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Where can I find designs for an open-source stand mixer?

I'm generally looking for small-scale, industrial-quality kitchen equipment that's open-source. I'd prefer a set of machines that share the same motor (the most expensive component) in some universal or modular way.

The best example of a kitchen powerhouse that has multiple uses is a Stand Mixer, which has a very powerful motor and multiple modular attachments so that it can be used in many different ways.

Photo of a Stand Mixer
A stand mixer is a kitchen tool with a very powerful motor and modular attachments for mixing, kneading, beating, whipping, etc. Attribution: blandinejoannic

Bonus points if the motor for this open-source stand mixer (or universal kitchen machine) can also be configured for use as a food processor, blender, grinder, and juicer.

Has anyone released a kitchen stand mixer under an open-source license?

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    “Industrial quality” would suggest reliability… which likely wouldn’t be the case for something home-built. If you’re looking to save money, I’d recommend looking to business auctioneers in your area (as restaurants go out of business quite often), or places that sell used / refurbished gear. (I’m still kicking myself for not bidding on that 12qt Hobart 20 years ago)
    – Joe
    Sep 1 at 20:16
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    A commercial stand mixer that uses the same motor for many attachments is the Kenwood Chef. I have a few accessories, some of which are also common with my food processor. I don't know if anyone has reverse engineered and published the (quite simple) mechanical interfaces, but it could be a starting point. These things normally use cast housings/frames, which would be hard to replicate. Mine looks quite repairable, though I haven't needed to - motors tend to be fairly standard and the other parts are robust
    – Chris H
    Sep 1 at 20:27
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    I don't think "open source" is the term you want here. It sounds like you want reusable modular components that you can repair yourself. While that shares a lot of the values of open source, it's not the same thing (I'm a board member of the OSI).
    – FuzzyChef
    Sep 2 at 3:23
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    @ChrisH My mother has a Kenwood that is at least 45 y old, which has a fitting for a food processor and meat grinder on the top rear. I think model Chef A701 from a quick internet search. Used regularly (most weekends at a guess, possibly more) and rarely needed servicing. I think gears are wearing a bit now, but it could just be grease degrading in the gearbox. Most more recent ones use nylon gearing, so don't last as long, but still highly serviceable and repairable.
    – bob1
    Sep 2 at 3:24
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    @FuzzyChef you've perhaps seen some of the open source lab hardware designs, released (I think) under OSI-appropriate terms, with all parts, circuits and software published under open licences. I've come closer to contributing a couple of things myself, but couldn't justify the extra work to get to publication. That demonstrates an actual open source design would be possible. But it would be rather pointless for the kitchen - more expensive than a commercial kitchen product for not much greater serviceability.
    – Chris H
    Sep 2 at 8:17

1 Answer 1

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Does not, and will not, exist for most home kitchen appliances.

First, a lot of kitchen appliances are purely mechanical, such as mixers, blenders, and crock-pots. While theoretically manufacturers of mechanical devices could embrace open hardware design principles, there is no incentive for them to do so. Their overriding concern is limiting purchase cost, since that's the overriding concern of customers, and adding any extra design process would interfere with that.

Similarly, most kitchen appliances that have electronics are far too driven by cost concerns to take any extra steps or support an ecosystem of hacking. Microwaves, for example, are treated as disposable even though they could be repairable.

Certainly someone could create an open-hardware, public design kitchen appliance, like a "Framework Laptop" of mixers or air fryers. But they haven't, mostly because there would be insufficient market for customers who were willing to pay 2x to 3x as much for the open product.

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  • This is not a useful answer. As an open-source hardware manufacturer myself, I can assure you that there is a market for OSHW. Anyway, why do you assume that someone will only design something if they can profit from it? Also, many OSHW devices end-up costing significantly less than their proprietary counterparts. That is one benefit to collaborative design, and many consumers are aware of this.
    – Michael Altfield
    Sep 2 at 21:24
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    You asked a question; just because you don't like the answer doesn't mean it's wrong. If you just wanted answers you liked, you came to the wrong place.
    – FuzzyChef
    Sep 2 at 22:30
  • This does not answer the question, and it includes many false statements.
    – Michael Altfield
    Sep 3 at 1:15
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    Sure it does. Your question was "Has anyone released a kitchen stand mixer under an open-source license?". My answer was "No", which is a direct and complete answer to your question. I also added a bunch of narrative as to why the answer is "no", but "no" is in fact your answer.
    – FuzzyChef
    Sep 3 at 17:56

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