Rapid-Prototyping of Rapid-Prototyping Machines

Fostering the spread of inexpensive, sustainable manufacturing processes and equipment empowers individuals and societies to create products which solve their particular challenges. We intend to advance that idea to its next logical step, offering not just the means of production, but also the mechanisms by which this empowerment can propagate and evolve. By creating rapid-prototyping machines which are designed with the idea of self-replication, we accomplish the dual purpose of enabling both the distribution and the customization of the technology. A system capable of addressing these goals requires software and firmware mechanisms for design and control that are freely redistributable, easily modifiable, and allow for a simple workflow with rapid iterations. No combinations of conventional software for computer-aided design and manufacturing have been found which adequately address each of these requirements. To meet these needs, we have designed a new software architecture for computer-aided creation. This document describes the design principles and our implementation of each component of the software suite.