Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines © 2004 Robert A. Freitas Jr.
and Ralph C. Merkle. All Rights Reserved. Robert A. Freitas Jr.,
Ralph C. Merkle, Kinematic Self-Replicating Machines, Landes
Bioscience, Georgetown, TX, 2004. 5.9.4 Performance of
Convergent Assembly Nanofactory Systems As previously noted, all
replicators are manufacturing systems which accept a stream of
inputs and produce a stream of more highly organized outputs,
which may include self. Factory-model replicators occupy major
portions of the design space (Section 5.1.9) of mechanical
kinematic replicators, including replication process
centralization (I4), replication process specialization (I5),
and the particity of both replicator (D10) and product (K8). An
attractive approach to factory-mode molecular manufacturing is
to use convergent assembly [208, 213] to rapidly make products
whose size is measured in meters starting from building blocks
whose size is measured in nanometers. Convergent assembly is
based on the idea that smaller parts