Summary

An automated machine that feeds long sticks of FBR, drills a center/stem hole, and cuts them to length for use in making silicone dome darts. See a video of the machine in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3loGuACvyXA and Orangeparkour's guide to making silicone dome darts here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpQ6IrBDdFE.

Instructions

These files are provided for educational purposes, not as an exhaustive guide to producing your own automatic blank cutter-driller machine. The assembly file given is the most accurate, current, and complete that I have, but is not entirely any of those things. If you are going to use these files to print, DO NOT blindly print the included .STL files, open the part you want to print from the .STP assembly, and generate the .stl from there. The .STLs are included to satisfy the Thingiverse automated process, which does not recognize .STP files as 3d models, despite being 1000x more useful than any of the files it DOES recognize.

The basic idea is to use 3d printer electronics and mostly 3d printed parts to make an automated manufacturing machine. The drive motors are all Nema 17 steppers, mechanical switches are used for the X in and out endstops, and the control board is a RAMBO : http://reprap.org/wiki/Rambo. Some firmware modifications were needed to allow it to run without looking for a hot end or heat bed temperature sensor, although those sensors could be implemented to do other things in a similar machine. I used pronterface to run the machine, and hand-written G-code to drive it.

The baseplate was CNC machined aluminum tooling plate, and the (somewhat optional) guard assembly was made with 30x30 aluminum extrusions, Bosch if I remember correctly. The guard plates are transparent Polycarbonate plastic plates.

This thing is marked as a "work in progress" because I expect to track down and upload more relevant files as I find them / as they are requested. However, I no longer have physical possession of the machine and will not be changing it's design.

Kane's Blank Cutter-Driller Machine