Hi everyone,
I've finished building two new machines and I'm excited to share the results with you.
Both machines are designed to automate part replacement.
The first one is a 4-axis CNC milling machine. We produce two types of identical products, and I've created two cassettes for them.
A robot picks up a part from the cassette, places it on the machine, clamps it down, and starts the program. Once the program is finished, the machine's portal moves back, triggering a mechanical limit switch that signals the robot to start the next cycle. There's a limit switch in the cassette that stops the program if it's empty.
One cycle takes 15 minutes (meaning the robot needs to work every 15 minutes). This machine has been running for 3 months and has completed over 1000 cycles.
The second one is more complex. It's a drilling machine.
I've completely rebuilt an old machine with a rotary turret table. I added 8 pneumatic clamps and a rotary column. An Arduino Nano controller controls 10 relays: 8 for the pneumatic clamps, 1 for the vacuum suction cup, and 1 for pushing the next workpiece. This machine has only been running for a week. One cycle takes 40 seconds. In that week, we've done about 1500 cycles. So far, everything is working great.
In any case, I'll be able to provide feedback on how the robot performs over the long term, as it's currently running 8 hours a day.
Hello, I’m Italian too. I was planning to use it to position 3D prints in the laser for engraving. I’d like to hear your feedback, mine would probably work much less than yours, likely around 8–10 hours a week on average. I’d really love to know your feedback—let’s stay in touch somehow!