Reprap + scara arm to assemble printed parts?

Hi,

First post here, but prusa i3 user for about a year (recently prototyped a portable autopilot for light airplanes, [youtu.be] - [github.com])

I'm wondering if it would make sense to attach a scara arm (or some kind of robotic arm) to a 3d printer and to try print & assemble simple objects automatically (or even assemble a new rep-rap from vitamins & 3d printed parts). Has anyone heard of a similar project? I looked around & couldn't find anything, so maybe I could give it a try

Thanks

william

Hi William,

the hardware for this is no problem - the software is.

You can search for "pick'n place" or "micro assembly" - I've seen several threads about refurbishing old electronic assembly stations or building new ones from scratch ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Thanks Viktor. Indeed the hardware seems to be readily available - there even are a couple of machines on ebay that could move parts around. If I get one, put a webcam in front of it and somehow connect everything to the internet, would anyone be interested in trying to remote-assemble objects?

What I'm trying to do is to bootstrap an "open-source village" (but it is a much longer story ) - and the first step is to come up with a process that would enable remote people to contribute - hence the idea of a "remote-controlled" workshop (or at least partially remote-controlled; there would be people onsite anyways).

Why would anyone want to take all the fun off RepRaping?

Well it's 10x the fun, now you have to program assembly machines on top of the printer itself

I think that wleferrand has missed the point of reprap

It not just a 3d printer, that just where most are stuck at the moment.

Its meant to be a completely self replicating machine.

Ha - Actually I thought I totally got the point: I'm talking of adding a robotic arm to the machine so that it can assemble its descendants!

Interesting concept, but at least one problem I see with it is bed adhesion. Good bed adhesion = tough time for any robotic manipulator to remove the part to assemble it. Bad adhesion = bad prints.

... or use one of the methodes with "switching" adhesion or fixtures ...

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Viktor
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Aufruf zum Projekt "Müll-freie Meere" - [reprap.org] -- Deutsche Facebook-Gruppe - [www.facebook.com]

Call for the project "garbage-free seas" - [reprap.org]

Ha great point, I was actually thinking of swapping the glass between prints.

I'm building a prototype (on my spare time, which isn't much), with a prusa and the thor robotic arm. We'll see how it goes!