# Key Points from IRC Discussions

• Participants developed a low-cost, wrench-buildable machine with two working axes for approximately $75 in parts, plus additional costs for square perforated tubing and drawer rails, demonstrating practical open-source hardware development.

• The group worked on merging code repositories between "skdb" (Standard Knowledge Database) and "tangible bit" projects, focusing on proper Python module organization, unit testing frameworks, and dependency resolution using symbolic expression trees.

• Discussions covered manufacturing process selection systems that use possibility theory to generate compatibility ratings, alongside analysis of five main mechanical part failure modes: stress exceeding yield point, creep deformation, fatigue, brittle fracture, and corrosion.

• Technical challenges in CNC machining were explored, particularly tool wear estimation and trajectory planning, with members sharing papers on Voronoi pocketing and finite element analysis for predicting tool failures.

• The community debated STEP file format limitations, specifically the difficulty of adding persistent annotations or feature tags to 3D models when exported from CAD software like SolidWorks.

• Open-source projects mentioned included "pyscholar" (for scholarly research), "artemis" (Arduino-based telemetry for amateur rocketry), and resources for DNA origami design at cadnano.org.

• Members discussed the theoretical feasibility of creating real-world versions of science fiction mechs, noting that current materials science limitations would require advanced materials like carbon nanotube microtrusses to overcome structural challenges.