Personal Fabrication and Desktop Factories

Neil Gershenfeld has just written a very interesting book, Fab, on the upcoming "personal fabrication" revolution.  Basically his definition of a "fab" is a jobshop-in-a-box... including a small variety of interlinked machining and fabricating equipment, with associated software.  The beautify of these fabs is that they can be set up almost anywhere, operated by people with little knowledge of manufacturing, and can be inexpensive enough to deploy in large numbers to remote parts of the globe.

The concept was born at MIT's Center for Bits & Atoms, which Gershenfeld runs.  After the initial concepts were developed, the National Science Foundation has started supporting his efforts to send fabs to remote locations in Africa, India, and even Europe.  One example is a sheep herder in northern Norway who uses a fab to make radio tags and radio relay stations to track his herd.  And in Ghana a village is using a fab to implement a solar energy project.

Gershenfeld is looking at including some traditional rapid prototyping equipment, such as stereolithography or stereosintering, into his fabs to further enhance capabilities.  And eventually he would like for a fab to be able to replicate itself.  Add a little machine intelligence and... haven't we seen a movie or two about this future?!

As our manufacturing operations become more and more efficient at quick changeover, small lots, and mass customization, we also need to keep any eye on this potentially disruptive technology... were everyone can become their own manufacturer.

Comments

[Wayne Lundberg]

Some years ago I designed a remote manufacturing cell for use by Caterpillar in delivering spare parts overnight anywhere in the world. The main concern in those days was Komatsu and their like ignoring US patents and simply copying anything sent by blueprint to any job shop anywhere in the world. To use advanced technology and to prevent technology theft, I came up with a system to transmit the drawing in CADDS 4X, later Catia and UG, to a machining center where the part would be cut in wax, then investment cast, the part finished and delivered to the customer within hours, anywhere in the world.

The first site to use this technology, with a very small bite, not the whole ball of wax, was Turbotec in Tijuana, still operating under Caterpillar's wing.

These mini-factories were to be floated up appropriate rivers and then sunk into the mud for stability. On board were the basic tools and materials in various forms. For example, in a traditional job shop you would stock .5", .75", 1" and so on in order to have the right material for minimum machine time. But in my shop we carry only 1", 2" and so on because a chunk can be cut then molten, then poured into the ceramic mold made through investment casting. For sheet stock, only a few of this and that is enough when making replacement parts if the broken part can be used.

It was one of my more interesting projects during my whole Mfg. Eng. career.

I certainly appreciate the value of a small, flexible, adaptable shop where you can make a tool if you don't have one!

Wayne