RepLab

Introduction

RepLab is a proposal to make most (if not all) of the fabrication machines in a Fab Lab.

Primary Considerations

Economic Model (Quick, to the Spreadsheet!)

• How much does the machine cost to make?
• How much does this machine cost in the marketplace to buy? (Including a service contract).
• How much does the machine cost to run? (Including 'machine operator' time).
• What's the 'mental overhead' that the user/builder encounters by building your machine, rather than buying a machine with a known trackrecord from a salesperson and getting a service contract?
• What's the worth of the parts the machine is making?
• What are the opportunity costs you and the machine encounter by "making fasteners" rather than more specialized, higher worth components or objects? Like the spindle for a CNC mill, toys for your children, or a prosthetic leg.
• Is it fun?
• Visit a production workshop using one of these machines. What is their economic model?
• Visit/websurf a hobby/cottage industry/academic technical workshop that uses one of these machines? What is their economic model?
• If you build or buy a huge machine, does it take over your workshop and lifestyle?

Examples: 10'x18' CNC router, Bronze Foundry (for art bronze), Aluminum Foundry.

Dependencies

What is feasible to build? When do you want to buy rather than make?

• Fasteners
• Threaded rod.
• Stepper Motor Controllers
• Aluminum Billet
• 3D printer
• plasma cutter.
• Small CNC router
• Huge CNC router
• Wooden hand plane

Machines of Interest

CNC Router

Not Done. This is highly desirable.

Hypothetical Development Pathway

• 1'x2' to 5'x10' Eiffel
• 5'x10'+ Just build a Mechmate.
• Buy a Chinese-made Benchtop mill, CNC-adapt it. We can use this as a reference model.
• Design a system using RBS. Use Filled_Epoxy.

CNC Mill

Not Done. This is highly desirable. Especially if we can use most of the parts from the Router.

Hypothetical Development Pathway

• Buy a Chinese-made Benchtop mill, CNC-adapt it. We can use this as a reference model.
• Design a system using RBS. Use Filled_Epoxy.

CNC Lathe

Not Done. This is may be desirable. But a lot of lathework can be done by hand-control of the machine.

Hypothetical Development Pathway

• Buy a Chinese-made Benchtop lathe, CNC-adapt it. We can use this as a reference model.
• Design a system using RBS. Use Filled_Epoxy.

Laser Cutter

Not Done. Compare and contrast with 'Epilog' brand laser cutters and with Chinese-made 'white-box' type laser cutters. It is plausible that we could source Chinese-made C02 laser tubes, and built a system that uses them, along with RBS positioning components, and carefully specified optical components to build up the light path.

3D printer

Done. See "RepRap".  :)

Plasma Cutter

Done.  :)