Handibot Labs Blog: Rotary Indexer

Hi folks,

We've officially opened up Handibot labs as a location for us to post some of what we've been working on related to Handibot. You can leave feedback in the comments area, but also feel free to create a topic if you don't already see one related to a particular entry. Let's kick it off with the rotary indexer link. Keep an eye on the blog for more posts soon.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/06/2014 02:59PM by David @ Shopbot Tools.

LOVE this! Great idea, it reminds me of Instructables specific to the HB.

Suggestion, if I may be so bold, for a topic: How about a tutorial on adding a Z-Zero plate, including how to wire it into the control system?

Keep up the great work.

RMW

Good idea, Richard. I'll add that to my list of blog topics.

David

I have a Tormach rotary indexer, would this require a separate breakout board or is it even possible to integrate? I assume you are working with the Shopbot, which seems quite nice...

Hi romeug,

PM me the specs or web link to the indexer you have. I'll see what I can find out about using it with Handibot.

David

David @ Shopbot Tools Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good idea, Richard. I'll add that to my list of
> blog topics.
>
> David

David, short of doing a full tutorial on this topic, is there any info available on how to wire up a Z-zero plate? I have not spent a ton of time with my Handibot but that should be changing soon and this is probably the #1 mod I want to make.

Thanks,

RMW

[www.tormach.com]

Hi David, I would appreciate the research. It also comes in an 8" drive, but should be similarly specced. The Z axis on the Handibot seems to have the span suitable for either...thanks, gabriel

Hi Richard,

See attached doc for adding a Z zero plate.

David

Thanks David!

RMW

Wanted to report back that I finished my Z-Zero plate, very simple with David's directions and low cost. Only modification I made was to wire up everything using banana jacks/plus so I could remove it when not in use. This is an awesome mod for the HB.

G+ post w/ photos is here.

Thanks again to David for providing the directions.

RMW

Oh, that is quite nice! I take it the rotary indexer will be a future Handibot product?

Ted

Hi Ted,

Yes, the rotary indexer will be a Handibot product in the not-too-distant future.

David

David:
Now that the indexer is closer to release we'd appreciate some more info:

Anticipated price?

Will it include all software needed?

What will be the software?

Any more material limitations over the bare Handibot?

Thanx

M

Yes, please give us an update on the indexer. I read there is a roadmap somewhere, could someone link to that for me?

Hi Mark,

The rotary indexer kit will sell for around $1500, which includes the additional driver required to control the indexer motor. Additional software is not included; the indexer can be run with toolpaths generated by Cut3D, which is bundled with Handibots since the Kickstarter campaign. In a future blog post I'll show how Cut3D can be used to create rotary indexed toolpaths. For those interested in simultaneous rotary toolpaths, we recommend DeskProto (the software used in my original blog post). Hobbyists can purchase Deskproto for around $300, and commercial license are $1000. What limitations are you wondering about, size of material? Something else?

David

David,
thanx for the above, can you tell us what cut3d will cost for the kickstarters that don't have It?

Also, what is the the hardist matrial you have tried? Aluminum? Baltic Birch?

Hi Mark,

Kickstarter backers get a $50 discount, bringing Cut3D to $249. Cut3D allows you to toolpath 3D parts single or multi-sided, so it is nice to have.

The hardest material I have tried personally is poplar. Others have had success with acrylic and even aluminum with the right toolpath parameters.

I have not done aluminum with the handibot, but had done extensive work on a bridgeport 3 axis machine carving aluminum. I see no reason, with my experience on the handibot that it would not do a fine job with it. the issues that should be accounted for is galling in the cutter, something that would not happen with wood. feed speeds should be high so the chips don't get hot, 2 flutes rather then 4, and a consciousness of the cutter speed in relation to the speed- generally pretty high. a cooling system would be an asset, air cooling is probably the best bet.
the nicest thing is that the cutters stay sharp way longer then many woods, as they do not deal with the silica permeating wood.

Any update on this rotatory indexer?
When will it be available for purchase?

Yes, please, looking for the latest estimate on when the rotary indexer will be in the store.

Thanks!

Would love to know when indexer will be out. But also would love to know if you will release BOM so people can build themselves.

Also is there any mac software for rotary toolpaths like Cut3D

Hello All -- We were feeling like it would be good to get a progress report out, and we plan to do it regularly, now. So, have a look at the new Development Tearm Blog in the LABS section so see what we've been doing and our current thoughts on timing for various projects.

You'll note that we are determined to have that rotary 4th axis accessory out by next month. We'll be making files and BOM's available for everything. I should note though that in the case of this tool, the hardware for the motorized turning is the same as for our Desktop tool and that there are some cast/machined parts. It would probably be relatively easy to come up with something of your own for this, and just put it inside the mounting housing -- so we'll make a point of going through the details of how to hook up and configure additional motor drives.

We are also very excited by something we're calling the "manual" rotary 4th axis (hopefully out a month later). The idea is that a lot of really great stuff can be done in the round by essentially carving around an object at specified angles. The manual rotary 4th axis will allow you to do this in a very affordable manner ... and we're expecting that it will be possible to fabricate the entire setup using your Handibot. (We will try and get some pix up in the LAB area.)

Hi Boris -- On the mac CAM software issue ... I don't know, there may be something ... I do know there are others that would be interested. I understand that Autodesk is planning to add rotary CAM to their Fusion 360 platform which you should be able to use. Fusion 360 looks like it has lots of potential, though the workflow is a bit of a challenge for me at the moment.

The idea of the manual 4th axis noted above is that you essentially machine in 3 axes from multiple angles (think of it as 3+1; Cut3D implements this at 90 degree increments). In a similar fashion, you may be able to kludge shapes using 3-axis mac/cloud software (?). There may be someone here who has tried it?

Meanwhile, of course, when we get to the new FabMo system for controlling Handibots, you will be able to run the tool from your mac or phone.

Ted Hall, ShopBot Tools

Ted,
thanx for the update!

I am super excited that you are working on a manual 4th axis. I don't know if my suggestions lead to this or you guys came up with this independently, but either way it is exciting.

I'm extremely pleased to announce that we're finally ready to put this product up for sale! It's changed quite a bit from what was shown at Maker Faire last year but I think that we've made it even more versatile and robust than before. I've made a video of a demo project that I did with the tool and have a small write-up on the blog: [handibot.com]

Please get in touch if you've got any questions about the new accessories; they went live in the store around lunchtime.

David @ Shopbot Tools Wrote:
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> Hi Richard,
>
> See attached doc for adding a Z zero plate.
>
> David

Way old post, but forum fun strikes again, is this file available anywhere else? I can download it but it's not readable for me.

[www.dropbox.com]


Holy moly I had to do some searching to find that. I hope Bryan appreciates it and throws some beta work my way some time. wink wink.

Anyway, yes, if you are holding a kickstarter/1.x this is the most valuable mod you can do to it.

Awesome Mark - thank you! I saw this a while back but of course had the "I'll do it later" thought...