hi guys - I have a project, where I am trying to automate a 3-axis, hand-wheel operated/guided rasp-head, which is used to cut an arc into the shoulder of a rotating truck tyre
x = horizontal movement (mm)
y = vertical movement (mm)
z = tilt/turn of the rasp (deg)
the need for automation results from the fact that a person with only 2 hands, finds it difficult to actuate a required simultaneous movement of 3 axis, in order to create a perfect arc in one. fluid motion
after some research, it appears to me that Arduino might be the perfect way to control the movement of 3 stepper motors, hooked up to the gears, which are actuating movement on these axis'
unfortunately I have zero Arduino experience and would appreciate it any advice and verification of my assumption by more experienced Arduino users and maybe even some pointers in which direction to go
since my requirement requires only a small part of the movements, executed by a CNC device, I feel that it should be feasible, but need help on how to start this project
rubberduck1811:
unfortunately I have zero Arduino experience
That will be a big handicap because what you want to do is not trivial. It would be a good idea to get an Arduino Uno and spend some time learning how to program it. There are many example programs with the Arduino IDE (the programming system) and many online tutorials.
I think when you know a bit about programming it will be easier for you to formulate useful questions about your project and make sense of the replies. Of course you are also welcome to ask questions while you are learning.
It sounds like the project should be capable of being controlled by stepper motors but you would need to know (measure) how much torque and speed is required. Stepper motors need stepper motor driver boards and for powerful motors the cost of motor and driver will be high.
thanks for your reply and advice! - like I said, I was only looking for confirmation of general feasibility to attempt this with Arduino, which you seem to confirm
I had already looked into the stepper motor requirements and have settled on a Nema23 type with 4 Nm of torque - the costs for the driver-boards don't seem too excessive either
This project runs in competition with the standard practices of our Engineering Department, who use complex (and much more expensive) PLC's to run these kind of setups
I need something simple and will now get my head into the Arduino concept - get a board and learn how to create a program, to suit my requirements
Thanks a lot and feel free to look up my progress - I'm sure I will be on the forums often to get community help
rubberduck1811:
have settled on a Nema23 type with 4 Nm of torque - the costs for the driver-boards don't seem too excessive either
If you have any doubts whether the drivers are suitable for the motors please post a link to the datasheets for each. There are many Threads here in which unsuitable combinations were purchased.
after speaking with a few people, it seems that the easiest way to handle the issue is simply creating a bit of code to control the rotation frequency and speed of the 3 motors independently and then map out ratios between x,y and z to create the desired arc - might not be very sophisticated, but should do the trick
rubberduck1811:
the easiest way to handle the issue is simply creating a bit of code to control the rotation frequency and speed of the 3 motors independently and then map out ratios between x,y and z to create the desired arc - might not be very sophisticated, but should do the trick
What other way might their be ?
That's how all CNC works.
The important thing is to ensure the motors work in close coordination. It is no good if motorA goes all the way to the end before motorB starts moving.
