Matias Iturbides' Strad Is an Open-Hardware Fully-Mechanical Ready-to-Build Espresso Maker

Web developer and journalist Matias Iturbides is branching out into mechanical engineering with the Strad — a certified open-hardware mechanical espresso maker, released for all to build and with no electronics required.

"This espresso coffee maker and the documents and files in [its] repository are under Creative Commons CC BY-SA [Attribution-ShareAlike] 4.0 license," Iturbides writes of the terms under which his creation has been released. The files can be used to manufacture the part in CNC [Computer Numeric Control], injection [molding], 3D printing, or any other format."

Makers hacking on coffee machines is nothing new, and neither is releasing such modifications under open license terms. Over the years we've seen off-the-shelf machines upgraded for better accessibility or for automation with impressive granular control, vintage Goblin Teasmades getting a much-needed overhaul, and most famous of all the Gagguino project — recently expanded to cover upgrading the Starbucks Sirena, too.

Iturbides' project is different, though, and for two key reasons. The first is that it's entirely mechanical: there are no electronics involved, which may come as a surprise as a project from a web developer. The second is that it's a ground-up original creation, not an upgrade to any existing off-the-shelf device.

Those interested in building a Strad of their own can find the design files — in STEP and STL format, as well as a FreeCAD project for those looking to modify the design — and brief instructions in Iturbides' GitLab repository; the project has been certified by the Open Source Hardware Association (OSHWA) under ID ES000049.