Open Source Machine Tools Blog

Videos Documenting MFG.com's Open Source Machine Tool Project

aj — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 17:50:28 GMT

Here are two videos documenting the building of the initial Vertical Machining Center prototype by the team in Columbia:

Open Source Portal

joabarrera — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:54:54 GMT

As many of you may have already read. I spend the last 5 month coming up with the way to build my own CNC machine from scratch. The goal it to create a design that anyone can build at a low cost and that works reasonably well. However I have grater ambitions than just proving my point that I can build a machine, I want to share it and I want the community at large that cares about or like the idea to be able to benefit from it and even contribute their own experience and expertise knowledge to the project. For that reason we are creating an Open Source Portal. What it will be exactly is still in the air but for sure it will be a website build for online engineering collaboration. It may live inside of MFGx of as parallel "sister site" but for sure it will have single common user sign-in and shared forums.

Now why am writing this Blog? Well I think it will be very neat to share the development process. Following I will share a series of screen shot and requirement that reflect the latest stage of the site development process. It will be mostly images followed by functional description and some discussion about the back end implementation. I will not be posting any code, as I don’t see the need for that now. Certainly comments and feed back is always welcomed.

The Home page

The following is mockup of the portal home page. In it you can see the MFG logo, that will change for an MFG OSH logo which we still need to come up with, then there are basic function such as login, register and search. We plan to make this search include both documents and project on MFG OSH and MFGx. The login would be the same as in MFGx as well as the registration. Remember we want to have single common user sign on.

The logo will always be there and links to the home page, it is really a home button similar to what you see in MFG.com and MFGx today. At the bottom we have a very standard set of links:

About Us / Terms of Use / Privacy Policy / F.A.Q. / Advertise With Us / Contact Us

We haven’t created those pages yet but we will leverage a lot of preexisting content and legalities form our existing sites. The Advertise with use is new, this is a feature to allow supplier to push their products in a context intelligent fashion. So if we are looking at setting up the servo-motors for a project, well you can place your option for motors on the project tree or have a highlighted version a la Google search results. By the way you may notice that we copy a lot of behaviors from other sites that are fairly common practice and that people know how to use.

Inside the page we have a main graphic, we want that to change over time, a banner to advertise special deals or partners and a number of content preview windows that include “Latest features, New Projects, Success Stories, contest, Forum, Review” We won’t have the side scroll bars you see now, those will go away and if you click on any of the thumbnails or >> links you will be taken to the project page. (this is still under development)

Remember this is simply a mockup, none of the content you see is real and perhaps not even ours, in fact I think we should hurry up and change this before the guys at Instructable figure out that their site is a source of inspiration for us.

OK but that was a just the introduction, we are going to skip the middle navigation page a move on to the core of the site, the view and collaboration for engineering data.

It is going to have a 4 tab approach to the each project, the first tab is a main visualization and navigation view, from here you can dive down into more detail. The second tab is all about engineering detail, spec, and file downloads. The third tab is about instruction, how to and steps to follow. And the forth tab is about the BOM, many ways to view it and download it. All pages have a left navigation bar just like a cad program; many of us are very familiar with a parts tree so why re-invent the wheel.

Here is a preview of the four tabs, as I have time I will dive in detail for each one. Enjoy:
Main View Tab

Cad Data Tab:

Assembly Tab:

BOM Tab:

The Open Source Team

aj — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 21:12:36 GMT

Open Source Hardware - The beginning

joabarrera — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:35:33 GMT

The Beginng

I started to blog to keep track of a personal challenge when I set out to design and build an Open Source CNC Machine sponsored by MFG.com. What is an open source machine? Well, it’s a machine that anybody can build and all the pertinent information to build such a machine will be shared online, including drawings, BOM’s and how to instructions. My hope is that many people will contribute design improvements and variations so that over time these free designs becomes quite attractive over traditional-commercial machines. It’s the Linux equivalent of a CNC machine.

