Unveiling the Potential –: How Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) and MTConnect Can Drive Accessibility and Innovation in Manufacturing

Unveiling the Potential –: How Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) and MTConnect Can Drive Accessibility and Innovation in Manufacturing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Unveiling the Potential –: How Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) and MTConnect Can Drive Accessibility and Innovation in Manufacturing Harshkumar K Parmar This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7180089/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract This paper explores integrating Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) with the MTConnect standard to create a scalable, costeffective approach for democratizing digital manufacturing, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in under-resourced regions globally. While OSMT provides affordability and adaptability, and MTConnect enhances real-time machine data interoperability, their combined potential remains significantly underexplored. Addressing this gap, we propose the Integrated Open Manufacturing Enablement Framework (IOMEF), uniquely linking open-source technologies, capacity-building, and supportive policy infrastructure. Using analytical and mathematical modeling with synthetic, industry-informed data, we quantify the impacts of MTConnect-enabled OSMT on capital investment, equipment efficiency, and shop-floor visibility. Our results demonstrate substantial benefits, including approximately 60% lower equipment investment and an 18% productivity increase compared to conventional systems. This research provides SMEs a practical roadmap toward inclusive, sustainable digital manufacturing aligned explicitly with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, limitations such as reliance on synthetic data are acknowledged, suggesting future empirical validation. Industrial Engineering Open-source hardware Making manufacturing accessible to all Open-source machine tools MTConnect Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Technological advancement Environments with limited resources Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Ease of access Creativity Production Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7180089","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":488749911,"identity":"9346102e-f381-4a26-82f7-8266583d5545","order_by":0,"name":"Harshkumar K Parmar","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYBACAyBmZjgA4TB+qLCRA7N4iNXCLHEmzZg0LQy8LYcTGwhpMWc/+/hzwZk78ubTDj/7INlwOL1fIoHxwds23Fose9LNpGfceGY453aa8YzCHem5M2ckMBvOxaPF4EAaGzPPh8OMM6QTjBkkz1jnbriRwCbNi0/L+WfMn4Fa7GdIp39m4G1jTje4kcD+G6+WG2kM0jw3DifOkM4xBmpxTgBqYWPGr+UZmzTPmWfJQC3FoEA2nNnzsFlyzjl8DksDOuzYHVugwzaDolKenz354Ic3Zbi1QMEBZA5jA0H16FpGwSgYBaNgFKACAOWHVd5Qcn0wAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0005-8855-8678","institution":"University of Oklahoma, Norman","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Harshkumar","middleName":"K","lastName":"Parmar","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-07-21 18:04:50","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":true,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":true},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7180089/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7180089/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92561494,"identity":"5a7cba15-3933-4503-a575-84f38d409093","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-01 04:39:01","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1113509,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"JIMSS2502177.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7180089/v1_covered_41c53542-6ea9-4c45-927a-083715305dc6.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eUnveiling the Potential –: How Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) and MTConnect Can Drive Accessibility and Innovation in Manufacturing\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"University of Oklahoma","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Open-source hardware, Making manufacturing accessible to all, Open-source machine tools, MTConnect, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Technological advancement, Environments with limited resources, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), Ease of access, Creativity, Production","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7180089/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7180089/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThis paper explores integrating Open-Source Machine Tools (OSMT) with the MTConnect standard to create a scalable, costeffective approach for democratizing digital manufacturing, particularly benefiting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in under-resourced regions globally. 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