Open Source Factory: Democratizing Large-Scale Fabrication Systems (2017)
article⁄Open Source Factory: Democratizing Large-Scale Fabrication Systems (2017)
abstract⁄Open source frameworks have enabled widespread access to desktopscale additive manufacturing technology and software, but very few highly hackable largescale or industrial open source equipment platforms exist. As research trajectories continue to move towards largescale experimentation and fullscale building construction in robotic and digital fabrication, access to industrial fabrication equipment is critical. Largescale digital fabrication equipment usually requires extensive startup investments which becomes a prohibitive factor for open research. Expanding on the idea of the Fab Lab as well as the RepRap movement, the Open Source Factory takes advantage of disciplinary expertise and transdisciplinary knowledge in construction machine design accumulated over the past decade. With the goal to democratize access to largescale industrial fabrication equipment, this paper outlines the creation of two fullscale fabrication systems a RepRap based largescale 3axis open source CNC gantry and a 6axis industrial robot system based on a decommissioned KUKA KR2002. Both machines offer radically different economic frameworks for implementing research in advanced full scale robotic fabrication into contexts of pedagogy, the research lab, practice, or small scale local building industry. This research demonstrates that such equipment can be implemented by building on the current knowledge base in the field. If industrial robots and other largescale fabrication tools become accessible for all, the collective sharing of research and the development of new ideas in fullscale robotic building construction can be substantially accelerated.
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| Year |
2017 |
| Authors |
Zivkovic, Sasa; Battaglia, Christopher. |
| Issue |
ACADIA 2017: DISCIPLINES & DISRUPTION |
| Pages |
660-669 |
| Library link |
N/A |
| Entry filename |
open-source-factory |
