pic: Is this currently legal or considered exotic?

FIRST Robot Showcase
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#1

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This is an example of Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication.
on the left is a nozzle blank welded into existance by a five axis CNC Electron Beam machine. The part on the right is the finished nozzle. This is a hollow, round part but any shape is possible such as custom transmission housings etc. The aluminum used
in this example is 1/16th dia. wire, would anyone know if this is acceptable by 2003 rules? The Cad/Cam pakage (FeatureCam) was used for the design and both CNC E-Beam and CNC lathe programing. Cool huh?

Dave Fahringer
NASA Langley Research Center

#2

Dave, you continue to amaze me! Just one question … are those black spots I see holes? And if so, are they supposed to be there? I suppose it may be good enough for government work, but I wouldn’t expect anything but perfect from you :wink:

Maybe we could make our whole frame from that next year? Instead of welding our robot together, our robot would be weld material! Ingenious!

Anyway, on a more serious note … the rules don’t concern machines you use, but materials, so it all depends on if the aluminum is allowed. And due to the relexed restrictions on allowed materials, my understanding is that it would be allowed. The critical thing is cost, I suppose … how much does something like this cost? (needs to be under $400 for an individual part).

Stephen

#3

that part doesnt need to be under $400 because he didnt buy it, he manufactured it.

Cory

#4

*Originally posted by Cory *
**that part doesnt need to be under $400 because he didnt buy it, he manufactured it.

Cory **

Well, the labour has to be under $400. That shouldn’t matter in this case, though, since he’s on our team, and NASA is donating the time (assuming they will donate the time, of course).

Also, the raw materials still need to be under $400, don’t they? That is, if the aluminum costs more than 400 dollars, then it isn’t allowed. I really have no idea how much NASA pays for the stuff, so it may be way under the $400 limit.

Stephen

PS.

Rule K3: … The “cost” of each component is counted as follows:
…
The cost of the raw material if the component was custom fabricated by the team (a team’s internal labor does not count towards the cost of the component);

#5

That is insanely cool.

#6

Ok, I get how it was made, now I’m just wondering why…
What will they be used for?

And that’s a pretty incredible way to make something, but it makes sense…

S Cubed

#7

Wow…thats about all i can say…except for ‘that is so freaking cool’

#8

Yes, those are intentional mounting holes that are showing because I used an existing mounting fixture and wanted the full 1/4" of thread in the hole to safely hold the part for the lathe work. “Good enough to BE goverment work” I was hoping.

This “part” is typical of the types of contoured
nozzles and wind tunnel aerodynamic models that we make for researchers at NASA Langley but is not a
part we will now put to use for testing of its airflow properties, but it is likely to be tested for it’s metalurgical properties as this is the ongoing effort with this developmental technology.

The material is inexpensive 2219 aluminum wire to be exact in this case but could be nearly any grade of aluminum or any type of metal or metal alloy wire.

We are about to try shape memory wire (Nitanol)
which when bent will return to it’s original position when heated! In the machine we have two wire feed systems that we hope to prove can vary the alloy at will though the part. So the piece could start out as titanium let’s say, and then at a thin hinge area it could blend to Nitanol then go to titanium again! If that works you would have a motorless hinge! Doors or flaps could be
opened by an electric heat source.

Any other ideas for this technology?

#9

*Originally posted by D.Fahringer *
**We are about to try shape memory wire (Nitanol)
which when bent will return to it’s original position when heated! In the machine we have two wire feed systems that we hope to prove can vary the alloy at will though the part. So the piece could start out as titanium let’s say, and then at a thin hinge area it could blend to Nitanol then go to titanium again! If that works you would have a motorless hinge! Doors or flaps could be
opened by an electric heat source.

Any other ideas for this technology? **

That nitanol wire stuff sounds promising! A couple years ago I was tinkering around with some robotics stuff, and built a robot that moved by providing electric pulses to nitanol wire (I got a book, and it had a kit in it with all the parts). I don’t remember all the stats and all, though. How much force will the nitanol provide? Anyway, if you get any samples of that, I’d love to see them!

Stephen

#10

OMG Thats like the coolest thing i have ever seen!!!

#11

I have heard of this stuff, it is awesome to mess around with. There is some similar material that is being used in biomedical applications, such as to clear blocked arteries by having it start in a straight wire, but when heat is applied to turn into a coil. there are many other applications for this technology. Some are being discussed at a conference this week in CA. I learned about this from my dad who learned about it at a conference in Paris.

Nice job, that looks awesome!