This SBIR Phase I project intends to create a human to machine language tool that allows anything from the simplest shape to the most complex engineering design to be fabricated anywhere that a robotic fabrication machine and the necessary raw materials exist. At a high level many parts are created today customized to a specific users need and a small handful of humans have the knowhow and access to machines to create such customized parts on their own. The complexity of this can be mitigated by creating tools for translation of information from people?s ideas to machine output with much less error and cost. By creating a means to simplify the process of getting from idea to customized fabricated parts, the proposed tool can help achieve balance between creativity and production more easily for Maker Manufacturing. Upon successfully deploying a uniformed solution to the overly complex mesh of fabrication processes used today, hundreds of thousands of new machines can be employed at any end point by interchangeable people to bring to bear goods at any level of precision needed. The end goal is creation of a portal and toolset for fabricators to take and fulfill small batch manufacturing of parts. Success will mean that hundreds to thousands of times more people will be able to create tangible goods from ideas and concept combinations.This is a project to unify CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Machining) across all digital fabrication tools and reduce the complexity of machining designs. While 3D printing may bring an idea of simplicity and access to everyone, laser cutting, CNC (Computer Numeric Controlled or Robotic), injection molding, vacuum forming, and other tools of mass production can likewise also be made more accessible. The project is a software tool embodying a single process for which any design can start at one end and any machine be placed at the other end. At least in showing how much of the same end result, if any, each machine is capable of producing of the intended output. This project will produce a part plus material algorithm by which any part that can be fabricated can be proposed to the algorithm and all of the machines capable of producing them can be identified. From there the scale - both in size of part and number - of copies of the part can be added in and thus sort the machines by best part quality, price, and overall speed of production at any volume. The goal of the research is to capture all existing manufacturing practices in machine shops and Maker places, and assure that none of today?s capabilities are lost while creating a living algorithm that allows for future capabilities to be added to any fabrication process.
