3D Printing Tank Wars at CalTech

Yearly, the Mechanical Engineering college students on the California Institute of Expertise in Pasadena are challenged to design, construct, and function a fleet of three robotic tanks that may efficiently navigate, management, and defend strategic base positions on a grass course. This yr marked the thirty third Annual Engineering Design Competitors. There have been six groups of 4, and virtually half of the members have been ladies.

Mara was fortunate sufficient to run into The Riveters – an all-female group of engineers sporting iconic Rosie the Riveter ribbons. The tanks they entered into the competitors have been two-thirds 3D printed masterpieces. The tanks have been all 3D printed in numerous colours to match an iconic feminine trio – The Powder Puff Ladies!

They used 3D printing primarily for components that weren’t load-bearing and that may be laborious to machine, just like the motor mounts.  In addition they saved backup prints useful for on-site repairs in case of collisions on the course. They took full benefit of 3D printing for prototyping and testing their designs as they moved by means of a number of iterations as effectively.

College students fabricated their tanks utilizing the MAKEiT 3D printers within the Caltech machine store, or the Craftbots within the 3D printing lab, which can be used for private initiatives.

Right here is how the competitors labored: The robots moved out autonomously throughout the first 40 seconds of the competitors. Then the rivals have been in a position to remotely management the robots to maneuver the next goals; traverse and stability on a 10-foot seesaw, climb an elevated four-foot platform and push to activate a big button to seize a strategic place. Whereas direct ramming assaults have been in opposition to the principles, you can shoot Nerf balls at different robots, and in the event you scored direct hits thrice, the embattled robotic had to return to the beginning.  

Most groups operated two tanks at a time, so if one took a spill, they may swap it out for one more one of their fleet.

The competitors featured robots with tank-treads or wheels for mobility, big shovels or scoops to launch Nerf balls, and all of the robots have been constructed utterly from scratch – no manufactured components have been allowed (aside from wiring!).

The design of the robots usually takes about six months – and it provides the groups invaluable expertise in what they might come up in opposition to within the skilled engineering world. The iterative means of design, fabricate, take a look at, redesign, fabricate and retest simulates typical business cycles. So despite the fact that the tip result’s enjoyable and thrilling, the expertise shifting into the ‘real-world’ is invaluable.

The Riveters have been the undefeated champions of this competitors, because of technique, engineering, preparation, design, and creativity. They have been cautious to not over-design, and actually, scrapped their first design utterly.  They designed their tanks to be dependable, and to face up to the obstacles on the course and completed two weeks early, so that they had loads of time to apply – and get a very good night time’s sleep the night time earlier than. 

Congratulations to The Riveters for a stellar efficiency – on Worldwide Girls’s Day, no much less!  Even the mini trophies have been 3D printed on a LulzBot Taz 6. The massive trophy is a portion of an precise metal gear which will probably be handed alongside to subsequent yr’s winners. 

For extra details about the groups click on the hyperlink under.

http://www.mce.caltech.edu/occasions/me72

Are you utilizing 3D printing for an superior faculty undertaking?  Please go away me a remark – I’d love to listen to about it. 

I’m Mara and this has been your MatterHackers Minute.  Go be superior!