Manufacturing and Assembly - Can't Do This Anymore Robot

Manufacturing Processes Used 

1) Laser Cutting

Material: 1/4" Baltic Birch Plywood

Machine: Full Spectrum PS-48 Laser Cutter

2) 3D Printing

Material: PLA (Polylactic Acid)

Machine: Raise3D Pro3 Printer

3) Hand/Power Tools

Various assortment of drills, pliers, screwdrivers, hot glue, etc

Manufacturing Choice Explanations

Laser cutting and 3D printing our parts allowed for the greatest flexibility while also being relatively fast for producing parts in the low volumes we were working in. These machines were used for almost all of our parts because they allowed us to make custom parts while also getting these parts manufactured relatively rapidly. Most of our large components (linkages, base, mounts) were all laser cut because it is the fastest way to manufacture these parts and because Baltic Birch plywood is pretty strong and sufficient for the forces in our design. 

The pdf file for our laser-cut links and the file for one of our spur gears

The rest of the parts that required more complex 3D geometry were manufactured using the FDM 3D printers at TIW because we could make custom parts with up to 0.06mm precision which was sufficient for our applications. There are certain parts that undergo more stress than others so we printed these parts with more walls and a higher infill density.

Motor Gear

Custom Pin Joints

Assembly

The base with ball bearings and bevel gear mounted, we used some graphite on the edges of the rotating circle in order to reduce friction

The motor and gears mounted to the base

The custom gear meshing with the bevel gear and spur gear

3D Printed Pin Joints

3D Printed pin joints installed in linkage