Automatic Laser Bed Cleaner
An automatic high-cycle industrial system to remove laser cutting debris
Affiliation:
Alloy Enterprises Co-op
Role:
Time Range:
Sole Mechanical Design Engineer
2022
Skills:
Mechanical Design, CAD (Solidworks), Pneumatics, Industrial Automation, Additive Manufacturing, Machine Design, High-Cycle Design, Machining, Laser Cutting, Prototyping, Testing, Cam-follower Motion, Dynamic Systems
Background:
This was a project to create the enclosure for a novel industrial additive manufacturing machine that involved laser-cutting and stacking thin layers of carefully prepared aluminum sheets. The laser cutting portion of the system produced fine sintered aluminum debris and small offcuts that would stay on the laser bed after cutting. If left in place, this debris would impair the accuracy and precision of succeeding layers, so it is vital to include a system to remove this debris between layers. This was one of the last systems designed for the machine, so there were stringent volume and operating space constraints that added a fun challenge to the project. The system needed to tuck below the height of the cutting bed when not in use, so it needed to hop over the side of the cutting bed and run across the bed when cleaning.
Images:
My Contributions:
• Developed numerous concepts for possible actuation techniques and motion constraint options
• Downselected and designed an early prototype to test the viability of a cam-follower based system that would retract beside the bed and deploy when needed
• Tested numerous brushes and techniques to determine optimal cleaning procedure
• Learned about and integrated pneumatic actuation for autonamtic bed cleaner
• Built desktop pneumatic and sensorized prototype with computer-controlled valves and python code to perform cleaning cycle
• Designed and built finalized auto-brushing system for the industrial additive manufacturing machine
• Designed integrated suspension to keep constant pressure between the brush and cutting bed, even as both slowly wore down
• Spent hours operating the machine and tensile/shear testing samples to learn about the technique and prove that the cleaning method produced desireable results
• Built control cabinet with DIN rail power distribution to drive system. I also worked on several other control cabinets for other systems.
Outcomes:
This project has been deployed in the ongoing construction of alloy enterprises' first industrial manufacturing center. I have received feedback that their engineers and management has been happy with the performance of the laser bed cleaner.