Flux [featherweight]

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

Cheers guys, I hope it does the beetleweight justice, I'm pretty happy with how that one's running.

Looking forward to seeing your axed machine as well Dave, the most recent pictures look awesome (and are making me reconsider the top armour..).

For the tracks Jamie, eBay'ing 'Tonka Bulldozers' (and making sure you get the big 'Mighty' models made around 30-40 years ago) is your best bet (and the only source for the ones I've got so far). Of course watch out for the quality, it's a safe bet the ones which are rusting on the body have been in a climate for rubber degradation too.

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

Have just spent £35 on drill bits for two holes (14mm). Damn you Hardox

[maddox10]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

I learned the hard way that cobalt-enriched HSS ain't the way to drill hardox. The cutting edge chips. TiN coated stuff ain't up to snuff either.

Plain HSS, loads of cutting oil and the slowest speed possible, easy does it. If I have the option, I drill it with my mill, 60 rpm is plenty slow.
Otherwise, heating the drilling spot cherry red, and drill it when cooled seems to help, sometimes. It ruins the strenght localy tough.

Oh, and a Drilldoctor is convenient to resharpen the drillbits.

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

I can't even afford Cobalt at 14mm, it's a pretty non-standard size so I'm all HSS- the lowest speed of the pillar drill is 500rpm so I'll have to hope that that plus loads of spray coolant will do it! (almost through one hole with three bits, eight more coming..)

[maddox10]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

I fear you're going to use up some drillbits.

[PJ-27]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

Sounds like we had a similar day yesterday, I managed to ruin 5 bits, but I wasn't working on Hardox.....

[Mouldy]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

You using a pillar drill or hand drill? A good amount of pressure helps...

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

the lowest speed of the pillar drill is 500rpm

Oh well, laser/water-jetting next time for sure!

[maddox10]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

lasercutters don't like painted materials. Waterjet is more tolerant in that respect.

[grant_ploughbot]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

You just need to keep the drill bit sharp. We drill quite alot of hardox with standard HSS drill bits, usually going too fast (takes too long to keep slowing the pillar drill down).
Mouldy wastes the tips of a few drill bit's but not too many . Just re-sharpen and carry on.
Just dont let them rub , keep loads of pressure on.

[Mouldy]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

Maybe when you actually build a robot grant you'll get the opertunity to wear out a drill lol

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

It's been a pretty depressing day for the build, mostly because of a rookie welding error:



As you can probably make out the front and rear panels have turned into bananas, distorted from the welding heat. I should've braced them horizontally to prevent this but was too consumed with making the welds half decent (to notice the gradual bending).

Not wanting to rush it or run with a banana 'bot I'm going to have to pull out of the Yeovil event to give this the extra time it really needs, including getting all the panels laser cut to a somewhat more refined design.

At least all the rest of the build has come on well, including the weapon gearbox:



So it shouldn't be too long until it's finished...

[plargen]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

you can probably flatten them down with a hammer

[ewan]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

Not exactly, it's 4mm Hardox and the section is like this:



Which you mightn't have seen from the previous picture actually, was a bad angle

[plargen]

Re: Flux [featherweight]

owwwww...... yeah don't look that bad in pic ...... really big hammer lol