On the viability of the open source development model for the design of physical objects Lessons learned from the RepRap project
Erik de Bruijn · 2010
While open source software development has been studied extensively, relatively little is known about the viability of the same development model for a physical object’s design. This thesis addresses this deficit by exploring the extent to which this model is viable for the development of physical objects. It starts with a review of the relevant literature on open source and user innovation communities followed by a case study and survey of the RepRap community. This community develops a digital fabrication system that can 3D print a large share of its own parts. This allows for a decentralized community to independently produce physical parts based on digital designs that are shared via the internet. Apart from improving the device, dedicated infrastructure was developed by user innovators. The survey reveals substantial adoption and development of 3D printer technology, comparable to the larger vendors in the industry. RepRap community members are spending between 145 and 182 full-time equivalents and have spent between 382,000 and 478,000 dollars on innovation alone. At the RepRap project’s 6 month doubling interval, it is entirely feasible that its adoption and disruptive levels of innovation will exceed that of the incumbent industry. Within the community there is a higher incidence in modifications of hardware than in software, and, surprisingly, hardware modifications are expected to be relatively easier for others to replicate. The level of collaboration is also higher for hardware than for software. Through Thingiverse, a web-based sharing platform originating from the RepRap project, 1,486 designs of physical objects in the last 6 months. Also, more than 10,000 objects were independently manufactured by its members’ machines. While already substantial, this level activity exhibits similar exponential growth characteristics. Many RepRap community members possess a fabrication capability that the average person does not have access to. While this does limit the present day generality of the case study findings, there are many reasons to expect a high likelihood of personal access to digital fabrication in the near future. The rapid development and adoption of increasingly affordable, yet more powerful and valuable fabrication technologies and the anti-rival logic of open design allow user-dominant collaborative development to have significant implications for the provisioning of goods in society. Finally, I provide a discussion of the implications and make suggestions for further research.