What do you envision people making with it?
I could see a consumer machine making something reasonably simple like a pair of pliers, but you really only need one pair of pliers. Maybe two. Maybe a variety of jaws. At any rate, even if you make a whole collection of pliers you've saved maybe $50-100. If you expanded that idea to an entire tool box, like hammers and screwdrivers, and they all work exactly like they're supposed to, myabe you could save a few hundred dollars over the life of the machine. That doesn't seem like a reasonable payback period.
So, the machine would need to produce things that save more money. One possibility that springs to mind is unique, rarely-needed parts for major machines, like maybe a part for the furnace or water heater. Making it would save you from having to order it, wait for it to be delivered, and pay extra for the special part (or replacing the entire machine). But I can't imagine there are enough parts like that to make modeling them in 3D and certifying them for residential use worth the sporadic savings. Another possibility are pretty things, like really nice silverware...but I have a hard time seeing the machine making pretty things. If there's something made out of metal that is not a safety issue, and is frequently consumed, and needs to be customized, then it might pay for itself. For example, certain people put a lot of money into their hobbies, so if the machine could make arbitrary metal parts for RC cars, planes, helicopters, etc then it might pay for itself. If you could get a really good detail and surface finish it could make jewelry.
Which part of "fast, cheap, good" do you see the machine working on? Would it save people time or money? Would it allow them to customize things they couldn't have customized otherwise?
Would the machine be fire-and-forget or would it need an experienced operator? If it's the former, then it needs to provide a large enough benefit to be worth returning to the seller for maintenance (or replace outright). If it's the latter, then the benefit needs to justify the time it takes to acquire skill on the machine.
Oh, here's an idea. As a tinkerer one of my greatest frustrations is never having the right fastener. I've had to actively collect a wide variety of different nuts/screws/bolts/etc just so that I'll have the right one on hand when I need it. What if the machine could make any fastener on demand? maybe it could have a variety of wire and some way to process it into an arbitrary screw or nut/bolt.
So, in direct reply: yes---the machine has to be complex; no---it does not have to be expensive. The complexity should be handled by code, not hardware.It needs elegance. It should have simplicity in design by using few tools. Those tools, however, should furnish many applications.The tools may employ the simplicity, robustness, and versatility of blacksmithing. In this setting, you have half a dozen tools (e.g. hammer, tongs, forge, anvil, hardy, drift, and swage block) that are used to produce a multitude of things. The addition of an EDM would allow for excellently detailed work.As I've said, it should be open. The more people involved, the more the machine, processes, techniques, and software can appreciate in value and quality. Also, the first machine should just work. It needs to be a fun toy that gets the job done (mostly). More functionality can always be added later. After many release cycles, a quality machine should be expected.
extruder.jpg | 57K |
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