Induction Furnace

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Thu 20 May 2010

Induction Furnace Controller

Posted by Marcin

Darren Vandervort, founder of the Open Capitalist open source product development platform, has joined us on the Open Source Induction Furnace (OSIF) project. We are using Open+Pario for project development. He volunteered to become project leader for the induction furnace controller subproject – where the controller is one of the components of a modular, scalable, induction furnace design. You can view the deployment proposal on the furnace prototype, further details on the controller, and other documents under the Documents section. We are at the phase of design discussion prior to the build, so join us for technical developments at the Open+Pario project management site. For our initial work, we are basing initial discussion around a working application – an induction oven – documented by ST Electronics. Please join the development team at Open+Pario if you have electronics experience – especially if you know about power electronics. (more…)

Categories: Induction Furnace

[5] Comments

Sun 14 Feb 2010

Open Source Induction Furnace Continued

Posted by Marcin

The open source induction furnace project discussed previously is moving forward. We are currently evaluating bids, as you can see at the induction furnace project management site. This marks a point in our organizational history where we are beginning to outsource work, consistent with the proposed open source development pipeline process. Outsourcing is an industry standard for mainstream enterprise, but it can also be useful for scaling open source economic development. In particular, it appears that we found bidders fully capable of handling the project, including possibility of building the actual system. Read the bidding negotiations at the project management site for details.

In its limit, this type of outsourcing process can be an effective route towards open-sourcing the entire economy. All it takes is an organized and funded effort. The technical skill is available, but conversion of technology into open source form requires the nurturing hand of many technologically-literate generalists.

The concept for the OS induction furnace is:

The concept embodies a universal power source for induction melting and heating. The founding principle is (more…)

Categories: Induction Furnace, Open Source Economic Development, Open Source Product Development Pipeline, Open Source Technology, Organizational Development, Pattern Language

[2] Comments

Tue 15 Dec 2009

Open Source Induction Furnace

Posted by Marcin

You may have heard us talk about recasting civilization from scrap metal. Metal is the basis of advanced civilization. Scrap metal in refined form can be mined in abundance from heaps of industrial detritus in junkyards and fence rows. This can help us produce new metal in case of any unanticipated global supply chain disruptions. This will have to do until we can take mineral resources directly and smelt them to pure metal.

I look forward to the day when our induction furnace chews up our broken tractors and cars – and spits them out in fluid form. This leads to casting useful parts, using molds printed by open source ceramic printers – these exist. This also leads to hot metal processing, the simplest of which is bashing upon an anvil – and the more refined of which is rolling. Can we do this to generate metal bar and sheet in a 4000 square foot workshop planned for Factor e Farm? We better. Technology makes that practical, though this is undeard-of outside of centralized steel mills. We see the induction furnace, hot rolling, forging, casting, and other processes critical to the fabrication component of the Global Village Construction Set.

We just got a $5k commitment to open-source this technology.

Furnaceicon (more…)

Categories: Induction Furnace, Investment

[23] Comments