Philosophy and motivation

Why make your your own machines

• for freedom (enables us to build any kind of machine we dream of)
• for budget (DIY can be cheaper than buying, especially if it is a custom machine)
• for scaling capacity
• for building self confidence (if I can build it I can fix it, and I know how to use it)
• for gaining insight into technology
• for sport (it is more rewarding and less silly than kicking a leather ball)

We like learning by doing. Replicating a machine is like learning an instrument by playing someone elses music, before you start composing your own. Its totally ok to be a cover band.

Potential consequences from making your own machines

Bank interests choke creativity. Growing your own equipment is a fantastic alternative to a big bank loan with ticking interests. (large monthly payments force risk averse usage and business models)

Server farm metaphor: Many cheap machines outperform one mega fancy machine. Examples: prusa, lulzbot etc.

DIY enables scaling with sneaky comfort. Example of developing a business:

• 1 Fun hobby (I have made a machine)
• 2 Serious hobby (I have made a good machine)
• 3 Part time job (I use my machine to make things for other people)
• 4 Full time job (my job sucked but this is awesome, now I use multiple machines to make lots of things for other people)
• 5 Running a company with multiple co-workers and large capacity (DIY is boring, lets Do It Together)

It can also enable natural growth of community workshops (Fab Labs, makerspaces, hackerspaces etc):

• 1 Fun hobby (I have made machine)
• 2 Serious hobby (I have made good machine)
• 3 Become a part time community fabrication facilitator (I help other people make things with my machine)
• 4 Become a full time community fabrication facilitator (I help lots of people make things with multiple machines)
• 5 Running a complete Fab Lab (we help lots of people make things with multiple machines, and take part in a global network of people collaborating and sharing knowledge)