After a few months of research I came up with a game plan. I have surveyed all the technologies available to make a CNC machine. I looked around at how to reduce cost and decided to focus on design. Good design can allow me to use the lowest cost components and still achieve the required specifications. For some of the components I decided we could substitute with emerging technologies. We didn’t do enough substitution given the time constrain but there are still incredible opportunities.

I also needed a place to do this, I could set up a shop around Boston but leases and costs proved to high for this maverick project. Instead I chose to work with EAFIT University in Medellin Colombia. Medellin is my home town so it is easy for me to get around but it has many other advantages. The university provided the space and ample supply of students, technicians and professors. This was instrumental in finding good people to work on the project as well as locating resource around the city. I hire the work, provide the materials and directed the project. I also contracted with a local Design firm called "De Lapice a Cohete" which translates to From Pencil to Rockets. Two of it members where young university professor and provide the local know how and project management while I wasn’t around.

Taking the project to a developing country also placed added constrains on what was possible to build. This meant the design would be less complicated and more reproducible in other parts of the world.

For the first few months I reported on the project on Blogger, you can read the initial entrees at http://opensourcecnc.blogspot.com/

Figure 1. Rendering of the Machine Design in Solid Works

What is Open Source Hardware?

It’s an initiative led by MFG Labs to create low cost designs of useful production equipment for the machine shop or garage aimed at do it your-self enthusiast. The idea is that these designs are then enhance buy contributions of a user community in the same way software developers have contributed to Linux. Our first project is a Vertical Machining Center, an essential tool in the majority of machine shops. We are creating our own design from scratch; it’s a 5hp machine with 18x20x30in travel, and a #40 NMTB 9500rpm spindle. It’s currently being developed in Colombia with the collaboration of a local university, local designers and developers. The local constrains in the country have helped create a simple design that we hope is more universal, in other words is would be easy to build in almost any part of the world. We have also spent some considerable time making sure it’s low cost, easy to source and designed for do it your self assembly. In the future we plant to upload and share all the parts RFQ on MFG, so that would be users can easily order parts on download drawings. We have started to work on an open source portal concept to better do this.
We need a name for the Machine

This is your opportunity to weight in. We need a name and/or theme for the first prototype that lends it self to a future families of machines and designs. What are we going to call this? We are open to your ideas, be responsible for naming this potential world changing innovative movement. I encourage you to email me or submit your suggestion in the comments section .

Other thoughts on Opens Source Hardware

Open Source Hardware has the potential to lower the barrier to access production machinery, by reducing cost and enhancing local availability. In its own way it similar to Linux, it doesn’t cost much and you can get it pretty much anywhere. With hardware the hope is that with the proper open design users can source components locally, make their own and assemble production machinery them selves.
Why is MFG doing this?

Various trains of thought have molded the idea; initially Mitch envisioned the possibility for MFG to be the catalysis that enables open source hardware to happen. Like any initiative of this kind it has to have an organizing body that sets the direction. Mitch also envisioned a day when trade school students, instead of making practice parts and discarding them would instead practice making parts that could be assemble into a working machine. We also see such a design as a gift to our customers and that it would also broaden manufacturing capabilities around the world creating a larger market for MFG to act as a sourcing tool.

Why is this important?

Personally, I share a vision where personal fabrication and mass customization could become a reality, and I see this as the first step. Think computer main frames and printers, initially large expensive complicated machines that later became household items. Well I envision a day when you buy a design or instruction sets for a personal or local machine to make something “custom” for you. In a way MFG is already doing that but we are not sharing designs. To go full circle we need not a one to many but a many to many relationship. Where a design embodied as an RFQ can be quoted by many suppliers and then purchased by many users. Today it’s one to many because of confidentiality agreements but under a creative common license we could do away with that restriction. At the very begging we have to prove that there is compelling opens source content to merit a business case and the infrastructure to deliver the information.

What are the challenges faced?

