Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!o.gp.cs.cmu.edu!netnews.srv.cs.cmu.edu!nivek From: nivek@scythe.frc.ri.cmu.edu (Kevin Dowling) Newsgroups: comp.robotics Subject: Re: Gantry robot Message-ID: Date: 19 Oct 90 23:36:54 GMT Sender: netnews@cs.cmu.edu (USENET News Group Software) Reply-To: nivek@cs.cmu.edu (Kevin Dowling) Distribution: comp.robotics Organization: Field Robotics Center, CMU Lines: 35 There exist CMM machines on a smaller scale - these are 3-D digitizers capable of 1/10 mil accuracies. Large room size gantry robots have also been built. Sandia Labs has one. There isn't any reason an exising crane rail system couldn't be used. There are many large metal-working machines that have the kinds of distances and sizes you need. Large horizontal boring machines, planers etc are found in many older factories and could be retrofitted for your use. Chopping guns don't sound very accurate! A friend of mine is rebuilding a large planar to hold multiple bridgeport heads and adding DRO's for positioning - This will allow him to face and mill very large metal pieces very accurately. The design and construction of this is a fraction of the cost of a new machine capable of handling these large pieces too. There are large X-Y platforms built for all kinds of things. I've seen one used as a large router for stress-skin house panels that works very well. (I thinkit was featured on This Old House or something) Making your 'urethane/metalic matrix bonded to stainless' sounds pretty tricky - stainless is not easy to machine and is pretty costly. Machine ways are usually cast and then milled - light lubrication and they'll last for many decades with high accuracy. Welding stainless is even worse. nivek Kevin Dowling Robotics Institute Carnegie Mellon University Pittsburgh, PA 15213 x(412) 268-8830