It is more a matter of the right cutting tools. I've done Stainless on small machines. You have to consider the forces on the machine and take light cuts and take the time. I expect it can be done on the portal as well.

I agree that lath and mill would be fine. Point is that both require more than average craftsmanship. You don't have to be a machinist but there is a need for the 'right' attitude. Machines and tools are expensive as well as vulnerable and machining requires an attitude of thinking about how to get a job done with the tools at hand.

🤔 To be fair I would love it, but I doubt it has a place in Fablab Amersfoort. At least it is a challenge from multiple perspectives. And if so, it is more in the context of oud Micro Fabriek / Fablab Next Level. But the lack of interest to get that in place adds to my doubt. I have time and can do the things I like so I don't bother too much 😀

Further more , situation dependent, you can 3D Print Stainless Steel Objects. However, I still lack an inert sintering kiln to start experimenting with it.
In many cases you can substitute adequate Engineering Plastics instead of Stainless.

More important the 'mission' of Fablab is to let people learn how to accomplish their requirements, to solve problems and to discover the way to get things done. I remember that 'some' time I struggled to make my own PCB's. Drawing the mask with inkt, and etching the copper away. An awful process ...
Today we have nice tools to model the required PCB and to hand the model over to a specialised shop. For an amount less than then costs in the passed you get a number of boards and I assume that control of impact on the environment is better.

There are alike routes for other (printing, milling, ...) as well. Quite often prototype your model by a 3D print using environment friendly filament before ordering the real thing. I follow this process before making the real thing. Often the 3D Printed version works out to be good enough and fulfil its purpose. Even better replacement is cheap and fast ....
Ask Harmen for his experiences on moduul 4 gear route 🤔

It is not the tooling but the learning curve: diagnose, analyse and solve the requirement. Collaboration and knowledge sharing helps us all!

In reply to @kvoeveren:matrix.org
I will check for that furnace. But the question is the 'leakage' it is not just ventilating air but creating an adequate flow of (expensive) inert gas.

In reply to @kvoeveren:matrix.org
high vac and processing gases ... I think that brass and plastic is more than adequate in most cases. I'm quite aware that things should not go out of hand by costs 🤔

In reply to @kvoeveren:matrix.org
To get a stainles steel case you need some expensive steel plate and you have to weld it (needs inert gas from two sides). An air tight door ???

Bovenstaande werd 4 apr 2024 aan de orde gesteld door vmiguel op Fablab Amersfoort: Publiek ....

Ondertussen verder gespit blijkt er inderdaad wel enige informatie in de Engelse taal beschikbaar.

Duidelijk is dat de Chinezen streven voortvarend de Robotica verder te ontwikkelen. Dit ongetwijfeld vanuit de druk van vergrijzing en oplopende arbeidskosten. Tegelijkertijd is het interessant dat in deze MIT licenties een rol spelen.

Ooit was Nederland 'up to date' met mechanisering van de productie. Dit betrof met name massa productie. Vanwege de arbeidskosten werd outsourcing naar goedkope lonen landen 'bon ton'. [Hierop kom ik nog terug].

Robotisering is de bakermat voor een tegenbeweging. Tegelijk moeten we ons realisering dat dit niet uitsluitend massa productie faciliteert maar ook klein serie gewijs lokaal produceren.

Bovenstaande werd 4 apr 2024 aan de orde gesteld door vmiguel ....

Ondertussen verder gespit blijkt er inderdaad wel enige informatie in de Engelse taal beschikbaar.

Duidelijk is dat de Chinezen streven voortvarend de Robotica verder te ontwikkelen. Dit ongetwijfeld vanuit de druk van vergrijzing en oplopende arbeidskosten. Tegelijkertijd is het interessant dat in deze MIT licenties een rol spelen.

Ooit was Nederland 'up to date' met mechanisering van de productie. Dit betrof met name massa productie. Vanwege de arbeidskosten werd outsourcing naar goedkope lonen landen 'bon ton'. [Hierop kom ik nog terug].

Robotisering is de bakermat voor een tegenbeweging. Tegelijk moeten we ons realisering dat dit niet uitsluitend massa productie faciliteert maar ook klein serie gewijs lokaal produceren.