Ep. 28 - Design Decisions

Open Hardware Manufacturing Podcast · 12 Sept 2024 · 1h 16m

What this episode covers

Steven Hawes and Lucian Shapar of Opulo discuss the design decisions behind the LumenPnP V4, a pick-and-place machine that prioritizes reliability and accuracy over raw speed. The hosts explain how community feedback drove key changes, including independent drag chains, a new motherboard with integrated drivers, and a dedicated control box to improve assembly and reduce noise. They also detail the rigorous process of selecting camera vendors, opting for a smaller partner to secure custom optics and better support without raising the machine's price.

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

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    A Benchtop Pick and Place with Stephen Hawes

    Stephen Hawes, founder of Opulo, discusses the development and business of the Lumen Benchtop Pick and Place machine, an open-source device for low-to-medium volume PCB assembly. He explains how the company evolved from a garage prototype to a scaling operation, detailing the technical challenges of software integration with OpenPnP and the pragmatic decision to use Marlin firmware. Hawes also shares insights on manufacturing operations, the importance of dogfooding, and his experiments with making PCBs using fiber lasers.

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  • The Amp Hour · 1h 08m

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  • The Amp Hour · 1h 28m

    Merry Keyzermas!

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  • The Builder Circle · 1h 09m

    S1 E3: Navigating the Full Product Development Lifecycle with Bridget Hunter-Jones

    Bridget Hunter-Jones, co-founder of Impact Biosystems, discusses building the Pac Sensor Muscle Scanner, a hardware and software solution for objective muscle stiffness measurement. She details the company's journey from market validation using investor due diligence to the strategic decision to keep core engineering in-house while outsourcing industrial design and UX. Hunter-Jones also covers the challenges of managing overseas vendors in China, optimizing for a target cost of goods sold (COGS), and navigating the trade-offs between quality and launch timelines.

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