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…)
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…)
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
Full industrial duty torch table, capable of cutting up to 4×8 foot slabs of 1″ steel
Cost of DIY production is 5-10 times lower than purchasing commercial equivalents
Fully consistent with GVCS pattern language for open source technology infrastructure
Self-replicability of torch table, and direct link to optimized CEB press and tractor fabrication
Ready adaptability to router or other cutting heads
Control via laptop is so far proving effective
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:
We are making even further simplifications over the last design, and trying a laptop (not recommened) instead of a desktop for the controls. We are using a proprietary controller from Xylotex (RepRap controllers were not available at the time we purchased this), but we are also looking into adapting the the open source RepRap controller. We will be using a plasma cutter head initially, and we are looking into developing a dual plasma cutter handle that can be used either on or off the torch table.
Listen to Lawrence’s introduction, impressions, and goals about the project and about Factor e Farm:
As we go about finishing the CEB workshop addition, we are setting up our open source torch table development in the greenhouse. It’s been a long time since we started this development – but building the open source tractor and other details took priority over the torch table.
We discussed the computer-controlled torch table in a prior post about our digital fabrication facility for producing The Liberator – theopen source, high performance CEB press. After almost one year of CEB infrastructure development and testing – we are back to the fabrication aspect – as we get ready to produce Prototype 2 of The Liberator.
We have released v0.1 of the OSE CEB Proposal, which is a summary of our product release plan for the CEB press. This helps put the entire CEB project in perspective to supporters. The abstract reads:
Herein we provide a short overview of the Open Source Ecology (OSE) enterprise development model and deployment plan. The plan is for Community Supported Manufacturing (CSM) of a high performance, open source, Compressed Earth Block (CEB) press – The Liberator – to begin by end of March, 2009. This is OSE’s first product release. We propose an innovative economic model, with replicability as one of its key features.
Here is a simplified product ecology from the proposal:
You can download the proposal here. Please circulate widely. Please comment here or at the OSE wiki.
This is your last chance to support us for the month of October. We have under a week left, and are over 3/4 of the way to reaching our proposed goal. Please donate here.
We are farmer scientists - working to develop a world class research center for decentralization technologies using open source permaculture and technology to work together for providing basic needs and self replicating the entire operation at the cost of scrap metal. We seek societal transformation through interconnected self-sufficient villages and homes. This is a stepping stone to transcending survival and evolving to freedom. Factor e Farm is the land-based facility where we put this theory, Open Source Ecology, into practice. More
In rural Missouri, Marcin Jakubowski and the team at Open Source Ecology (OSE) are designing a sustainable village for the future. — Abe Connally, MAKE Magazine
Today, we are preparing the workshop space and he’s putting together the 
The project is part of our flexible fabrication workshop infrastructure,
which we discussed initially in an 
