Week of 9/22

This week I completed a lot of work on my Rover project. The first thing that I started off by working on was the differential. After 3d printing all of the different components I need, I quickly assembled it. Everything ended up fitting together perfectly and I was able to attach it to the main body of the rover. Once finishing this, I then moved on to fitting a bearing in place and then tapping the 3d printed arm of the differential as was able to attach it and the bearing ran smoothly.

The next plan of action was getting the other side the suspension completed. Firstly, I went and 3d printed the joints and brackets needed for the bearing to allow for free movement. While these pieces were printing, I moved on to laser cutting the long legs of the suspension. After letting all of the parts I needed finish printing, I moved on to assembling the other side of the rover. At first it was very easy with all of the pieces fitting snugly with one another. It was only when I had fully assembled it that I realized the problem: I was missing a bearing.

Differential

Differential

When I went to the supply closet I was unable to find the same type as I was using previously. Without this one final bearing I would b unable to finish my prototype. At first I went online, looking for cheap options to buy. However anything that I could order would take weeks to arrive. Right as I was going to give up and move on to another task, I had an idea. I found a bearing that had the same inner diameter as the original. This was important as many of my 3d prints would have to be adjusted in order to fit a knew bolt through. However because only the outer diameter was smaller, all I needed to do was a quick adjustment on cad and laser cut a new piece. After laser cutting I quickly assembled it and it turned out excellent. The only thing left to create for the prototype now is to finish design for the wheels.