Fab Shop¶
Fab Shop¶
Fab Shop is a set of low cost digital fab machines and systems that together can replicate each other to a very low level of components. The goal is to have each machine cost under $300 in parts to build in community workshops.
The Means of Production, Democratized¶
Gingery books put the means of production in the hands of the people… With some caveats, you needed to be highly skilled to produce the Gingery machines. The Fab Labs and Hacker Spaces have mashed-up Gingery machine building with digital design and fabrication. This has made it much easier for citizens to pool resources and make their own community owned machines and shops…putting the means of high tech manufacturing in the hands of the workers. I will design a set of core machines and add-ons to duplicate the means of industrial manufacturing on a hyper-personal scale. My resources will be citizens who operate the Fab Labs & Hacker spaces in Chicago, coupled with experience as a Hacker, Manufacturing Technologist, and educator for the past 30 years.
Monthly Build Workshops¶
The goal of Fab Shop is to demonstrate that Fab Labs, and Hacker Spaces can reproduce the means of digital fabrication, with a set of low cost DIY machines that are easy to build, replicate and operate. Fab Shop machines would be built in guided workshops hosted in local Fab Labs and Hacker Spaces. Builders will benefit from the technical skills of building machines from the ground up, allowing them to be unafraid to take apart and fix their own machines and other machines in the future. This will allow people to create mini Fab Labs, or Fab Shops, in their homes, apartments, and communities.
The Future¶
With iteration over time Fab Shop technicians will design and build the means of production to make things to improve their lives. In conjunction with larger arc projects, like Fab City, this will lead to everyday citizens being able to design and produce customized products that match many outputs of the current industrial manufacturing complex.
Core Fab Shop Machines¶
CNC Foam Router¶
Named for now, Foam Crawler CNC. Capable of machining 0.6 x 1.2 meter (2x4 foot) foam sheet typically 6mm (1/4 inch) thick.
Metal Casting Foundry¶
Initially the Foundry in a Box system, which can cast tin, and Zinc Aluminum-12 (ZA-12) alloys. Later to be morphed into the Open Foundry: Metal Casting System. Aluminum alloy melting capability will be added in future iterations.
Lathe Mill¶
Capable CNC machining cylindrical and rectangular shapes, including circuit boards. Machining capabilities will be:
| Process | Diameter | Length | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turning | 26 mm | 100 mm | NA | NA |
| Milling | NA | 80 mm | 80 mm | 80 mm |
This will allow the digital fabrication of small cylindrical machined parts from Acetal (Delrin), Aluminum and Brass. Milling small 80 x 80 mm circuit boards will also be possible.
Add-ons¶
Linux Scrap PC¶
A PC taken from the scrap bin, upgraded with SSD and memory. I have developed CAD and CAM process flows during Fab Academy 2020 to work well using Linux Mint OS.
3D Printer¶
SparkBot DIY 3D Printer, or purchase a Prusa Mini or Prusa MK3. The SparkBot is a nod to the DIY ORD Bot 3D Printer, by Bart Dring.
Vinyl Cutter¶
Silhouette Portrait or Cameo Vinyl / Craft Cutter (store bought, not a kit)
Sizes, Shapes and Materials Processed¶
The set of machines and systems will be able to make parts ranging from 1mm to 1m cubed in size. The machines will be able to process sheet foam, wood, plastics, composites and non-ferrous metal. All machines will fit into a 100 square meter space in a small urban apartment or garage area. Shapes made will be rectangular, cylindrical and free-form. It is my opinion that processing of sturdy cylindrical shapes is sorely missing from current fab lab and hacker spaces.
All machine parts will be fabricated from raw bar and round stock as well as ingots, epoxy and other similar raw materials. Exceptions will be MakerSlide machine ways, spindles, stepper motors, common fasteners and bearings. Some electronics will be purchased, but the long term goal will be to mill and fab our own control boards. This will allow the Fab Shop machines to replicate themselves at a lower cost. Initial Fab Shop machine builds will be completed in guided workshops held at the MSI Chicago Fab Lab and the South Side Hackerspace: Chicago in late 2020.
First Machine: The CNC Foam Cutter¶
For my Fab Academy 2020 Final Project requirements to be met I will complete the 1st machine, the CNC Foam Cutter. I have always wanted to make a CNC foam cutter that is more capable and easier to use compared to my first CNC machine I built the PhlatPrinter.
Essentially, the laser cutter is one of the most powerful and easy to use machines in a Fab Lab. However Laser cutters are extremely expensive. Laser cutters are not easy to install and run at home.
A CNC foam sheet cutter is easy to use at home and is easier to install and run at home. Most importantly is that a CNC foam sheet cutter can be fabricated in a Fab Lab for around $300. A foam cutter can easily 0.6 x 1.2 meter (2x4 foot) foam sheet processing capability. This is much larger than a small laser cutter, and rivals a large bed laser cutter.
The casting and molding Fab Academy session also reminded me that large molds and patterns can be made on a medium format CNC foam sheet cutter.
The 1st Fab Shop machine to be design, fabricated and built will therefore be a CNC Foam Sheet Mill.
Project Management Timeline¶
| Target Date | Task |
|---|---|
| Jan 29 -June 5 | Delays due to Chicago Rapid Response Manufacturing Project |
| June 17 | Delays due to Chicago Rapid Response Manufacturing Project |
| June 8 | Refocus machines to: CNC foam cutter, Foundry in a Box, CNC LatheMill |
| June 17 | Focus on CNC Foam cutter for final project (Casting patterns, model aircraft, medium to large format foam sheet cutting) |
| June 23 | Basic CAD Design of CNC Foam cutter |
| June 30 | Advanced CAD Design |
| July 2 | Ready or purchase final control boards and touchscreens |
| July 6 | Manufacture and assemble prototype machine structure |
| July 13 | wire and test machine |
| July 20 | troubleshoot machine, iterate, improve |
| July 29 | Present machine to Fab Academy |
Origin Story¶
A project I worked on with fellow hacker Nick in 2011 made me realize how powerful it was to have your own digital fabrication machines at home. But I didn’t quite understand how to make that a reality at the time.
The first ideas for Fab Shop started emerging around July 2019 when I started to think about what kind of project I might want to do for Fab Academy 2020. I was especially inspired by several long discussions with Nadya Peek and Jens Dyvik and by the machines they have designed and built over the years. Machines that were designed with a deeply personal belief in democratizing the means of production for all.
I have also studied the MTM website for years and have extensive notes on machine ideas. I am also drawing inspiration from David Gingery’s book series on Build Your Own Metal Working Shop From Scrap book series. I call this project Fab Shop.
Mechatronics Warehouse¶
In 2018 I had the privilege to buy a warehouse full of high quality mechatronics parts that were going to be liquidated.
From this inventory the following parts will be used to build to build Fab Shop Machines:
| Quantity | Description |
|---|---|
| 1323 | Stepper Motor - NEMA 17 |
| 127 | Stepper Motor Bracket |
| 35 | Stepper Motor - NEMA 23 |
| 196 | MakerSlide Aluminum Extrusions 1000mm long |
| 40 | 40x40, 20x80, 20 x 40mm Aluminum Extrusions |
| 78 | Quiet Cut Spindles |
| 1189 | HDPE Sheets |
| 843 | Acrylic sheets |
| 79 | Drag Chains |
| 64 | gShield |