because the torch table is designed to be self-replicating. With a plasma torch head, one can cut out all the metal parts required to build another torch table!
In this sense, RepRap is our brother, and in fact, we will join the happy family of Arduino controller and RepRap motor drivers to reduce the electronics costs of future torch tables by about 75% below the present $460. The dream of open source fabrication infrastructure is coming alive – at Factor e Farm.
We have a complete bill of materials (BOM). Complete sourcing information is provided in the BOM. The summary BOM is shown here for reference, including parts we bought and outstanding parts:
The torch table features designed into the Prototype 1 build include:
These are the technical merits. We must add on the organizational milestones. Lawrence is presently succeeding in doubling Factor e Farm’s technical development capacity under his Dedicated Project Visit (DPV) – by demonstrating capacity to succeed in his stated goals. This has encouraging implications for scaling the project in general – as Lawrence is well on his way to demonstrating the power of well-thought out DPVs in terms of their ability to move design and build efforts forward. Personally, I am inspired – because we’re seeing that aligned effort can accomplish a great deal.
The above should be compelling reason for supporting our first torch table prototype build – as a part of a greater process towards optimized, open source product release. We’re equipped with a robust design, initial review is complete, we invite any further comments, and we are ready to move. Our outstanding costs are $800 for the Everlast plasma cutter , and under $600 for remaining gantry parts – for a total outstanding cost of $1358 including shipping. See BOM above. And then, ChipIn:
Hear Lawrence’s comment on the topic: (more…)
