What is FabHub?October 2011.

© Scientific Questions. Private & Confidential. August 2011.

FabHub

GitHub for digital fabrication.

What exactly does this mean?

What is the opportunity?

How should we execute?

Co-design

Design Publish Sell Make

Workflow

Metadata / materials

Product Story

Format validation

Search / Listings

Display

Price generation

Format conversion

File delivery

Production

QA

Delivery

Assembly

Payment

Quotes

Preview generation

User Product

CAD software

If you look broadly at the process of design for digital fabrication.

Design Publish Sell MakeUser Product

Each step is a business of its own.

We have to understand whether we’re vertically integrated, or targeting specific parts of the process.

Design Publish Sell MakeUser Product

If we’re vertically integrated, we havesome serious competition.

Why FabHub when you could use Ponoko?

If we’re targeting a specific part of the process, then what problem are we solving better than anyone else?

Our original concept was for:

“a social platform for designers to share and build on each other's designs”

“an open, p2p, collaborative ecosystem”

Trouble is, “facilitating collaboration” is a long way from the revenue stream.

collate library of WikiTable style products.

publish on a WikiHouse style gallery website

sign up CNC millers to produce, test and deliver

split payments between us, designer and miller

We’ve discussed a “shop” option as being the fastest route to revenue.

Alternatively, we could focus on developing the “marketplace”.

Either way, we want to create a scalable, disruptive business.

"It's all got to do with changing how the world works. The current system that we have of mass manufacture, it's a hundred-year old system and it's time for change."

Derek Elley Co-founder of Ponoko.

So how is that revolution progressing?

The early adopters had to create their market and focus on the areas where the technology was most applicable.

"When you're a pioneer, it's like climbing Everest every day. I think that's the biggest barrier ... not having a model to follow."

Derek Elley Co-founder of Ponoko.

As a result, they make necklaces and lampshades:

“Most of the examples are very personal items that will truly bring much moreemotional value to everybody who likes to design."

Fried Vancraen, CEO and founder Materialise

vs

Revolution.

Not a revolution.

What if ...

Instead of lampshades, you could design buses, radios and racing bikes?

They have also had to create production and delivery infrastructure.

These are fixed processes, with proprietary lock-in at the points in the chain where they make their money.

What if ...

Instead of being locked in, you could choose the cheapest, or the fastest, or the most reliable manufacturer?

Our original concept of an “an open, p2p, collaborative ecosystem”, is a natural alternative to a centralised, hard-wired platform with proprietary lock-in.

FabHub

BuyerTechnician

Manufacturer

Delivery Provider

Engineer

Creative

However, the implementation doesn’t have to be about workflow first. It can be about loosely coupling theprocess integration, so users can choose who they work withand whose services they buy.

Digital fabrication is oriented around products but products are always components of an ecosystem.

"There is no such thing as a toaster. People enrolin the toaster project."

Harvey Molotch.

For digital fabrication to cross from hobbyist to essential business function, there has to be a platform that allows complex products to be compiled from multiple components.

Compiling complex products from components is a key manufacturing function: the production line.

"To supply parts used in assembly, a later process goes to an earlier process to withdraw only the number of parts that are needed."

Taiichi Ohno.

Each step in this process (when a later process “pulls value” from an earlier process) is an opportunity for loose coupling: for the request to be handled by competing providers.

Assembly(possibly buyer)

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

PartPart

Part

Creates Part

PULL

PULL

PULL

PULL

PULL

PULL

PULL

If we can define the right interfaces, to enable complex products to be compiled from competing providers, we can create a universal production line.

An open, emergent, p2p platform that supports the design and making of more than just necklaces and lampshades.

That’s what this means.

© Scientific Questions. Private & Confidential. August 2011.

FabHub

GitHub for digital fabrication.