Mechanical/Machine Design
Assignment Questions
What will it do?
My completed mechanical project will allow an automatic ping pong ball dispenser to move left and right covering a 5' width ping pong table.
Who’s done what beforehand?
Many slider rail machines have been made. I have found inspiration from the shop bot machine and its sliding function.
I understand that the cost of this piece is high (1K~USD) but I plan on making the majority of the pieces.
What materials?
linear rails(2), lead screw(1), and nuts/bolts(4)
acrylic .5” and .75” thick
www.talkshopbot.com
Build your own ShopBot (Desktop) - Build Your Own Shop Bot
Where will they come from?
The pieces that we plan to use will mostly come from the lab inventory. I am also on the lookout for reusable materials (i.e. I scrapped a printer that was thrown out
and got out of it four reusable motors, a few reusable gears, and some wheels that could possibly be used in this project).
How much will they cost?
Estimated Cost < $150.00 (US)
What parts and systems will be made?
Acrylic stands will serve as support for my machine. Aluminum rails will support an acrylic tray that is lead by the lead screw.
The last part will be the bipolar stepper motor and its necessary washers, nuts and screws.
What processes will be used?
Laser cutting will be the main process for this machine. CAD techniques will be used with software programs like coral or OpenSCAD.
What tasks need to be completed?
1. Deciding which slider design to use.
2.Gather materials for design.
3.The CAD files need to be created and acceptable.
4.Measure the slider design against mountable machine design.
5.Design and fabricate all makable objects.
6.Develop the best code sequence to be programmed into the motor.
What questions need to be answered?
How will the motor be used to drive the machine?
Will the mountable ball dispenser fit on this slider platform?
How can I produce/fabricate almost all of this machine inside of the lab?
What programming needs to be added to this machining function?
How will the necessary programming network with the other programs associated with the entire unit?
What is the schedule?
In a three week deadline, the schedule will be determined on a weekly basis.
The first week will consist of planning, materials gathering, and machine design.
The complete schedule will be determined shortly.
How will it be evaluated?
The slider function will be evaluated by its functional operation. This slider platform will be evaluated on its design compared to the rest of the machine (do the materials match? Does the speed of the slider compare against or affect the ball dispenser speeds? In the completion of this assignment, how well will I have exhibited practical knowledge of all skills covered throughout this course.
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