"Meco Brick" - Large (Home) Scale Construction System
Keith Mc
Check out LEGO, taken to a new level - Large scale cast "bricks", for home construction...
A 30 ton portable compacting press casts the bricks, made from local materials:
... adobe (sand/clay/water & fibrous binder such as straw/manure),
... "BTC" (an "eco friendly" soil and binder brick),
... sand & cement,
... etc.
The site says their compactor can produce roughly 30 bricks an hour
(though it's unclear which material they are using, to attain THAT speed).
French website:
... http://www.mecoconcept.com/
English only speakers can use Google Translate to browse it:
... http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mecoconcept.com%2F&act=url
Their Basic Model specs:
... 220V AC, Mold release pedal , Smooth mold 27 x 18 x 9 (assuming cm...)
(this is about ~10-5/8" x 7-1/16" x 3-9/16" or roughly 11" x 7" x 3.5" bricks)
... Engine: 750 watts
... Hydraulic Pump: HPI 250bars (~ 3626 PSI)
... Compression Force: 30 tonnes
... Weight: 250 kg
... Options: Automatic demolding, Double compression
Mold capacity (L x W x H)
... Min: 18 x 9 x 4 (assuming cm -> VERY roughly 7" x 3.5" x 1.5")
... Max: 36 x 27 x 11 (assuming cm -> VERY roughly 14-3/16" x 10-5/8" x 4-5/16")
This sounds pretty cool... A way to form your own interlocking bricks, for
home (or "maker shed"?) construction, on your lot.
Given that we have Granite-Epoxy, Casting, AND Hydraulic Press enthusiasts here
at GO-Tech, I thought there might be SOMEONE here who'd like to experiment with
making BIG Lego-like bricks.
Any takers? (Bob? A mold and your hydraulic Press might suffice for a test...)
- Keith Mc.
Kyle Creyts
Does GO-tech have a meeting in Ann Arbor? I think I have heard of this group, and.an interest in private ownership of heavy machinery interests me.
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Keith Mc
Kyle Creyts <kyle....@gmail.com> wrote:
> Does GO-tech have a meeting in Ann Arbor? I think I have heard of this group,
> and.an interest in private ownership of heavy machinery interests me.
Yes. GO-Tech is based, and meets in Ann Arbor.
We are a Maker Club (see Make Magazine for the idea), where members
whip up all sorts of crazy stuff, and/or advance the state of the art of something.
We meet at 7-930 pm (or beyond) on the 2nd Tuesday of each month,
at the "A2 Mech Shop", 240 Parkland Plz Ann Arbor, MI 48103-6201
(aka "Ann Arbor Mech Shop", or A2MS).
... http://www.a2mechshop.com/
... http://arborwiki.org/index.php/A2_Mech_Shop
About 20-50 attend each meeting. Besides announcements, we feature
"5 minute presentations" from any member that has something cool to show
(an LED projector is available to tie to your laptop, if you're showing pics),
and often a featured presenter of a longer program.
You never know what will show up at a meeting. We've had a guy
drive up on a steam powered motorcycle, I brought in a homebrew
7in gauge U-ride-it electric train engine for a back yard live steam layout,
guys have made a smoke ring Gatling Gun, laser-show metal lunchboxes,
electrostatic repelling fly toys, nixie tube clocks, robots, and one guy
even came in showing how to bio-hack interface to a cockroach leg.
It's different every month.
If you've never been there, I highly recommended a visit to a meeting.
Some guys come from your side of town, and may be able to car pool.
Just join and post a request on the GO-Tech e-list (formerly known as
"Not BAGO"...a long story, but no one ever bothered to rename the e-list...):
... http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/notbago/
- Keith Mc.
GO-Tech member