Economic savings for scientific free and open source technology: A review

Pearce, Joshua M.

doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2020.e00139

Cited by 103 publications

(88 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…Thus, the open source vacuum oven provides an economical solution when vacuum drying is needed. The savings shown in Table 8 are consistent with expected savings of about 87% observed in a recent review of scientific FOSH [85].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…Note that these prices exclude taxes and the cost of shipping, which is now often free from many Internet vendors. Nor does it include labor costs for the free and open source hardware (FOSH), which have been discussed previously [85]. The majority of the material cost comes from the vacuum system-the chamber, air ejector, and air compressor comprise $268 of the cost together.…”

Section: Economic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

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Open Source Vacuum Oven Design for Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation for Recycled PET and Biomass

Hubbard

Putman

Techtmann

et al. 2021

JMMP

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Vacuum drying can dehydrate materials further than dry heat methods, while protecting sensitive materials from thermal degradation. Many industries have shifted to vacuum drying as cost- or time-saving measures. Small-scale vacuum drying, however, has been limited by the high costs of specialty scientific tools. To make vacuum drying more accessible, this study provides design and performance information for a small-scale open source vacuum oven, which can be fabricated from off-the-shelf and 3-D printed components. The oven is tested for drying speed and effectiveness on both waste plastic polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and a consortium of bacteria developed for bioprocessing of terephthalate wastes to assist in distributed recycling of PET for both additive manufacturing as well as potential food. Both materials can be damaged when exposed to high temperatures, making vacuum drying a desirable solution. The results showed that the open source vacuum oven was effective at drying both plastic and biomaterials, drying at a higher rate than a hot-air dryer for small samples or for low volumes of water. The system can be constructed for less than 20% of commercial vacuum dryer costs for several laboratory-scale applications, including dehydration of bio-organisms, drying plastic for distributed recycling and additive manufacturing, and chemical processing.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Economic Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Open Source Vacuum Oven Design for Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation for Recycled PET and Biomass

Hubbard

Putman

Techtmann

et al. 2021

JMMP

Self Cite

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“…It is now commonly used to manufacture scientific research tools to increase reproducibility, lower costs, and improve accessibility [1][2][3][4]. In general, the use of 3D printing to fabricate open hardware for scientific use reduces the cost by 92% compared to proprietary commercial tools [5] and has thus been used in a wide variety of sciences. For example, in geoscience, a number of studies have employed 3D printing techniques to investigate its capabilities in rock mechanics to reproduce strength in common rock mechanics tests [6,7] in replicating natural rock joint specimens to study rock surface properties [8], or to study internal structures [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open-Source Script for Design and 3D Printing of Porous Structures for Soil Science

et al. 2021

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Three-dimensional (3D) printing in soil science is relatively rare but offers promising directions for research. Having 3D-printed soil samples will help academics and researchers conduct experiments in a reproducible and participatory research network and gain a better understanding of the studied soil parameters. One of the most important challenges in utilizing 3D printing techniques for soil modeling is the manufacturing of a soil structure. Until now, the most widespread method for printing porous soil structures is based on scanning a real sample via X-ray tomography. The aim of this paper is to design a porous soil structure based on mathematical models rather than on samples themselves. This can allow soil scientists to design and parameterize their samples according to their desired experiments. An open-source toolchain is developed using a Lua script, in the IceSL slicer, with graphical user interface to enable researchers to create and configure their digital soil models, called monoliths, without using meshing algorithms or STL files which reduce the resolution of the model. Examples of monoliths are 3D-printed in polylactic acid using fused filament fabrication technology with a layer thickness of 0.20, 0.12, and 0.08 mm. The images generated from the digital model slicing are analyzed using open-source ImageJ software to obtain information about internal geometrical shape, porosity, tortuosity, grain size distribution, and hydraulic conductivities. The results show that the developed script enables designing reproducible numerical models that imitate soil structures with defined pore and grain sizes in a range between coarse sand (from 1 mm diameter) to fine gravel (up to 12 mm diameter).

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“…Very briefly, opening the source of technological products immediately attracts qualified peer review which, by providing informed feedback, voluntarily contributes to their improvement and excellence (Gibb 2014 ). In parallel, the availability of such open source technology online may considerably reduce the cost to fabricate and distribute it (Pearce 2020c ), once third part producers do not have to afford the costs of organized for profit value chains of production, distributions, and sales (Pearce 2016 ). Finally, easy and free access to the intellectual property underlying technological solutions by third part makers and even by industries enables distribution of fabrication in a dynamical process of meeting production with demand (Pearce 2020b ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Open-source hardware to face COVID-19 pandemic: the need to do more and better

2021

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Purpose The usage of open-source hardware (OSH) designs has been put forward as a means to mitigate the shortage of core medical equipment, such as ventilators and of personal protection equipment (PPE) in medical facilities worldwide, resulting from the ever increasing number of individuals affect by COVID-19. This is due to the model allowing for the lowering of costs and widespread distribution of manufacturing. On the other hand, low adherence to its best practices and insufficient development may jeopardize OSH as a viable aid against the pandemic. In this work, we sought to clarify to what extent publicly available designs of ventilator and PPE are developed and abide by OSH standards as measure of the true openness of the solutions. Methods We searched the Internet and the literature to compile a comprehensive list of ventilators and PPE, while assessing available documentation in order to objectively evaluate key development landmarks (e.g., testing and governmental clearance) and indicators of adherence by OSH standards, as described by the Open Source Hardware Association. Results Only a few peer-reviewed articles have been found, while a good number of Internet entries of open ventilator and PPE designs were found. Available documentation varied a lot in quantity and quality. Overall, adherence to OSH best practices and level of development were only partially fulfilled. Conclusions Although this suboptimal performance regarding openness of designs may limit the benefits of the model, data suggests that present open-source efforts are highly beneficial and that they will be able to completely fulfill their mission given more and better OSH is carried out.

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Economic savings for scientific free and open source technology: A review

Abstract: Graphical abstract

Cited by 103 publications

References 76 publications

Open Source Vacuum Oven Design for Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation for Recycled PET and Biomass

Open Source Vacuum Oven Design for Low-Temperature Drying: Performance Evaluation for Recycled PET and Biomass

Open-Source Script for Design and 3D Printing of Porous Structures for Soil Science

Open-source hardware to face COVID-19 pandemic: the need to do more and better

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