First we are trying to make this very low cost, initially 30-50% of retail value. And we want this to be something that a small, basically equipped shop can make. So we don’t have any economies of scale nor we use more complicated machines to make precision parts. In fact that challenge is two fold, it’s like buying a car by going to AutoZone, piece by piece it’s a lot more expensive, so we have to choose the components wisely. This has been hard especially on the controls areas, GE and other Taiwanese and German companies control this market and to buy a controller alone would blow our budget. So we are using Linux a PC and piecing together our electronics. And similar to a car that is designed to be put together in an assembly line, with special welding and assembly tools, most machines are made out of large castings and we have to do ways with that replacing castings with structures that 1-2 person crew can put together themselves.
We have found very innovative solutions to these challenges, many are our own inventions. We still have a few more challenges to solve but eventually sharing all this information and receiving the feedback is what I am the most worried about. Only when a critical number of users collaborate on the design, will it reach its full potential in cost, assembly and performance. Only then will open source machinery become a reality, right now we are trying to kick start it with an enticing project/proposition.

Where is the project today?
The project is currently under-way, we keep newest pictures on a facebook group that tracks our progress, feel free to join Open Source Machinery at: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=11911880588
This was original wiki posting at EAFIT http://www1.eafit.edu.co/wiki/index.php/Herramientas_de_Manufactura_Dise%C3%B1o_Abierto

Figure 2. (right) Jorge Barrera –Director of MFG Labs before the partially assemble prototype

Can Manufacturing turn Greener?

joabarrera — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:34:01 GMT

When I was first asked this question one thing came to mind. “Boy, machines sure use a lot of cutting fluids, oils and electricity.” Perhaps these areas that can be improved. That is how I got interested in hydrostatics’ a technique in witch a low viscosity fluid is injected at high pressure on a specially design bearing surface to reduce friction. Hydrostatics have been implemented on hi precision machines such as grinders and wafer slicing machines. But if tuned for friction in less precise machines can they save you energy? Hydrostatics also have the advantage that they do not ware out and do not use oil base lubricants, perhaps there are savings there. And finally upgrading machines with the latest controls and motors which are currently very efficient and can be sized smaller given that you may have lest friction in the system will also help.

Now this merits some research and some number. When I get around to crank this I’ll post it. I will be like carbon footprint equivalent for a CNC machine. And this gets me thinking; maybe it’s not about the net saving but about the intention. All good things start with intentions and there is no telling where this can lead us. Maybe, this can be a key ingredient that can get young people interest in manufacturing; it can become a differentiator.

Any thought on the subject ? What other areas besides machine are there?

Does Open Source Need Innovation?

joabarrera — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:45:56 GMT

Is Open Source Hardware about Invention or Innovation?

The reason I post this question is because I got thinking about my project and what is hip in the manufacturing world. I was reading this piece in technology review on work that Nicolas Correa has been carrying out and it makes we wonder.

1-Should Open Source Machine’s come from a standardization of designs and components that can be source competitively hence reducing cost and allowing people to get exactly what they need?

2-Or should it stem from bringing to users new technologies that traditional manufactures are not bringing to the market or are simply too expensive?

In the first point we are looking at more innovation than invention. If this is the case we should focused our efforts at getting creative with what we already have. We are not inventing anything fundamentally new but playing with the configuration, the assembly interfaces, machine architectures, sourcing. In the second case, we are about bringing new inventions, new designs for spindles, and new construction materials to the machine design and shop floor. It comes to mind the use of all ceramic and composite constructions coupled with active viscous shear damping and hydrostatic linear and spindle bearings for smooth, high speed, low friction, highly damped movements.

Perhaps it’s a step approach, first we get the Open Source designs with standard components working in ways that have new value to users, and then with this experience under our belt we start introducing new technology. Come to think about this make sense to me know, we got to learn to walk before we can run.

Now what is of value to you? Do you have everything you need in the shop?
What’s missing? Where would you like to innovate, or see innovation happen?

