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  • Author Author: tariq.ahmad
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DIY Arduino Automated Metal Bending Machine -- Episode 458

 

Clem likes working with metal, but it takes longer to set up the bender and clamp the workpiece than actually doing productive work with it. And it is usually much bigger than it needs to be! Just having it automatically clamp the workpiece would make things a lot faster! So Clem builds a semi-automatic machine that knows when it has correctly clamped the workpiece! He uses a Trinamic TMC2130 stepper driver and an Arduino Nano and explains sensorless homing on the way!

 

Gearbox mentioned in the episode

Bill of Material:

Product Name Manufacturer Quantity Buy Kit
Arduino Nano ARDUINO 1 Buy Now
TRINAMIC Evaluation Board, TMC2130 Bipolar Stepper Motor Driver Board, StealthChop, SPI TRINAMIC 2 Buy Now
NANOTEC Stepper Motor, High Torque, DC, 0.28 N-m, 1.8 A, Two Phase, 1.1 ohm, 1.85 mH Nanotec 2 Buy Now
XP POWER AC/DC Power Supply, ITE, 2 Output, 42 W, 5 V, 5 A, 12 V XP-Power 1 Buy Now
DELTRON COMPONENTS DIN Audio / Video Connector, Screened, 180°, 5 Contacts, Jack, Panel Mount, Solder DELTRON 1 Buy Now
ITW SWITCHES Pushbutton Switch, Industrial, 59 Series, 13.6 mm, SPST-NO-DB, Momentary, Round ITW 1 Buy Now
ITW SWITCHES Pushbutton Switch, Industrial, 59 Series, 13.6 mm, SPST-NO-DB, Momentary, Round ITW 1 Buy Now
DURATOOL Studding, Threaded, Stainless Steel, M10, 1mm Pitch, 1m Length Duratool 1 Buy Now
K&S BRASS STRIP, 0.032" X 1/2" X 12" K&S 1 Buy Now
RUBYCON Electrolytic Capacitor, Miniature, 100 µF, 100 V, YXF Series, ± 20%, Radial Leaded, 12.5 mm Rubycon 2 Buy Now
TR FASTENINGS Flange Nut, Serrated, M10, Steel, Bright Zinc Plating, 50 Pack TR Fastenings 4 Buy Now
Attachments:
MetalBender_Resources.zip
element14 presents
DIY Arduino Automated Metal Bending Machine

element14 Presents  |  About Clem  |  Project Videos

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  • in reply to celcius1

    good points, While that is a good idea I must admit that my main reason to try using the loadmeasuring capabilities of the tmc driver was to learn how to use them.

    So for sure there are better ways to get to a resistive load measuring, but also the simplicity in parts needs to be considered, and I thought its quite elegant to not have to carry a sensor on the gantry, as the point of measurment varies with different amterials, some of them to tiny to engage with a side or front mounted sensor.

  • in reply to mayermakes

    I must admit using the Trinamic drivers for load sensing is a good idea but if your needing to use a gearbox to increase the holding torque of the motors you are better off implementing a load cell instead of end stops or load sensing, as the main need is holding torque when bending metal, and a load cell will provide more positive accurate feedback of the holding torque.

  • in reply to roosnamla

    I chose what would fit the parts I already had.

    Of course different thread angles have a big influence ö. Torque speed and so on, the more turns per mm movement the bigger force you can apply, it calculated similar to gearing. But also friction increases. For the kind of applications ballscrews would be a better but more expensive choice.

  • Did you choose the threaded rods based on what was available or did your have to calculate torques and forces?


    Also, do you think thread angle and the number of threads on the rods can affect the force output?

  • in reply to celcius1

    thanks, Paul, If I had the means ,time and budget of course I'd like to have it machined in metal, but I also need t ofocus on the electronics aspect as that is the heart of the show.
    Mybe I build a beefy version if I get my hands o nthe needed tools budget and time for it.

    thanks for sharign the design. Backlash is a major issue for load sensing as it introduces a big error, I played around with even more gearing but the version shown in the video was the only one that still reliably triggers correctly, but is still a lot more lickely to false trigger compared to direct drive.

  • I quite liked this project of yours, quite a nice idea, but if I built it, I would make it larger and have a lot of the 3d parts replaced with CNC aluminium or steel parts as it would be of more use to me as a proper metal bender with steel or aluminium bending teeth.

     

    In regards to the gearbox you choose to base yours on, here is a compact gearbox that I designed that takes up about the same amount of room, but has twice the output torque https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:4431811 only downside is the backlash on the gearbox does introduce a bit of error, I have not bothered to fix the backlash error as I only use the gearbox in one direction but more than happy to share the fusion 360 file with you privately, as I have a policy of not publishing my 3d design source file until it has been on thingiverse for 12 months.