OStatic

We tend to think of "open source" as referring only to software. But in fact there are some open source projects out there that cross the line from digital bits to physical atoms.

One of the most fascinating is the RepRap project, which has as its goal nothing less than an open source machine that can duplicate itself.

The project has its inspiration with commercial rapid prototyping systems like those from Solidscape. These systems use a variety of techniques to build up physical models from plastics and other materials. RepRap adds two twists to this. First, they're trying to move the price down from five figures to low three figures. Second, they want the machine to be able to build as many of its own parts as possible (already it can make about a quarter of its own parts).

So far, they've made impressive progress. The machine has gone through several redesigns (and is under active development). You can download plans for everything from their web site: a complete bill of materials for the mechanical parts and electronics, as well as the software that drives the system; it's all under GPL.

The RepRap folks also promote the open source ethos in the real world. If you assemble one yourself, they strongly suggest you use it to create parts for two more machines for your friends. As the project develops and spreads, the intent is to have each generation able to build parts for the next generation. In a few years - or decades - projects like RepRap might lead us into a world where open source manufacturing is relatively common, just as open source software is now.

Do you think open source manufacturing can become common?

• replicator
• prototyping