Looks like after we work these Garth Brooks and Billy Joel concerts at Notre Dame this summer we will have an extra $15,000 for Capital investments. I was wondering what machines we should be looking for. Our biggest problem is a slow down in fabrication of our cadded parts. My goal is to streamline production of prototyping from CAD and our final CAD parts. If I am thinking about this all wrong please let me know. All of these machines were here before I started, so I’ve had to learn how to use them for my classes and for our Robotics team. I know everyone is talking about the Omni Router that Westcoast sells as amazing. I just need some guidance
CNC Router
We currently have A CAMaster Stinger with a 2’x3’ bed that we use for mostly polycarb fabrication and Aluminum.
What I’m looking at:
I cannot decide what would be more beneficial, an 4’x’8’ CNC Router so we can cut full 4’x8’ sheets of AL all at once & field elements for kickoff for our half field in house. I could also use this large router for my engineering and CNC machining classes. Panther Series CNC Machines For Sale | CAMaster
Or is a 5’x5’ laser that can do 1/2" wood for prototyping that can also cut Polycarb a better investment. I can also use the 120 Watt laser for my engineering classes. HP-3655 CO2 Laser Cutter and Engraver - Boss Laser
A couple of small $200 Qidi with one small Resin printer. I am thinning about buying a Pursa, I need something that can make larger more robust prints for gears and pinions for an adjustable hood shooter we want to create in the off season. And our 40W laser is nice, just can’t handle what I need it to do.
Can confirm the Prusa is the real deal. If I was spending my team’s money, I’d go multiple Minis for more bandwidth and easily justified spare parts—but if you can’t fiddle with the parts you need to fit that build volume, it’s not like I’d look a gift MK3S+ in the mouth.
3D printers are definitely a good investment. We 3D printed multiple parts this year for prototyping and for final versions.
We have an Original Prusa i3 MK3 and ran it for like 12 hrs/day for two weeks straight, plus whatever else we did throughout the season for camera mounts, some spacers, etc.
100% buy a Prusa. Maybe 2. Mk3S is my recommendation, but the mini is good too. You can get them in the US now if that’s helpful.
Most of our printed parts on our robot were made on a Prusa. The parts that needed to be tough were made out of this stuff. That was the best balance if cost, ease of printing, and strength that I’ve been able to find. It’s super easy on a Prusa. You need a hardened nozzle to print with it. I use this one.
for prototyping a great tool is a 3d printer. we were given a stratasys mojo and have a mentor who designed said printer so take my words with a grain of salt. we have been able to quickly prototype things like a limelight mount and various parts of our climber. we printed an entire hood for our robot and about half of the parts of our climber is 3d printed. obviously not everyone can order large 3d printed parts and get them the next morning but even a small hobby grade printer like the prusa i3 mk3 can be useful for many things. the main thing that a hobby grade printer can’t do that a professional grade printer can is print in ULTEM, which is a type of filament that when it comes off the print bed it is as strong as aluminum
Come on…Couple mods and you could totally get at Prusa to print CF Ultem!!
FTR I’m mostly kidding. I do have a sample of Ultem at home I do want to try on my Modded Prusa at some point. Need to get a higher temp setup on in though. That said…there is no way I could do large parts reliably with my setup.
I’ll just mention for anyone else reading, I believe you’ve got a 120W machine (unless you do in fact have a 120kW machine, in which case you’d be rivaling that of many military grade laser weapons systems)
So - You made the statement that the biggest problem is a slow down in fabrication of your cadded parts. WHAT creates that slow down? Is it a backlog on the machines? Lack of expertise? What creates the bottleneck?
We have run a Prusa pretty much 24/7 for 6 weeks in the fall (FTC) and 8 weeks in the winter (FRC) for several years and we just replaced the bed. Best 3D Printer hands down.
Great question! Lack of Experience, I have a math degree who was hired as a math teacher 8 years ago and pitched Robotics to the Super intendent. The rest is history.
I now teach the Engineering course and this year I have been teaching the 3 year dual credit Ivy Tech Precision Machining pathway courses which get our students NIMS certified. I have been to a couple of professional developments to learn how to use our HAAS, but mostly I am self thought for all of the machines in our shop and maker space.
We are great with CAD. I’ve been 3D modeling since I was in high school. I am only 1 of 3 build mentors and only one of those is an engineer, Chemical, but an engineer. I am the only one who knows how to properly use Mills, CNC routers, laser, 3D printer (this is one I am still learning). I am a full time teacher and the head coach. My responsibilities are spread pretty thin.
The major slow down is aside from those students in my 3rd year machining class who I have personally taught to use the HAAS Mill no one else knows how to use the CNC router so I am the only one who is allowed to do the offsets and fix the material to the bed. The laser and the 3D printers are open, because I am not mortified someone will hurt themselves with it.
My major slow down is personal and creating the correct fixture or jig for the operation.
We use our 3D printers a lot! Just never for anything mechanical on the robot. Usually only things for Electronics like Sparkman mounts for gear boxes and the like.
As a machinist myself. The 4x8 router would be nice. Being able to clamp big parts into a table and press go is fantastic. Fixturing is never really an issue as during off season you could use the router to build clamping fixtures before you need them. Also our team thanks to my workplace has access to a waterjet machine. Although they are a little pricey. They are very simple to run and operate. That could also be an option.
We were that way in 2019 and before. I pushed our kids to designed a lot more 3D printed parts to try and help with our manufacturing bottleneck (basically our whole robot is CNC machined in house, so we are constantly looking for ways to offload things). The fact that they could design something, and have it in their hands the next day was absolutely huge for us this year. There were several parts that could have been made on our router that we 3D printed instead to save time/effort. We didn’t push things crazy far “no high load gears and stuff” but small plates, pulleys, and even the rack on our hood held up just fine.
We also made a significant portion of our robot out of 1/4" polycarbonate this year, because it was faster to machine. There we a couple places I think we over-did it but overall this ended up working out.
I want to experiment using more Nylon sheet next year for the same advantage for some parts that would benefit from more rigidity.
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