<html><head><base href="data:"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><base href="data:"><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; color: black; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium; "><a href="http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/12/darpas-factory-of-the-future-looks-like-open-source-development.ars">http://arstechnica.com/business/news/2011/12/darpas-factory-of-the-future-looks-like-open-source-development.ars</a></span></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px; color: black; text-align: left; "><br class="webkit-block-placeholder"></div>DARPA released the final solicitation yesterday for "IFAB (Instant Foundry Adaptive through Bits), a computer-driven flexible manufacturing capability that will allow for distributed, software-driven manufacturing of systems in "foundries" that can be quickly reconfigured to new tasks, using technologies like computer-numerically-controlled (CNC) machine tools and "additive manufacturing" (otherwise known as 3D printing) to scale up rapidly from prototype to full production runs. "<div><br></div><div>say what you will about DoD funding, but getting large $ behind this sort of project will definitely have positive impact on getting the tech out to spaces like ours in the future. I'd rather see the funding come from some other source, but sad truth is it wont. Also note the results of this are without strings attached. The IFAB should be generally available to make plowshares and farm tractors as well as whatever DoDemented minds conceive.</div><br><div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div>Jerry Isdale</div><div><a href="mailto:isdale@gmail.com">isdale@gmail.com</a></div><div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
</div>
<br></body></html>