Resources for robot building with metal/plastic/wood
Too_Many_Tools
Posts: 765
I have been helping others with robots over the years and while many builders are well versed in software/electronics, they struggle with the mechanical side....using tools and techniques involving metal/plastic/wood.
Any suggestions for sites or books for others to learn how to work with these materials?
And how about references for tools and materials...I find that the local resources are rarely adequate when it comes to buying material or tools.
Thanks
Any suggestions for sites or books for others to learn how to work with these materials?
And how about references for tools and materials...I find that the local resources are rarely adequate when it comes to buying material or tools.
Thanks
Comments
So yes, gaining experience in using mechanical fabrication tools is important, but no one's teaching it. Shop class has mostly disappeared in middle and high schools. I see late-night commercials for trade schools, a lot of engine and aircraft repair. Somewhere in our educational system, kids are directed towards either college or trade schools. Bummer. I know a lot of college kids who are book-smart but can't make anything work. And I know some car builders & mechanics who can build anything from scratch just because they have worked on just about everything.
Enough soapbox. Good on ya for helping others learn. I have nothing right now but will think about it. Hope to see others posting useful stuff here too.
This guy is good too: http://www.youtube.com/user/urbanTrash
I believe in fast prototyping. I have found the following materials essential;
Metal; Accurate welding and drilling of metal needs time, equipment and creates a mess. I find it easier to protoype with prefabricated and pre-drilled metal sections; Actobotics or similar.
Plastic; For fast prototyping I use ABS sheet, often in combination with Lego components. You can achieve anything light with Lego. ABS can be cut, drilled, welded, formed and it is tough. This promotional video shows some ideas;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=ESQCQbrAKN0
Fasteners and Shafting; Standardise on metric or imperial small diameter fasteners and shafting. Lay in a stock of bolts, nuts, shafts, taps, dies, threaded rod, bearings and accessories. For fast shaft prototypes I use threaded rod.
Wood; I avoid wood, but do use plywood at times as a bulk base.
Prefabricated metal, fasteners and Lego components are expensive to start with, but they can be reused over and over again.
I mention this because a problem with generic resources is that they cover a wide swath -- welding with 1/4" steel or using 2x4 lumber is generally inappropriate for the common desktop size bots. So it's important to match your project with the information that is available. Size matters. Tools, techniques, and materials for smaller bots are typically not very useful for larger ones. The more generic your search, the less helpful the information will be. Web sites on building dollhouses are more practical for builders of small robots than sites about using wood to frame a house.
Of course, if you're working on an all-steel 200 pound combat robot, resources for making things out of wood or light plastic or little metal pieces aren't going to be helpful, either.
Gordon,
I too think a book discussing this theme would be well received.
In your current books, one of the first sections I check is for tools and techniques.
I would like to see an extensive discussion on workbenches/workspaces/workshops customized to the robotic hobby...one's workspace is an extension of the tool envelope that allows the manipulation of material to build a robot. A flat space and stuff scattered around like many people use is not an efficient and effective work envelope for successful robot building.
Just type in what you are trying to do and a bunch of videos will pop up.
I do it all the time.
Youtube has its place...but many of the videos are very poorly done.
There is really no replacement for quality material that carries USEFUL information..note the "unboxing" thread going on now to see that just because you have bandwidth doesn't mean you have quality.
I find it amusing that considering the bandwidth we have today, much of it is filled with trash.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spamming
"Spam in email started to become a problem when the Internet was opened up to the general public in the mid-1990s. It grew exponentially over the following years, and today composes some 80 to 85 percent of all the e-mail in the World, by a "conservative estimate""
Website and television channels both on air and cable are also guilty of it
The absence of good practical information on the Web is an embarrassment to mankind.
A site like this one is an exception to the norm and our hosts should be proud of their contribution to the greater good of humanity.
Why? I'm not embarrassed. I also think the statement such information is absent is incorrect. I think there's lots of "good practical information on the Web." I think EEVblog is one of many such sources of good practical information.
In case you missed it, there was some discussion of plastics in this thread.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/142923-A-pox-on-acrylic.
As I mention in the above thread, I really like expanded PVC for building robots.
I'm also very fond of Polymorph as a robot building material. Here's some information about Polymorph.
http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/143947-Polymorph-The-Next-Best-Thing-to-Plywood-for-Building-Robots
Like macrobeak, I also use Lego parts in some of my prototypes (heck everything I make is a prototype). I also like a lot of the stuff Vex makes though I'm not thrilled with their little square axles. I generally use alternate mounting methods with their wheels.
Edit: Besides Parallax's great tutorials there are also nice tutorials on other sites. A lot of SparkFun's stuff is good and I really like the tutorials on Adafruit.
Very well said and I completely agree. My skills at sorting out YouTube videos have grown in the past 6 months and I believe that skill to be a valuable asset.
There you go!
Fortunately for the search engines (and YouTube itself), the more popular the video, the higher its ranking. While popularity doesn't always guarantee quality -- I mean look at the Rolling Stones! -- it serves as a first-order filter.
Running away from Stones fans. Yes, they played San Diego this weekend. Called too late for decent tickets, and the millionaire that private-booked them at the Belly Up Tavern wouldn't return my calls. I mean, really!?!
How about some links?...books?...to work with metal, wood and plastic?
Thanks
For me, I just apply engineering principles to any of those disciplines and that alone answers many of the questions. Any further information I might glean from a more detailed Google search. I also do a lot of trial and error. Error is where I learn more than anywhere.
One thing that helps in searching, is to search in images and look for the operation that you are interested in doing.
Keep in mind also that any of those disciplines have many different facets, like "Metalworking" for instance can be sheetmetal working, casting, machining, blacksmithing. Plastics could be casting, printing , machining, etc. So searches must have some specifics for the searches to be truly beneficial.