Improved Weapon design

Today, I spent some time brushing up on the most important part of the bot, the weapon system. I added two spacers that would spread the two disks out wider. I also added spacers for the bearings to clamp onto the weapon mount - that way, the weapon won't slide around too much.

Improved Printability

I want to reduce or completely eliminate the use of supports in the process of printing my model, but I had some impossible circular overhangs. I used a common strategy of using rectangular overhangs (that are doable), and them printing the circular geometry on top of that. with my specific part, that technique needs to be applied twice. This technique was found in a Youtube video tutorial, so I had fun learning new things!

Added Mounting for TPU Side Armor

Today, I spent a crap ton of time to tidy things up and add mounting holes for the TPU side armor. It uses various methods like standoffs, as well as a dovetail joint. I think the robot is ready to ship!!!

Added Side Armor for Old Design

I just realized that if I take my time and remodel the entire thing from scratch, it'll take another 2 and a half years for me to finish this one project. So, I am now editing my old model (don't worry, I'll add the optimizations) and inserting key components.

Locking in on OPTIMIZATION and improving the combat robot

So this log will include some tips for building combat robots as well :)
Today, I worked on the new version of Dr. Piggy. Although, Dr. Piggy is partaking in a complete redesign, I am NOT going to be simply remodeling the exact same geometry from before. I will make improvements and modifications. Today, I primarily worked on the drivetrain. Instead of having the brushless motor to be hard-mounted with the side panels (directly screwed in). If the robot gets hit, the motor may suffer intense damage. I have designed a "brick"-looking object so that the motor will now be soft mounted (clamped down). I don't think it'll make too much of a difference in terms of durability since I'm running a tangental drive setup (not direct drive), but this enables me to secure the motor better, as well as reducing the "width" of the drivetrain (drive motors are now recessed in the wall)
I also modelled in the fasteners, which I have a terrible habit of not modeling in :)

One Step Backward, 10 Steps Forward

As the title suggests, I am currently "redesigning" the model from scratch to improve the modelling process (I know, sounds unintuitive).
New things: (you can look at a couple journals back to compare)

• Back armor, will be made out of TPU
• Side armor, will be made out of TPU The armor will give the combat robot a "bulkier" appearance, and it will enable shock absorption (preventing severe damage on the robot's wheels) CAD approach: You can see that I'm using more components that are externally referenced. That means, not all geometry was created internally in the "Assembly" file. This will enhance organization and improve the timeline editing experience.

Redesigning is not fun :(

Just some work on remodelling the robot using better CAD practices (so I'm essentially starting from scratch, but with a reference)
THIS IS WHY WE USE GOOD CAD PRACTICES WHEN WE MODEL FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!
But I guess the robot is taking shape a lot faster
And of course I'll implement my new design features (which is why I started the redesign in the first place; I couldn't edit the original file without breaking it) like more armor and a stronger drive train.
Wish me luck!

Scrapped CAD (a good thing, though)

If you read my previous journals, you can see that I've create quite a large CAD file with my combat robot. Now that I'm trying to go back and edit things, I've realized that I had used terrible CAD practices, making it hard to edit.
So in this brief work-session, I created a new document and set up the framework for a more organized and intuitive CAD file.
I've also added parameters:

I believe the remodelling of the robot will be quick, since I already have reference geometry to go off of.

Brainstorming session, novel ideas

The goal of my 3lb combat robot is to create a novelty in the sport of combat robotics. That’s why I’m only using off-the-shelf drone parts and making at almost fully 3D printed (the weapon will be metal of course)
My current design is inspired off of the “meta”. Think Lynx, the beater bar kit, eruption, etc.
I hope to incorporate bold TPU side panels (and due to the flexibility of 3d printing, pun intended, I’ll make them bulging out, like a pig 🐷)
This can also help secure (so they don’t fall out) and protect my wheels.
And of course, the material selection will be smart: PCTG for structural components and TPU for the armor. I wouldn’t want the robot to fold in on itself during a fight ;)

Internal Modelling

On this session, I worked more on polishing the robot. I have made a pretty significant decision to split the robot's general chassis into two parts. This way, I can have shorter 3D print times, meaning s smaller chance of print failure. To execute this, I added mounting points and connections. I also created a "fan-duct" channel. The goal is to mount a fan on the weapon motor, and while it spins the drisk weapon, the fan is also spun. The fan's air will be directed into the electronics, cooling it down.
And a quick sidenote: This project is in the middle of designing phase, and I do have a journal of past progress (I just read the FAQ on the "recently-just-begun" projects)
Combat Robot Build Log.pdf

3D Modelling of Combat Robot

As you can see, I am closing in on 200 versions! That means, I edited, improved, and saved that exact file 200 times! This project has been ongoing for almost a year now! However, the log begins here: This is a rundown of what I had accomplished over the past year:

3lb combat robot
primarily 3D printed
using off-the-shelf drone components (motors, escs, etc.)
Drisk weapon, TPU hub w/ metal standoffs (m5)
Tangental drive w/ belt tensioners
3D printed TPU belts, belt tensioners (m5 leadscrew) necessary
majority of fasteners: m3 nuts and screws
modular wedge/fork mounting setup
swag can be engraved onto body
Ideas I'll probably do:

A fan on the motor that has a duct directed at the electronics
Here is what I accomplished today:

I started out with creating the parameters for the m3 hardware (nuts and screws). That way, I can adjust clearance for every instance of m3 hardware all at once, instead of manually changing, one-by-one. Then, I did a bit of "housekeeping", brushing up on some geometry:

I added spacers between my drisk weapon disks to increase space for the weapon belt tensioner
Increased strength (width) of weapon belt tensioner
I fixed the geometry for the drive belts (from 8mm wide to 6mm wide, reduced interference with the wheels)
I think I might need to rework the drivetrain - the bearing setup seems a bit unreliable. However, this may be difficult since I am using a tangental drive setup.
Fixed drivetrain compliant TPU wheel geometry
Split main body into two: I will need to create a connection system (future to-do)