Open Source Ecology - GVCS

The Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) is an open technological platform that allows for the easy fabrication of the 50 different Industrial Machines that it takes to build a small civilization with modern comforts.

Open Source - Low-Cost - Modular - User-Serviceable - DIY - Closed-Loop Manufacturing - High Performance - Heirloom Design - Flexible Fabrication

A modern, comfortable lifestyle relies on a variety of efficient Industrial Machines. If you eat bread, you rely on an Agricultural Combine. If you live in a wood house, you rely on a Sawmill. Each of these machines relies on other machines in order for it to exist. If you distill this complex web of interdependent machines into a reproduceable, simple, closed-loop system, you get these:

3d Printer

an additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is printed by laying down successive layers of material, just like a printer except in 3D.

3d Scanner

a device that can generate a 3D digital scan from a real-life object, where the file can be used to reproduce the object in 3D with a device such as the 3D printer or CNC Precision Multimachine.

50 kW Wind Turbine

a device that produces electrical power from wind energy, scalable in units of 50 kW.

Aluminum Extractor from Clay

a device that produces aluminum from clay by dissolving the aluminum from aluminosilicate (clay), and then electrolyzing the resulting compound to form pure aluminum.

Backhoe

a piece of excavating equipment or digger consisting of a digging bucket on the end of a two-part articulated arm for digging trenches or large holes.

Bakery Oven

device for heating various forms of dough into breads and other baked goods.

Baler

a device that compresses hay and other light and dispersed materials into more compact bales.

Bioplastic Extruder

An extruder takes a charge of plastic and extrudes a sheet or other profile of useful form, such as greenhouse glazing or water tubing.

Bulldozer

a high-traction, heavy earth-moving machine indispensible for building ponds, berms, and other permacultural earthforms, as well as for other tasks such as building roads or clearing land.

CEB Press

a high performance machine for producing Compressed Earth Blocks (CEB) from onsite soil, at production rates of up to 16 bricks per minute.

Cement Mixer

a device that homogeneously combines cement, aggregate such as sand or gravel, and water to form concrete.

Chipper/Hammermill

a machine used for reducing wood or other materials into smaller parts, such as chips or shreds.

CNC Circuit Mill

a computer-controlled device that can produce electrical circuits by milling and drilling on copper-clad circuit boards.

CNC Precision Multimachine

a multipurpose, precision CNC machining and metal cutting device for milling, lathing, drilling to make precision parts; includes surface grinding and cold-cut metal sawing.

CNC Torch/Router Table

a computer-controlled cutting table for metal where a moving torch head is used to produce precision metal parts in a fraction of the time that it takes to do so manually .

Dairy Milker

device which harvests milk automatically from milk-producing livestock.

Dimensional Sawmill

a dimensional sawmill is a circular blade sawmill with 2 blades that is used for producing dimensional lumber in one pass.

Electric Motor/Generator

a device that functions as a motor when energized with a voltage, which can also function as an electrical generator when it is spun.

Gasifier Burner

a clean and efficient burner that gasifies the material that is being burned prior to combustion.

Hay Cutter

a device that cuts grass, hay, straw, or other light biomass for haying, baling, or combining.

Hay Rake

a mechanical implement for a tractor that rakes hay or other light materials into windrows or other formations for drying or baling.

Hydraulic Motors

a mechanical actuator that converts high-pressure fluid flow into rotation.

Induction Furnace

an electrical furnace in which the heat is applied by induction heating of metal, providing clean, versatile, compact, energy-efficient, and well-controlled melting compared to flame furnaces.

Industrial Robot

a robotic arm which can perform certain human tasks – such as welding or milling – for performing tasks that are not better done by humans.

Ironworker Machine

a device that can instantly cut steel and punch holes in metal thicknesses of 1".

Laser Cutter

an industrial machine that can make precision, finish cuts in a wide array of substrates, such as metal, wood, or plastic.

Linear Solar Concentrator

an infinitely-scalable, linear device which concentrates solar radiation onto a linear target for generating heat or steam to produce electricity.

Loader

a bucket attachment to a tractor that can be used for digging or loading of soil and other loose materials.

Metal Rolling

a metal forming process in which metal stock is passed through a pair of rolls to produce a desired shape, such as flat bar, angle, or u-channel.

Microcombine

a small-scale harvester-thresher for mechanical harvesting of any grain crops, with a cutting swath of about 3 feet in width.

Microtractor

a small, 18 hp version of the full-sized tractor for powering a wide range of implements in agriculture and utility duties.

Modern Steam Engine

an engine where an external heat source is used to turn water into steam, and the steam in turn moves reciprocating pistons to provide shaft power.

Nickel Iron Batteries

long-life batteries that have a track record of lasting 50 or more years.

Open Source Automobile

a wheeled motor vehicle for transporting people.

Open Source Truck

a larger version of an automobile with a bed for transporting loads.

Open Source Welder

a device used to make strong, permanent bonds in metal by melting and fusing the metal.

Pelletizer

a device that compresses shredded pieces of biomass or other substances to compact, flowable pellets.

Plasma Cutter

a device to cut metal using a plasma torch.

Power Cube

a multipurpose, self-contained, hydraulic power unit that consists of an engine coupled to a hydraulic pump.

Press Forge

a device for shaping metal by the application of a shaping die and a continuous pressure or force.

Rod and Wire Mill

a subset of metal rolling, used to make shafts, rebar, thin rods, and down to wire.

Rototiller and Soil Pulverizer

a tractor implement that tills soil with blades via rotary action.

Spader

a set of mechanical shovels that prepare soil for planting without causing a hardpan typical of rototiller tilling.

Heat Exchanger

a device that transfers thermal energy from one medium to another, such as combustion heat to generate steam from water.

Tractor

a versatile, 4-wheel drive, hydraulically-driven, skid-steering tractor with 18 to 200 horsepower capacity for agriculture, construction and other utility duties.

Trencher

a piece of construction equipment that uses a cutting wheel for digging trenches, laying pipe, cable, or drainage.

Universal Power Supply (UPS)

This is a combination power supply for applications from off-grid power to supplying power to welders, induction furnaces, and plasma cutters.

Universal Rotor

a tractor-mounted rotor that can be fitted with a wide array of toolheads, such as string trimmer, posthole digger, tree planting auger, slurry mixer, and many others.

Universal Seeder

a tractor-pulled seeder than can plant any seed, from small seeds like clover to large seeds such as potatoes.

Well-Drilling Rig

a device for digging deep water wells.