I am a second year mechanical engineering student at Michigan Technological University. I joined the Open Source Hardware enterprise at Michigan tech in Fall of 2019. Before college I gained machining experience through FIRST robotics on team 85 B.O.B.
Interests[edit | edit source]
- Additive Manufacturing
- Machining
- Material Properties
- Robotic Automation
- Controls Engineering
- 3D design
Open Source Hardware Enterprise[edit | edit source]
Semester 1 Fall 2019
[1] This semester I joined a team working on rebuilding the CNC laser cutter. In the beginning of the semester the Lasersaur had loose belts that lead to skipping which could cause derailing of the gantry, as well as multiple safety systems not in place. The goal of this semester was to get the Laser in proper mechanical working order. To accomplish this I researched other gantry designs to look for alternative belt tensioning mechanisms and linear slide methods. I decided to go with GT2 Belt with 16 tooth pulleys with a zip tie tensioning mechanisms seen on similar open source CNC machines. I had a few setbacks with failed prints and too low of infill that lead to the tensioning mechanism having a low strength and needing to be reprinted.
Semester 2 Spring 2020
[2] This semester I started diving into the physical rebuild and troubleshooting of the Lasersaur project. I installed the new tensioning parts that lead to an increase in stability and alleviated the issue of belt skipping that could derail the gantry and lead to failure. I also trued up the rails and the gantry slides so there was less resistance and the gantry could move more easily. With the help of Josiah we rebuilt the cart that the lasersaur sits on to include an integrated material storage rack to help clear up some of the clutter from the lab. I then turned my attention to the mess of wires in the rear of the machine, I looked up wiring guides for the smoothie board and then began experimenting with streamlining the wiring by bypassing the secondary stepper motor controller used in the previous configuration using the second of the built in drivers on the board. This change required a change in the config file to address the beta pinouts to the new pins. I was in the process of tuning the maximum current draw allowed for the motor as well as switching up the lead configuration on the 8 lead stepper motor to increase torque. My progress this semester was cut short on this project due to shutdown from COVID-19 I was able to accomplish some of the major steps towards getting the lasersaur running reliably but did not have the time to do the calibration necessary to make it operational. My plans for the future are to finish calibration, preform cable management, develop safety procedures, and create a Standard Operating Procedure for the members of our enterprise.
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Fig 1: Overall Lasersaur.
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Fig 2: Lasersaur electronics.
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Fig 3: Old belt tensioning mechanism.
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Fig 4: New belt tensioning mechanism.
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Fig 5: Lasersaur shelf.
