MakerBot Industries

WilliamAAdams and Renosis have been rocking Delta Robots on Thingiverse.  A delta robot is usually a robot with three arms connected by universal joints that can move a small platform.  It’s often used as a super-fast pick-and-place machine.  However, you could really put almost anything into the moving platform – a pen plotter, a plastruder, frostruder, or a mill head.

Renosis has provided an incredible amount of documentation, description, and instruction in his Thingiverse offering.  He’s also put assembled all of WilliamAAdams’ hard work on his delta robot and Yazzo project into a single location, along with his own modifications.  Anyone wishing to experiment with a delta robot can choose from the Yazzo-flavor, focused on maximizing the printed parts and printed fasteners, or Renosis’ revision which simplifies some of the parts to make them easier to print – but also contemplates the use of stock fasteners that could be obtained at any hardware store.

I suppose the big question is not which delta robot to use – but how would you use one?

Delta Robot - Yazzo PolyBot Derivative by Renosis

This is a Derivative of the original Yazzo PolyBot by WilliamAAdams. I found the original design to be something I wanted to build and test with immediately. So I found some things I wanted to do differently and wanted other people to experiment with this awesome robot. UPDATE: The Female and Male Clevis Elbows I had uploaded here are the wrong size. I no longer have the proper size on my computer. Please follow these links to get them:thingiverse.com/thing:8130 thingiverse.com/thing:8129 On the original Polybot the files were spread around Thingiverse and were very hard to find, I have consolidated them into one spot. I have also changed the threaded rod connectors of the Tetrahedron support structure. These new ones should be much easier to print and will print without support. They should also be much sturdier. I have also changed the servo brackets to make them much easier to mount the servos. You no longer have to take apart your servos and struggle with getting them back together in order to mount them. The servos also sit out further off the platform. With the original design, the servos sat too far in on the platform making it impossible to get a good range of motion for the servo arms. One of the negatives of these new designs is the need for fasteners. The original PolyBot was designed to use as few fasteners as possible. This one can be edited to make the holes smaller on the printed parts for the threaded rod to fit snugly into without the use of nuts. I prefer to use nuts because it makes assembly so much easier. Nuts are pretty inexpensive too and you are probably going to be in the hardware store anyway for the threaded rod. Currently, I am using standard Medium Hobby Servos to move the arms. For now they work really well and easily move the lightweight arms of this bot. As for the micro-controller, I am using a Picaxe 28X/40X. But you can use whatever you like. If you find this bot to be interesting, I seriously recommend printing and building it. It is pretty cheap to build and doesn't take much time. It is a lot of fun to mess around with. As for improvements, I already have a bunch of ideas in mind. And I know WilliamAAdams is working on improvements for the original Cranberry Yazzo Polybot, hopefully he will release something soon! Here is a video of it moving... I should have gotten it to do something more interesting. But I have to go to work in the morning and I spent the night preparing the files and doing this write-up. Kind of lame, more and better video soon! I promise! flickr.com/photos/58101887@N02/5587175033/ Another update... I couldn't leave it for the night with just that crappy first video. So I programmed some numbers that might make the bot look like it is moving semi-coherently. So here is a better video of Delta Robot Movement:youtube.com/watch?v=fWZOHDWu0EM

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Yazzo PolyBot - Cranberry Edition by WilliamAAdams

After many little pieces, I am finally able to construct a delta robot that is mostly made of printed parts. This thing is a delta robot frame. There is the basic frame, mounted motors, arms, tool holder, and the like. The arms closest to the motors are printed plastic notched spans. The longer arms are wood dowels, with tape on their ends to enhance the friction fit into their fittings. Steel rods in this case are 5/16". The size doesn't really matter, you can select any size as long as the vertices match. the size is 2' on edge. that's a pretty huge build area if you decided to use this robot as a 3D printer. It's a good platform for experimenting with various delta robot ideas. The arms will be replaced with carbon fiber. The 'bearings' will be replaced with brash, with 1/4" axles, the motors will be replaced with servos, etc. At any rate, at least a model can be built, with not too many different types of materials. There isn't a fastener on the whole thing. Of course if it were actually moving, you'd probably find places where you'd want some fasteners, but that's the whole point of the experiment anyway. Some interesting aspects of the design: This is an endoskeleton. It can take a 'skin', but it's not required for structural support. The tetrahedron is a fairly stable self supporting structure. No threaded fasteners, other than the threaded rods themselves Use zip ties to hold the little motor board in place. That board could be gotten rid of entirely if the motors mounted to the rod instead UPDATE: 05022011 Changed male and female clevis part counts. They were 24 ea, and they should have been 12. UPDATE: 06022011 Created a page on RepRap as this is more of a development project than I think is appropriate for Thingiversereprap.org/wiki/PolyBot UPDATE: 27022011 There have been many parts updates. I've included a new picture with the servos and new arms, as well as the base plate in place. I've added a video on YouTube of the thing in action: youtube.com/watch?v=VzWJDWvJvqo

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MakerBot Industries will host a MakerBot User Group New York meeting at their Brooklyn based headquarters, the Botcave, 87 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11217. You are invited to the Botcave to meet other MakerBot users, exchange ideas and print awesome 3D objects. Come check out the Botfarm and bring your favorite objects for a MakerBot user show and tell. MakerBot co-founder Bre Pettis will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate the MakerBot Thing-O-Matic 3D printer.

See what our first artist in residence, Marius Watz created with 2 months of unlimited access to the Botfarm! Marius Watz creates complex abstract forms and structures through generative software processes.

There will Pizza and LEDs!

MakerBot User Group New York

Wednesday, April 6, 2011
7 PM – 9 PM
87 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, New York 11217

Subway: B, D, N, R, Q, 2, 3, 4, 5 to Atlantic Avenue – Pacific Street; G to Fulton Street

For instance, this would be a coffee maker

This has probably become my favorite question to ask people. ¹ It’s not really surprising that there have been no two identical answers. ²  When I think about people who are Makers, it’s easy to think about big, broad groups.  People who like to write code, people who like to hack hardware, people who like to fiddle with electronics, people who like math, people who like making things out of paper, cardboard, or found objects.  However, when someone is given a chance to think and really reflect about what and why they like to make their answers tend to be even more interesting.

I’m a maker who likes to learn lots of different ways of making. ^3 4  I’ve also discovered that I really enjoy thinking up ideas and conducting proofs of concept experiments.  However, once I’ve confirmed that something is possible … I tend to lose interest.    In a way, I think of myself as an idea-maker.

This is almost the exact opposite of a friend of mine!  What he loves to do is explore others’ ideas and push them to the highest point of perfection, the Platonic ideal form of what’s possible.  I’d probably call this guy a realization-maker.

Another friend is a type of maker I never would have even considered.  He’s a group-maker.  He loves to meet people and connect them with other people he has met based upon his knowledge of their interests, helping and catalyzing groups into formation so that they can make as a group.

What these two makers taught me is that makers can be people who do so much more than make things.  They can be people who push ideas or people to realize their maximum potential.  This, of course, made me immediately wonder what else I’m missing.  What other kinds of makers are out there?

Thus, my question for you – and I really hope you think about this for a minute or two and share – is what kind of maker are you?  What do you like to make and why?

1. Photo courtesy of wonderfulhorrible [↩]
2. At least so far. [↩]
3. For a more direct answer, I like to write some code, fiddle with some math, build web apps, fold origami, design and print things, hack things together out of stuff around the house. [↩]
4. But, when I think about “why” I like doing these things – they’re all relatively immediate fueling my all-consuming ADD nature. [↩]