Subject:
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MakerBeam: open source metal building kit
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.geek
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Date:
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Thu, 24 Sep 2009 16:48:39 GMT
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Viewed:
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7995 times
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Hi!
Thought this project would be interesting to the LUGnet community, hope I’ve
found the right subforum.
MakerBeam is a project to build an open source metal
building kit, like a next-generation Erector Set or Meccano. Instead of the
punctured-steel struts of those systems, MakerBeam will use 10x10mm extruded
aluminum in a T-slot configuration. This is far stronger and more precise, and
has a lot more applications.
The entire project is open source; all of the models will be released under
Creative Commons licenses and the standard will be made publicly available.
We’re getting a lot of enthusiasm from robotics enthusiasts, model builders, diy
maker types, and people interested in the applications for desktop CNC.
We’re funding the project through
Kickstarter, which lets us collect pledges towards our goal. If we reach it,
and we’re 60% there, we’ll be able to manufacture and deliver Alpha and Beta
kits to our contributors, and hopefully grow this project into kits, and more
components, such as wheels, pulleys, hinges, cable stops, rail slides, and
connectors of all sorts. No one is charged a thing if we don’t achieve our goal,
so Kickstarter is a low-risk, community focused way to start something like
this.
One of the first things I want to do, personally, is 3-d print some LEGO
compatible strips to bolt to the sides of MakerBeam. It’d be easy enough to hack
existing LEGO pieces also, as it’s just a few holes on the order of 2 to 3 mm.
Our Alpha kits are more than half gone, so consider
pledging if you want to get some MakerBeam by Christmas! Hope I’m on topic and
this is considered interesting, we want to reach people who would be enjoy this
sort of project, and that includes model-makers of all stripes.
Look around the website, and if you like what you see, consider pledging. Thanks
for reading!
Cheers,
-Sam Putman
--
makerbeam.com
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