Panel Claw
adadyl602
Entry ID #: 5841
Created: Thu, Jan 10, 2019 11:40 AM
I decided to build this custom vex claw in order to more easily allow robots to grab the panels associated with the Vex: Turning Point competition. The combined usage of two or more claws would allow the user to generate a simple lightweight claw to lift and flip panels while allowing space for a ball launcher and collection device. My device has been designed to function in place of the standard green Vex claws and through the use of four simultaneously. This design when used with two claw bases geared together would allow the user to grab the panel securely on top and bottom and either flip, lift, or move the panel to the desired location. In order to create the model I used the sketch function of inventor to draw sketches and extrude them out or delete material from the part. I started with a large initial sketch using measurements of the panel that I took using calipers and extruded it to create the basic flat geometry and then cut out a small part of the hitch to allow the Vex hitch arm to move freely along the part. I used Inventor professional 2018 to design my part. This project allowed me to gain some more practical experience taking measurements and designing and redesigning models to distinct tolerances. I have used CAD in multiple internships and at the business that I started recently where CAD is my main point of engineering expertise. I use CAD to develop anything and everything that is possible for me to complete using the materials I have. I design anything from custom parts to replacement parts and have done so for everything from fighter jets to tortilla machines. This software would be quite useful for robotics due to its universal nature and ability to create nearly anything the user pleases. I plan to continue my career of engineering through CAD and as such CAD will be an invaluable asset to my future career and I believe to engineering in general. For when anything can be designed nothing is out of reach.
