Fwd: Fw: machine as a new resource for the electron club

[Kenny Duffus]

Definitely sounds interesting, just need to sort out logistics


-------- Original Message --------
From: Jerzy Dziewierz <jerzy.dziewierz at strath.ac.uk>
Sent: November 1, 2017 8:46:17 PM GMT+00:00
To: "kenny at duffus.org" <kenny at duffus.org>
Subject: Fw: machine as a new resource for the electron club



Dr Jerzy Dziewierz

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: machine as a new resource for the electron club
From: Jerzy Dziewierz
To: members at electronclub.org
CC:

Hello friends,

Sorry for the long email, but when You read it you will agree that it is an unusual situation needing Your attention.


Having been a member for a long time,
I have come across a unique opportunity to bolster the electron club resources for all kinds of makers

For a cost of moving it to a new home, my workplace (University of Strathclyde) is willing to part with something that is a real opportunity for us (makers of any sort): a high precision, split axis cartesian machine.

Some images are here, I can make more as needed:

https://strathcloud.sharefile.eu/d-s89decc767b74cdbb

Before discarding this as meh, please hear out about the existing capabilities:

* It is probably ~40 years old, but for what it is, it has seen only a very light use. All the mechanics are in nearly pristine condition. No play on axes, no rust, no missing parts (nearly)

* Both axes are actuated by a linear servo motor. This means, no movement noise whatsoever. It is not like Your standard stepper-motor-actuated machines that "make music"

* Both axes have an ultra-high-precision optical encoder installed. Both axes are really stiff, I bet one could crush a car with them. This means, that it is a really high precision machine. The frame is fully solid steel, not your typical aluminium rods seen in amateur machines.

* Please find in the photo the full-size computer keyboard to get an idea of how big it is. It is of a size of a decent work table.

* The motors and the optical encoders have been checked by us - they are functional.

What's the catch?

* It is heavy. I am not sure how much does it weigh, but it might be in range of 300-500kg.

* We had the driver electronics, but being extremely old, and no manual of any sort, it was not salvageable. This means that we have to build a new power amplifier for the servo motors. This can be a fun and very educational project with lots of high-tech possibilities (think neural networks, full state-space prediction e.t.c.) that are within a reach of an educator like me. I would be happy to lead a project of 2-3 people to build a new driver. There is also an option to buy an off-the-shelf driver, but hey, that's not where the fun is!
To make it clear, I do know how to do this, and I am also ready to sponsor the hardware purchases needed.

* Finally, there is currently no end effector. This means that we have an opportunity to turn this into either a 3D printer, CNC, spark erosion machine (my fav bet), or whatever we want. That's the easy part!


I had a look in the Electron Club room and it would fit no problem. In order to fit it, we would have to remove one of the regular tables, that are currently on the right side of the room, and the garbage from underneath that table. That amount of space is enough.

I have talked to Blair about this, and he rightfully points out that generated noise and dust might be a problem. To answer this,
* Currently, the machine has no end effector (no spindle, no 3D printing head e.t.c.) meaning no noise for now. We can decide together what effector to put on it, and what the environmental consequences would be. This will not happen for at least a few months due to the fact that this machine has no driver at this point. Still, this is something to clear up with the EC management so that there are no misunderstandings later.

Now,

Can You think of any other issues that might prevent us from realising this fantastic opportunity?

Kind Regards,
Dr Jerzy Dziewierz,
Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, University of Strathclyde











-- 

Kenny