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Super Glue Gun 09: How to Make a Stand -- Episode 318

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element14's The Ben Heck Show

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Super Glue Gun
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Previously, the team worked on all the individual parts and mechanisms within the super glue gun including the trigger, the circuitry, the hot end, the auto stand, and the extruder motor.  Now it’s time to bring things together to make a cohesive prototype.  They’ll also work on case design and how it works with the autostand.

 

 

Ben’s been drawing sketches for the case design to figure out placement of the innards. The bottom half will contain the electronics and the top half will bolt onto that and contain the motor, the hot end, and the auto retracting servo. He does a quick mockup with clay to get an idea of the concept in hand.  This will help him visualize how the stand will fit in with the enclosure.

Ben and Karen have a brainstorming session so they can take an in-depth look at the stand. They received some feedback in a previous episode about how the stand could get in the way, become a false trigger, and other problems.  For the stand to work it would have to be used to place the glue gun on a flat surface.  For that to happen they need a workable extension retraction but because it would extend past the gun barrel there is some concern that it will get gummed up.  To address these concerns, Ben returns to his sketchpad to try and come up with a new design.

Next, Ben begins working on a new 3D model in Autodesk Fusion 360. Karen and Ben both agree that it would be beneficial if the gun was longer. This also means that he’ll also need to make some adjustments to the code to accommodate the temperature difference in the hot end.  While their original goal was to come up with a mechanism to operate their auto stand, in doing so they come to the realization that they’ll need to redesign almost the entire top portion of the gun, rotating the motor 90 degrees, and adjusting the positioning (possibly swapping out for a bigger one) of the heating elements.

 

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  • in reply to makerkaren

    Could you fabricate your own into the frame of the gun? Something like this https://www.adafruit.com/product/2776 might work, to extend the reach you could connect the stand via a lever provided it had enough power.

  • hi

    Really love the glue gun project, was thinking maybe a small linear actuator / stepper motor ball screw like in floppy drives might be a good solution to drive a stand in a straight motion out of the front of the gun?

     

    Apologies if this has already been suggested or tested but just wanted to feel involved haha.

     

    Looking forward to the next update......

     

    Olly

  • I'm definitely in the camp of cordless without the retractable stand.  My wife has a cordless glue gun and it is awesome for decorating the poster boarded halls at my sons school.

     

    She'd rather it be rechargeable with a magnetic snap belt holster on her hip to be considered  "Super".  (If the holster would need a drip cup.)

     

    Corded would not be "Super" for her on a ladder 10 feet in the air in the gym.  That's why we bought a cordless in the first place.

     

    For her cordless gun she has now, she has to remove the AA rechargeable batteries and recharge them.  Perhaps you could consider making a dockable charging station to drop it in with an internal LiPo battery - versus it be corded with a stand.

     

    See ya',

    -Sean

  • in reply to makerkaren

    Hi Karen,

     

    Why not use a splay type tripod approach for the glue gun stand?

    Have the front stand angle out away from the barrel when deployed to give you three good points of contact rather than the flimsy two point approach.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to makerkaren

    From watching my wife use her gun, having a stand to place it in helps keep the work area neat.

     

    Since you already have a cord limit issue anyway, having a place to put the gun down that keeps the hot tip away form anything would be better.

     

    As you have already pointed out, the attempt to free stand the gun makes it easy to tip over unless you are going to add a wider base for stability.

     

     

     

    DAB

  • in reply to DAB

    Thanks for the input!

     

    1. Ben would definitely like to add this as a feature. We're waiting to see if we have enough I/O for it.

     

    2. Ben wants the user to be able to set the gun down anywhere rather having to return it to an external stand like a soldering iron. He's pretty set on that point. I suppose the user could wear the holster, but that seems hazardous from a burn potential standpoint as well as a cord management standpoint. If we made a silicone wearable holster and made it cordless, now that could potentially work, but I think Ben has a Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor attitude of "needs more power" thus batteries would not suffice.

  • Great episode.

     

    I had two thoughts.

    First, given the issues that Ben had getting the glue to flow, how about an LED to indicate when the nozzle is at operating temperature.

     

    Second, instead of a free standing gun, why not go with a 3D printed holster stand with a glue drip tray so the user could pick it up and put it down easily.  That solution cuts your weight and clunking looking issues and make storage easier for the whole gun.

     

    Just a thought.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to gavmo

    An interesting idea. I'll have to run the cordless idea past Ben. We've already discussed the stand solution being making the base wider thus more stable. And he's very aware of how the cord causes stability issues. Good thinking!

  • in reply to makerkaren

    I was thinking mechanical, however in thinking about it again I'm not sure a stand is the right way to go at all. Glue guns sit tilted forward so any remaining glue runs straight out the nozzle, not back into or onto the gun. You have already solved the excess glue problem with the retracting glue-stick so is there any need for it so sit titled that way? I find the main reason glue guns don't sit very well on the fold out stand are because of the cable. If you made it cordless it could sit on the handle like a cordless drill. The weight of the battery would be more that the motor so it would wouldn't tip to the side and would be much easier and convenient to use.

  • in reply to gavmo

    Would it still be automatic? Ben is set on having it activated by a trigger being electrical not simply mechanical.