Friday, April 11, 2014

New Model Renderings

The new model is almost done. I've got some renderings together to give an overview of the design.

In this version I'm making use of flat plywood parts from a CNC router as well as 3D printed pieces for the gearing and brackets on the primary mirror.



The gearing used follows the design of some printable Reprap extruders which make use of a herringbone tooth pattern to avoid backlash.
The printable motor gears are very similar to the Reprap extruder design. The large azimuth gear is printed in sections and assembled on an aluminium plate which also provides the running surface for the bearings.

Now I just need access to a CNC machine and a bunch of ply. I'm going to start a git repository of all the cad files (solidworks format) so others can use them. Perhaps someone else will even beat me to the first build.