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Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials During the mechanical construction phase of building the robots in this book, a number of tools will be required. You will need a workbench or sturdy table in an area with good lighting. Try to keep your work area clean and free of clutter The first tool that will be used is the hacksaw the hacksaw is designed to cut metal and hard plastics. When using the hacks to make straight cuts, it is a good idea to use a miter box. Figure 1. 1 shows the hacksaw (labeled L)and the miter box (K) If you have a little extra money and think that you will be building a lot of robots, then you really need a band saw fitted with a metal cutting blade. The band saw shown in Figure 1.2 is 9 inches,mean- ing that the saw can cut pieces up to a maximum length of 9 inch- es. This is perfect for building smaller robots, like the ones detailed in this book. With the metal cutting band saw, pieces of aluminum can be cut fast and with greater accuracy than a hacksaw An important piece of equipment that will be needed in your work- shop is a vise, like the one shown in Figure 1.3. The vise will be needed quite often when cutting, drilling, and bending aluminum Always clamp metal pieces tightly in the vise when working on Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
1 During the mechanical construction phase of building the robots in this book, a number of tools will be required. You will need a workbench or sturdy table in an area with good lighting. Try to keep your work area clean and free of clutter. The first tool that will be used is the hacksaw. The hacksaw is designed to cut metal and hard plastics. When using the hacksaw to make straight cuts, it is a good idea to use a miter box. Figure 1.1 shows the hacksaw (labeled L) and the miter box (K). If you have a little extra money and think that you will be building a lot of robots, then you really need a band saw fitted with a metal cutting blade. The band saw shown in Figure 1.2 is 9 inches, meaning that the saw can cut pieces up to a maximum length of 9 inches. This is perfect for building smaller robots, like the ones detailed in this book. With the metal cutting band saw, pieces of aluminum can be cut fast and with greater accuracy than a hacksaw. An important piece of equipment that will be needed in your workshop is a vise, like the one shown in Figure 1.3. The vise will be needed quite often when cutting, drilling, and bending aluminum. Always clamp metal pieces tightly in the vise when working on Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials 1 Amphibionics 01 3/24/03 8:01 AM Page 1 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Click Here for Terms of Use
Amphibionics FIGURE 1.1 Hacksaw and miter box K FIGURE 1.2 Band saw fitted with a metal cutting blade
Amphibionics 2 FIGURE 1.1 Hacksaw and miter box. FIGURE 1.2 Band saw fitted with a metal cutting blade. Amphibionics 01 3/24/03 8:01 AM Page 2
Chapter 1/ Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials FIGURE 1.3 Work bench vise them with other tools. It is dangerous to try drilling metal pieces that are not clamped in a vise You will need an electric drill during the mechanical construction phase of building the robots and the fabrication of the printed cir cuit boards. You will be required to drill approximately 1 50 holes during the process of creating each robot in the book. An electric hand drill, like the one shown in Figure 1. 4, can be used If you plan to build robots as a hobby, then a small drill press, like the one shown in Figure 1.5, would be a great idea. using a drill press is highly recommended when drilling holes in printed circuit boards, where accuracy and straightness are important. These small drill presses dont cost much more than a good electric hand drill. I added an adjustable X-Y vise to the drill press in my work
them with other tools. It is dangerous to try drilling metal pieces that are not clamped in a vise. You will need an electric drill during the mechanical construction phase of building the robots and the fabrication of the printed circuit boards. You will be required to drill approximately 150 holes during the process of creating each robot in the book. An electric hand drill, like the one shown in Figure 1.4, can be used. If you plan to build robots as a hobby, then a small drill press, like the one shown in Figure 1.5, would be a great idea. Using a drill press is highly recommended when drilling holes in printed circuit boards, where accuracy and straightness are important. These small drill presses don’t cost much more than a good electric hand drill. I added an adjustable X-Y vise to the drill press in my workChapter 1 / Tools, Test Equipment, and Materials 3 FIGURE 1.3 Work bench vise. Amphibionics 01 3/24/03 8:01 AM Page 3
Amphibionics FIGURE 1. 4 Hand held electric drill LD500 FIGURE 1. 5 press with an x-Y adjustable vise
Amphibionics 4 FIGURE 1.4 Hand held electric drill. FIGURE 1.5 A small electric drill press with an X-Y adjustable vise. Amphibionics 01 3/24/03 8:01 AM Page 4