From Retrofit to Open Source Hardware

joabarrera — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:58:16 GMT

This post follows from my previous blog “What is the best way to create open source hardware?”

Let’s go into the details of the stated objective:

Access
Control
Capabilities
Cost

I will use an example: Retrofitting; It is considered by far the best alternative if you want a low cost CNC machine, you buy an old machine, hopefully it’s not in too bad of a shape, you clean it, exchange wore components and slap on new motors and a controller. This all sounds good until you take into consideration my four points. Access, in the State is where this point makes less sense, we are surrounded by machines and you can pick them off eBay for almost nothing, the only problem is freight and even that is not a problem in a country with the lower fuel and transportation cost of any industrialized nation. Ok there are some bizarre exceptions to the lowest fuel cost but these are none significant manufacturing countries like Venezuela and Kuwait. In other parts of the world, there are no old machines to be retrofitted and moving them around is very costly.

Control; you can do some things to existing machine like improve their performances. According to a recent presentation by Fanucon retrofitting machine’s, most machine can improve ~20%+ with a new controller and motors. You can increase the accuracy of the scales and mount fancier linear slides and there is more. Soon the costs starts to match those of a new machine but you are still limited to the original design of the machine. In terms of capabilities it is similar, say you have a new part no one has made before or a new process you want to implement, many times it is hard to meet these new requirements with traditional machines. What if you need more reach, overhand or rpms and your only option is to order a custom machine?

Cost is also an issue, according to Fanuc’s presentation most retrofit cost 1/3 to 2/3 of the original machine, and among the advantages sited are that you don’t have to move, transport and rebase a new machine, sounds reasonable. They also quoted that retrofits can be more efficient up to 55% energy saving, this I found to be impressive.

So is it really that much better, to buy an old machine, freight it around and then pay Fanuc for an expensive retrofit?

Now lets talk about the options. Open source controls? What if you could have a PC base Linux system running your machine? With a touch screen! EMC is a good choice, which is what I have been using, they have an very active community, hundreds of working CNC retrofits and it doesn’t cost you anything. You still have to put together the hardware, controller, motors and so on, but at least on this front you have a choice.

I think significant gains can be achieved in open source hardware by providing plans for a EMCbase controller with all the hardware included. You simply change the power/speed ratings for the motors, some control parameters and sensor/auxiliary features. This will take out all the guesswork out of wiring and buying components and you may even get pre-made kits form new suppliers that do not exist today. Or do they already exist?

I want to hear your comments on this as well.

A 600$ Gataway machine runs EMC and the machine

Our I/O board and its connections to the machine and the PC

Electronics cabinate, power and motion control components. Source of most of AutomationDirect

View of the machine from behind

View form the the front. This was the firt time the machine some G-code!

What is the best way to create open source hardware?

joabarrera — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:16:59 GMT

In this post I want to put forth an open question: What is the best way to create open source hardware?

With hardware I am keeping the field open, it can be a whole machine or a piece of it - and addendum. Anything from a tool to an extra axis or pallet loader.

Now why am I posting this question? Well I have too many unknowns and many theories and I think its is time I ask what the MFGx community thinks.

There are many reasons why one would like to create open source hardware, I am going to narrow these down so that I can organize my thoughts.

1. Access: By reducing cost, allowing local sourcing and providing engineering blue prints, access is greatly increased. Not just by shops in the US but all over the world.
2. Control: By building your own hardware, one gains an incredible amount of control over what the machine can do.
3. Capabilities: What is supplied by the mainstream manufactures is no longer what you get stuck with.
4. Cost: A combination of all of the above can lead to substantial cost savings especially in higher capability systems.

I want to hear your comments. This is only the begging, later I want to get into component selection, spindles, machine configurations, performance and features and how to go about defining these.

Picture: Prototype CNC machine being developed in Colombia. 5HP 10,000 RPM BT40 Spindle 18x20x22in displacement.