Page 143 - CNC Robotics

CNC Robotics

Figure 6.1 4"
~
Drawing of proposed
frame.

8'

L U

I l

be forced to find alternative storage for a lot of the material and tools
for which I don 't have an immediate use. But at the current size, I'll
still be able to get around it safely to work. of course, the drawings
I made of the machine are rea lly a guide, as opposed to a strict set
of instructions. The reason is simple -since I decided on a ga ntry
style of machine, the dime nsion that I will most closely follow will
be the footp rint. The material used to construct the machine will
determine all the other dimension s. The frame is a good example of
this. My drawings use un iform sizes of material in width, height,
and thickness, the length being the only variable. I am loath to
spe nd a lot of money on new steel , so the scrap yard closest to my
house is my usual first stop. It takes a little more effort to find sec-
ond-hand material that will work, con sidering that most of the steel
you want is buried under a few tons of steel you don't want.
I wa s lucky and found the 3.5- X 3.5-inch pieces I am using for
the x-axis guide rail supports on top of the pile. The ma terial used
as cross members was a little deeper but well worth the effort to
dig out. From the 2.5- X 2.5-inch materiali used, I cut two pieces
49.5 inches long for either end of the frame a nd from the 3- X 2-
inch material I cut the center cro ss member. The leftover material

134