Hi from Guildford

[tribbles]

Okay, wasn't too different.

The first one is a picture of the overall machine - the top frame was made out of 25x50mm box section (too small ["It'll be strong enough", I was told]), and the legs and table top from 50x50mm box section.

The second picture is of the X-axis carriage. It used the frame itself as the track, and spherical rod-ends that could be adjusted to clamp bearings in place, and allow any potential twist in the X-frame to be ironed out.

The third picture is a model that I cut out of insulation foam (extruded polystyrene) of the car that I'm designing using the machine. Unfortunately, I leant on the table causing it to flex, so there's a few contours that are a little out as a result. Unfortunately, I didn't realise I'd had that effect until I'd done it a few times, and even after then, I kept forgetting :)

The windscreen's been sanded a bit, but the rest of the body is as expected.

One thing I didn't mention was that I also built a simulator for the machine - it allowed me to develop the STL format file (Stereo Lithography - that my modeling program can export) to my own custom format for the controller I built at home. It simulated the whole machine, and allowed me to check for tool interference without:

1. Cutting any foam
2. Driving 70 miles to try it

The output of the simulator is identical to what was produced (ignoring the leaning on the table bits).

By the way, I'd really like to thank Gary from Zapp Automation for his help so far! Top notch.