#video somewhat poorly explained on #3D-printing #kinematic-coupling #mechanisms for #precision #optics. He shows his optical kinematic mount for a long time without showing what he’s going to use it for, instead trying to explain it in words. He has a green diode laser module mounted in a 3-D printed thingy which is pushed apart with screws (with ground and buffed ends rather than ball bearings as you’d expect) running through soldering-iron-staked brass inserts, pushing on flat stainless steel plates, pulled together with tension springs pulling on bits of welding rod, and pivoting on a 7mm stainless steel ball bearing; all the metal parts are inserted into the plastic framework. I think the idea is that you slide this thing around on a surface and the angle of the laser changes to show you the angle of the surface. The laser module is clamped into the thing with an M4 screw tightening a sort of plastic shaft-collar arrangement around it, and a Powell lens (?) turns the laser beam into a line, which I guess lets you determine the surface’s angle in both dimensions at once? He thanks “Zachary from Breaking Taps” for tips. He’s planning to focus the laser through a spatial filter with a microscope lens to clean up the dirty “cat’s-eye” beam. He’s going to put ball bearings in the base of the mount too, to hold it up (bizarrely, four of them instead of three!), and there’s a screw in the middle to hold it down to a screw hole on the optical breadboard. He's planning to replace the plastic with aluminum or stainless steel. In the comments, @bansci recommends using #OpenFlexure designs and captive nuts rather than heat-staked inserts.
on 02024-09-15#video on the Maxwell criterion for #precision #kinematic-coupling explaining how you want potential movement to be nearly perpendicular to the bearing planes
on 02024-09-15#video testing #kinematic-coupling with a laser pointer, except they don’t actually test it. #precision #mechanisms
on 02024-09-10#video #toread on #kinematic-coupling mount for a mirror. #precision #mechanisms
on 02024-09-10#video on #manufacturing #kinematic-coupling for air bearings for #precision #mechanisms. #Cylo ground a three-planed vee out of W-1 tool steel to place a bearing ball in, with slots in the sides for access, then hardened and polished it. I wonder why he didn’t just use three bearing balls? He states (incorrectly, I think) that the small contact surface area between the ball and the planes produces lower static friction.
on 02024-09-10#video on #manufacturing #kinematic-coupling #precision #mechanisms with #3D-printing by #Sonya-Vasquez. Using pairs of round metal dowels and threaded balls.
on 02024-09-10