Virtual designs into physical objects

To be useful to anyone these designs need to turned into physical objects which isn't quite as straightforward as compiling software or downloading it over the internet. Here are some different ways that might be used to give a design physical form:

Get your hands dirty

Craft the item yourself or in a group according to plans using your own skills plus readily available components and perhaps some specially ordered custom parts.

Mail order machining

Small-scale engineering firms that will make custom items to order have always been around, often specialising certain materials and techniques, and a company called eMachineShop takes custom fabrication a step further in terms of ease of use for the individual. The US-based company supply a free CAD software package that enables you to design your part and then it checks if it is possible to create bearing in mind the machining processes available.

It calculates the price when the design process is finished, then the order is sent electronically and when the parts have been made up they are shipped by post (internationally if required). They say they can handle part quantities from one offs to runs up to a million.

Fab Labs

Fab Labs (fabrication laboratories) are small scale workshops with modern computer controlled equipment such as laser cutters, CNC machines, injection moulding machines and circuit board printing giving the ability within one room to create just about anything from engines to electronic devices. The concept has been developed at the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT, and they have helped set up nine Fab Labs around the world so far - see a list of them at http://fab.cba.mit.edu.

Rapid prototyping machines

Rapid prototypers or 3D printers are widely used in industry for creating solid three dimmensional objects straight from CAD models. Currently there are various limitations with these machines but in the near future the price will reduce rapidly, the number of different materials that can be used to make parts will multiply, the resolution will become steadily finer and the build-speed will increase. It is anticipated that these machines will soon be within the reach of ordinary people following a similar evolutionary path to computer printers. Mail order rapid prototyping services are currently available.

For further info see the rapid prototyping machines page.

Contract manufacturing facilities

A large group of people all wanting the same item made could sent the details of the design to a large-scale contract manufacturing and assembly company to make use of specialist facilites and economies of scale. This would be akin to having the products made at cost price, without the markups involved when buying proprietary goods - relating to intellectual property, distribution, retail, other middlemen and general profit margins.

Products of a fully automated economy

For an explanation of this possibility, see automated economy section of advanced automation page.