Week 12
Machine Building
This week’s assignments involve designing a machine that integrates a mechanism, actuation, automation, and a specific application. You are required to build the mechanical components and operate the machine manually. Additionally, you must document both the group project and your individual contributions. Once the machine is built, you will move on to actuating and automating it, followed by thorough documentation of the entire process, highlighting both the team effort and your personal involvement.
Project Planning
Design
The task that was assigned to me was to design the machine.The first step was to design the features needed for the machine and depending upon the at the machine had to be designed. Our idea was to design a machine that can paint with light so we wanted the light on the machine to move in x and z direction so that the machine will be able to draw a picture or a pattern in air and the path of the light can be captured by a camera and and by taking a long exposure shot the pattern can be seen clearly.
The second step was to design the mechanism of the machine,since we needed a mechanism with minimal components andit should be fast and very less weight have to be carried we selected the core XY
CoreXY:" A Brief Overview
AI Prompt : Give a brief about core XY
"CoreXY" is a motion system commonly used in 3D printers and CNC machines, designed to enhance speed, precision, and mechanical stability. Unlike traditional Cartesian systems where each axis is driven by a separate motor, CoreXY uses a coordinated dual-motor system to control both the X and Y axes. The motors remain stationary on the frame, reducing the moving mass and allowing for faster, more precise movements. This design is particularly beneficial for high-speed printing and applications requiring fine detail.
One of the defining features of CoreXY is its unique belt routing mechanism. The system employs a series of crossed belts that translate the combined motion of two motors into precise X and Y movements. This arrangement allows the print head to move smoothly while keeping the motors fixed, minimizing vibrations and improving overall print quality. Additionally, because the motors are mounted on the frame rather than the moving gantry, CoreXY printers can achieve larger build volumes without significantly increasing the machine’s footprint.
CoreXY" offers several advantages, including faster print speeds, better accuracy, and reduced mechanical wear due to lower inertia. However, it also comes with challenges, such as the need for precise belt tensioning and synchronization between the two motors. Despite these complexities, CoreXY remains a popular choice among advanced users and is commonly found in high-performance 3D printers like the Voron, Ratrig, and Hypercube. Its balance of speed, precision, and scalability makes it ideal for both hobbyists and professionals seeking reliable and efficient motion systems.
The next step was to select the components for the machine like pulley,motors belts etc..,then all the measurement we made and the cad models of these components were downloaded for this i used McMaster Carr extension in fusion and also downloaded some files from grab cad and some were taken from existing designs.
Design
First i started by drawing the path of the belt, Pulley and the motors in the a sketch which is used as reference for designing the rest of the components in the design.
and then depending on the second belts position made a plain at an offset and and followed the same step and made the sketch for the second set of pulley and belt
Then i imported the extrusions and arranged it in the correct way.
Then i started with the motors mounts, for this i imported the the nema 23 motors design and depending on that designed the made a mount to properly hold the position of the motor in place and a simple slots on that the bets can be properly tightened.While designing i made sure to add proper screw holes so that the extrusion can be properly fixed, And i had given som e space so that L clamps can be used for more strength.
Then i designed the second motor mount which had to be mounted on the bottom section of the frame.Here i hade to make two slots for the belts to properly since the two sets of belts were in an offset.
Next step involved designing the corner mounts here two teethed pulley had to me mounted in an off set and the corner mots have to to fixed to the extrusion, The corner was designed in two separates pieces so that the pulley can be easily mounted.
The corner mount have to be mounted to the extrusion for this i had provided proper screw holes and then i had provided space so that the L clams can also be mounted.
The next step was to design the fo this we got an already existing design of gantry that was used in other projects and modified it to our needs,here the gantry is divided into multiple pieces so that the pulleys can be easily assembled and the whole gantry can be easily assembled to the extrusions, each gantry contains one teethed and a teeth less pulley
these are the views from both sides of the gantry.
This is the is the video that show the full design of the machine
Errors
After the 3d printing there were some issues with the fitmet of the m3 inserts so for correcting this some holes had to be drilled again to increase the dia .
also during the editing of one of the corner joint a hole was accidentally closed so had to manually open it.
Updates
After the testing of the machine one issue was there since the the end effecter was suspended just the bets there were some vibration which were effecting the machines out put so i had to make some changes to the gantry and the z axis of the machine and two rods were to be added to the deign so the vibration were reduced and the end effector was connected to the rails using a linear bearing and a extra component had to be designed there to mount it to the bearings
This is the part that connects the end effector to the rails
This is the updated design of the machine
Conclusion
the tasks that were assigned to me was completed successfully and the machine was working as intended and the pattern was captured by the camera.