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(3) Massively Parallel Positional Assembly

It is not enough to be able to build just one atomically precise part, component, or medical nanorobot. For nanofactories to be economically viable, we must be able to assemble complex nanostructures in vast numbers – in billions or trillions of finished units.

This will require massively parallel manufacturing systems with millions of assembly lines operating simultaneously and in parallel, not just one or a few of them at a time as with the assembly lines in modern-day car factories. Fortunately, each nanoassembly production line in a nanofactory can in principle be very small. Many millions of them should easily fit into a very small volume. Massively parallel manufacture of DMS tools, handles, and related nanoscale fabrication and assembly equipment will also be required, involving the use of massively parallel manipulator arrays or some other type of replicative system.

Reliability is an important design issue. The assembly lines of massively parallel manufacturing systems might have numerous redundant smaller assembly lines feeding components into larger assembly lines, so that the failure of any one smaller line cannot cripple the larger one. Arranging parallel production lines for maximum efficiency and reliability to manufacture a wide variety of products is a major requirement in nanofactory design.

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