The garage factory
Our aim is the garage factory, which sits between the maker hobbyist and the volume factory and is meant for people who need professional productivity.
Position
Structure
Square tubes, six-way nodes
Edgeware structures are built from square tubes and six-way nodes laid out on one common grid.
Tubes meet at the nodes, and every connection lands on a node.
Reuse
Taken apart, put back
The same tubes and nodes can be taken apart and put back together as another shape.
Ports and panels
Open ports, a skin over the frame
A node port that is not in use stays open. Tube and node are designed on one module, so a joined frame keeps one coherent form.
Panels are a skin laid over the frame opening; the frame behind them carries the structure.
Units
One grid for the units
Equipment units are built on the same grid: they share a footprint, so they can sit side by side or stack, and stay aligned.
Walls
Add a unit, get a wall
Stacking height is limited; when more units are needed, the wall grows sideways.
Changing a machine means changing one unit, not reworking the whole wall.
Terms
- Square tube
A square tube is a structural member with a square outer profile. It is laid out with the nodes on one common grid.
- Node
A node is the joint where tubes meet. Every connection lands on a node. Tube and node are designed on one module, so a joined frame keeps one coherent form.
- Square port
A square port is the opening on an exposed face of a node. A port that is not in use stays open.
- Core-Lox connector system
This is the name of the method that joins a tube end to a node.
- Grid
Tubes, nodes and units all sit on one common grid. Units can sit side by side or stack, and stay aligned.
- Cabinet
The cabinet is the shell of a unit: a closed cabinet with a window. "Closed" describes the form of the cabinet.
- Unit
The smallest piece is a unit: a closed cabinet with a window, designed for people to work alongside it. We call it the Edgeware Garage Cell. Status: in development.
- Modular wall
A modular wall is a wall of units set side by side on one grid. The units can also stack, though stacking is capped, so a bigger wall grows sideways.
- Disassembly and reuse
The design takes disassembly and reuse into account from the start. The same tubes and nodes can be taken apart and put back together as another shape. That is a design goal.