How to Make Everything Ourselves: Open Modular Hardware A modular system unites the advantages of standardisation (as parts can be produced cheaply in large amounts) with the advantages of customisation (since a large diversity of unique objects can be made with relatively few parts). Modularity can be found to a greater or lesser extent in many products (like bicycles and computers) and systems (like trains and logistics), but the best examples of modular systems are toys: LEGO, Meccano, and Erector (which is now the brand name of Meccano in the US). LEGO, Meccano and Erector are composed of relatively few elementary building blocks, which can be used to build various objects. The parts can then be disassembled and re-used to build something completely different. Apart from the elementary buildings blocks, these manufacturers have produced many more specific building blocks, which are less versatile, but further increase customisation possibilities. Grid Beam, Bit Beam, Open Beam, Maker Beam and Contraptor OpenStructures Circulation of Parts
FabHub - Digital Fabrication Hub OpenStructures Water Boiler by Unfold Istanbul Design Biennial: Belgian design studio Unfold have created a 3D printed ceramic filter for an open source water boiler and purifier that was developed by Jesse Howard in collaboration with Thomas Lommée for use in the developing world. The machine was first devised by Howard and Lommée of Intrastructures, a design studio that makes and uses components from the OpenStructures open source construction project. Read more about the OpenStructures system in our earlier story. Unfold developed the original design by replacing its plastic bottle with a glass bottle, which has been cut in half to hold the water filter. We recently reported on another Unfold project presented in Istanbul, which explored how 3D printed objects can be as unique as handmade ones. See all our stories about Unfold »See all our stories about 3D printing »See all our stories about open design » Here's some more information about the project: The WaterBoiler is based on the OpenStructures design principles.
E3D Unveils Most Affordable 3D Printer Hotend Yet, The E3D Lite6 — Priced Under $32 When it comes to 3D printers, one of the most important, as well as expensive components on any FFF or FDM machine is the hotend. After all, the hotend is what transforms your filament into the molten hot plastic as it is released onto the build platform. A faulty hotend equates to terrible print results. When it comes to hotend manufacturing, there are few companies, if any, who have garnered the respect in the industry as E3D has. The company, based in Oxfordshire, England, has proven themselves time and time again with anything from their incredibly well engineered V6 hotend to their multi-nozzle Kracken or Chimera hotends. Typically a hotend will run anywhere from around $45 all the way up to over $175, depending on its capabilities. “We designed Lite6 to be a low cost hotend for robust easy printing for everyday filaments, for temperatures up to 240 degrees C and moderate printing speeds,” explained Sanjay Mortimer, E3D Director and R&D/Community Manager.
Machines: Global Village Construction Set | Open Source Ecology The Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) is a modular, DIY, low-cost, high-performance platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small, sustainable civilization with modern comforts. We’re developing open source industrial machines that can be made at a fraction of commercial costs, and sharing our designs online for free. We are developing a lifesize, scalable, modular LEGO construction set. The GVCS in itself consists of many other Construction Sets – as we build not individual machines, but construction sets of machines. As an example, the Fabrication Construction Set component can be used to build any of the other machines. Our goal is lifetime design, and low maintenance so only a few hours of maintenance per year are required to keep any machine alive. We have built the first machine in 2007 – the Compressed Earth Brick Press. In 2014, our status of completion for the machines is:
Les limites des bonnes intentions : le design social n’est pas si simple Julie Lasky pour Metropolis Mag vient de signer un très pertinent papier sur les limites de la conception sociale. A l’heure où l’engagement social des designers se multiplie, sous de multiples formes (sociétés à but non lucratif, initiatives sociales d’entreprises, mobilisation étudiante, partenariat avec des ONG, compétitions de design…) et de multiples sujets (allant de la conception d’abris d’urgence, aux purificateurs d’eau ou au four solaire… ), nombreux sont ceux qui jugent ces travaux certes bien intentionnés, mais pas nécessairement concrets. Où sont les résultats de toutes ces initiatives ? Pour David Stairs, directeur des Designers sans frontières (DWB), qui estime que son taux de réussite sur les projets est de l’ordre de 10 %, la conception sociale est un secteur qui ressemble à l’industrie des services alimentaires : il est facile d’y entrer, mais difficile d’y réussir. Car le passage à l’échelle est le Saint Graal de l’innovation sociale. Image : Safe Agua.
3datdv | Blog from the 3D at DV Challenge team 3D printers could "print ammunition for an army" News: advances in 3D printing could allow people to "print ammunition for an army", according to Ronen Kadushin (pictured above), one of the pioneers of the open design movement. Kadushin spoke to Dezeen following the news that a pro-gun group in America is developing open-source blueprints for weapons that could be downloaded and printed at home. "It is frightening for governments because it means the total dissemination of arms into a community," Kadushin said. "You know, you can basically print ammunition for an army, and this is very frightening." Kadushin said open-source design and the "maker" movement risked being tainted by misuse of new technologies. Above: 3D printed gun components The Israeli-born designer described the open-source design movement as akin to the hippie movement of the sixties, and said it represented a different approach to the traditional industrial design system. Above: Ronen Kadushin's Flat Nouveau chair Marcus Fairs: Tell us about yourself and what you do.
Cults ・ Buy and sell 3D models for 3D Printer Global Design Forum | One day to set the global agenda for design Lite6 - A high quality, low cost HotEnd for everyone Posted On: 2015-04-01 13:32:47 ; Read: 403 time(s) Introduction We know that not everybody needs the all-metal high-temperature performance of an E3D-v6. We’ve come to realise that there exists a need for a hotend that is reliable, and puts out great prints, but meets the budget of those who are just getting started in 3D printing. Lite6 is our answer to that need. By adopting a PTFE lined, “Mostly Metal” design we’re able to meet what we think is a really awesome price point of £21.50, for a fully inclusive kit with electronics. Lite6 Assembled Lite6 does not supersede v6 - more compliments it, think of Lite6 as v6’s little brother. E3D-Lite6 v.s E3D-v6 Features: Aimed at printing everyday materials. Lite6 cannot offer the same high-temperature performance as E3D-v6, which means that you can’t print higher-performance engineering plastics like Nylon, Polycarbonate, and ColorFabb Carbon-Fiber XT. Some nice E3D-Lite6 prints in PLA and ABS A range of versions for most users. "... New, Lower Price
The new industrial revolution - Design There's more to a machine than its function. In the 19th century, the Luddites considered it a worker's most dreadful enemy; The Machine was an impersonal menace with no empathy for the starving masses, and — in order to keep their presence necessary and their families fed — the workers proceeded to physically destroy the technology that was ushering in an irreversible social change. Different machines trigger different changes, though. It's an optimistic point of view, of course, but I have to admit an exhibition like The Machine makes a pretty strong case for it. The exhibit is curated by Jan Boelen, artistic director of the Z33 House for Contemporary Art in Hasselt, and provides a conceptually solid framework to understand some of the most dramatic shifts in design today (and a chance to physically interact with the objects causing them). The Machine - Designing a new industrial revolution installation view at C-Mine, Genk Thomas Lommée and Jesse Howard, OS WaterBoiler