I learned how to use a CNC Machine as a Robobrawl Machinist.
On the Robobrawl team, we sought to create a custom 30 lb combat robot to destroy competitors while withstanding any attempts to be incapacitated.
After weighing the benefits of various designs, our team settled on an invertible four-wheeled vertical spinner. I was tasked with designing the weapon, which I created two variants of; one heavy blade with light armor, and one light blade with heavy armor.
I gained my first CNC machining experience manufacturing components on a Tormach 1100M CNC Machine.
Unfortunately, due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the competition was cancelled, and we were unable to machine the weapons and finish assembling & testing the robot. I hope to implement the machining skills I gained in future projects when I return to campus.
Designing the blade
When designing this blade, it was essential to reach the target weight while maintaining a perfect center of mass (0,0), as it was geared to spin at 12,210 rpm. I achieved this through iteratively tweaking the size of the right pocket and the left taper.
I created two variations of the blade: a “light” weapon and a ‘heavy” weapon. The light weapon was 1.52 kg lighter, providing the weight budget to add armor. This configurability would enable us to adapt our robot prior to each match.
Machining the Inversion Fins
