What is "multimachine"

a. Relating to multiple machines.

The multimachine is an all-purpose open source machine tool that can be built inexpensively by a semi-skilled mechanic with common hand tools, from discarded car and truck parts, using only commonly available hand tools and no electricity. Its size can range from being small enough to fit in a closet to one hundred times that size. The multimachine can accurately perform all the functions of an entire machine shop by itself.

The multimachine was first developed as a personal project by Pat Delaney, then grew into an open source project organized via a Yahoo! group. The 2,600 member support group that has grown up around its creation is made up of engineers, machinists, and experimenters who have proven that the machine works. As an open-source machine tool that can be built cheaply on-site, the Multimachine could have many uses in developing countries. The multimachine group is currently focused on the humanitarian aspects of the multimachine, and on promulgating the concept of the multimachine as a means to create jobs and economic growth in developing countries.

The multimachine first became known to a wider audience as the result of the 2006 Open Source Gift Guide article on the Make magazine website, in which the multimachine was mentioned under the caption "Multimachine - Open Source machine tool".