Software 3

Materials 3

group assignment 3

- design a machine that includes mechanism+ actuation+ automation 3

- build the mechanical parts and operate it manually 4

- document the group project and your individual contribution 11

General

The recommendation is not to make something complicated. We can replicate existing machines. But we would like to adapt one to our projects, specially my project that has to do with basic resources, like energy, and we can take energy from the sun. So out idea is to build a solar tracker but attached to my existing structure I did for COMPUTER-CONTROLLED MACHINING. It doesn´t seem difficult (I hope)

The first idea was to put wheels to the structure and make it move to follow the light of the sun. But we thought that was more complicated. Then we were looking just to put the machines others have done on top of the structure and that´s it. But just going a little bit forward we find out that we could make a version of the existing machine attaching the panel and the mechanism to any of the faces of the cube.

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180504_144929.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180504_144847.jpg$

What I need:

Hardware

· CNC milling machine

· Two step motors

· Wood

· 4 Light sensors

· Vernier

· Pencil

· Measuring tape

· 3d printer

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_103214.jpg$

Software

· Arduino program

· Rhinoceros

· V carve

Materials

· Triplay wood

· Screws

· Glue

· PLA filament

· Broken mills

group assignment

- design a machine that includes mechanism+ actuation+ automation

Since Ileana doesn´t need any big machine for her project, we decided to take the chance to develop a part of my project for this assignment. We took my wood structure which is a module that I used also for Molding and Casting. The machine will follow the sun trajectory and the idea is that each face of the module could integrate one of this machines in the future, for now, just the top face.

I did two options. The one on the left has the classic joints that I used in the rest of the structure. On the right the selected option that gave me more surface for the solar panel.

- build the mechanical parts and operate it manually

1. The process is between testing and assembling manually the pieces and designing with the rhinoceros. For example looking how to attach the motors

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_103225.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_103232.jpg$

2. The motor was pretty fixed but just to be sure we added a bolt that made sure the motor was not going to get loose

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_125510.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_125516.jpg$

3. We built separately some details like the piece that will carry the sensors and project shadow to orientate the machine to the sun and also we created a bearing with broken mills and 3d printing.

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_125525.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_163356.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_184457.jpg$

4. The two new frames were designed in Rhino

5. The frames were cut with the CNC milling machine and after that we proceeded to attach the motors to the frames. And then attach the frames to the structure

6. The shapes on the left will compose the outer rotating frame and the shapes on the right will compose the inner rotating frame. It already has the holes to attach the motors.

7. After cutting the frames we realized that they were to loose, so we put nails and glue
to attach the motors we bought extra-long screws to go through the wood and still grab the motor.

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_184510.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_184501.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_184952.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_185549.jpg$

Video

- document the group project and your individual contribution

The results

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_195039.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_195201.jpg$

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_203112.jpg$ $Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_195154.jpg$

$Descripción: C:\Users\Rafael\Documents\Fab_Lab\Fab_Academy\Documentation\Week16_mechanical_design\IMG_20180508_203128.jpg$

Video 1

Video 2

Conclusions

· We had to be careful about the range of movements. So the pieces don´t hit each other while moving.

· There are many ways how the machine can move to do the same task. We decided which fitted to out existing structure and to our objective (tracking the sun)

· We could use stepper motors or servos. The difference would be on the programming.

· We put the two motors as close as possible, so the rotation wouldn’t pull the cables between them

· I and Ileana did almost everything together but she focused on the little piece to hold the sensors, collecting all the material for the assignment and designing the team web page.

· Visit our team page

Download Files

Note:

I reset my computer and had to make the connection with the repository again. That means generating a key in the computer, deleting it in the GitLab the old one and pasting the new one. Finally configure my user name and e mail in the computer terminal and clone the repository in the computer.