Instructables Robot (Mechanically Articulated)

Instructables has been around for a while, but it's been missing something, namely a proper 3D model of the "Instructables Robot". However, I felt that a static model would not do the mascot justice, so I went and made this for Instructables' 20th anniversary. Enjoy! 😊

Features

- Center knob swings/rotates the arms/head simultaneously for intense partying

- Left knob opens spring-loaded cake drawer for sweet indulgence

- Right knob/button ejects rear service cover for doing ... epic maintenance?

- Magnetic accessories to boost the vibe 😎

This model was designed with printability, the average house supplies, and functionality in mind to facilitate the fabrication and assembly. All multicolor parts were made to be printable without a filament or tool changing system. The printing files and instructions are to be found in the last segment of this Instructable.

Made with Autodesk Fusion

Non-Printed Parts

1. 1x - Ballpoint pen spring

1. 4x - 10mm x 2mm neodymium disc magnets (optional)

Adhesive

1. Super glue. I used Gorilla Glue Super Glue for its impact resistance and higher viscosity.

1. A slower-setting adhesive for plastic parts

Tools

1. A pair of pliers could be useful

1. A Swiss army knife reamer or other tool for post-processing

1. A small knife to post-process the gear teeth

1. A ruler or calipers

Filament

1. Yellow filament & black filament for torso, arms, legs, head, etc. I used Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend, along with Prusament Jet Black PLA . Other kinds of PLA, as well as PETG, can be used. Make sure that the two filament materials are compatible for proper layer bonding! Silk PLA seemed to bond well to regular PLA in my case.

1. Black filament for the display stand. I used Prusament Jet Black PLA, but other colors and materials could be used here.

1. Dark grey filament for the function knobs. I used Prusa PLA Silver (the basic kind that got delivered along with Prusa MK3S+ printers. It seems that this filament may not be available for purchase). PETG would be better suited for these knobs, but I did not have this color in PETG.

1. Light grey filament for the wheels. I used Prusament Urban Grey PETG and would recommend using some kind of PETG, due to the mechanical loads, but PLA may suffice.

1. Red & black filament for the head/face details. I used 3D Jake Red ASA and Prusament Galaxy Black ASA, but would have used Prusament Lipstick Red with my Prusament Jet Black PLA, if I had had it. Again, make sure to use compatible materials for multicolor parts!

1. PETG filament for internal gearbox components. I used Prusament Urban Grey PETG. These parts are hidden, so the color is not important. A short segment of black PETG should be used for the antennae

Optional:

1. Colorful filaments for the cake and party hat. Make sure to use filaments that will bond to each other (i.e. PLA on PLA, PETG on PETG, etc.)

Make sure to go through these pictures to ensure that you have all of the printed parts you need. The festive decorations are optional.

First, test the fitment of all of the parts, and then glue them in place. A toothpick could help with spreading the glue into the groove for the unibrow.

Check fitment and glue in place. Rotating the eye slightly in place will help spread the glue.

Carefully apply the super glue to the groove for the grin. A toothpick can be used for this fine application and a piece of filament can be used to clean the excess from around the grin.

Use a piece of filament to check if the inner diameter of the earcups is large enough. If not, use a reamer or drill bit to slightly widen the hole until the filament snugly fits. Next, straighten out a segment of black PETG filament (PLA could work, but tends to be more brittle). Afterwards, measure and cut two 27.5mm (roughly 1 inch) pieces and check their fitment with the earcups and the head. Lastly, apply super glue to the head as seen in the picture and insert the antenna and earcup assembly. Repeat for the other side.

After printing, support material should be left in the drawer slot, which needs to be removed as seen in the pictures. Also make sure that the hole in the top of the torso is unimpeded by overhang extrusions.

Slip the drawer sleeve over the drawer and attempt to insert the assembly into the drawer slot. If the assembly does not fit, try using the reamer to remove material from the roof of the slot until it does. Once inserted, the drawer should easily slide back and forth. Do not glue the sleeve into place.

After checking that the drawer fits and slides freely, remove it (along with the sleeve) and glue the ballpoint-pen spring into the round recess in the rear of the drawer. If you have a different kind of spring that does not fit, consider modifying the STEP file for the drawer to accommodate it (attached in the print guide later in this Instructable).

If you wish for the stripe on the front face of the drawer to be black, consider painting or drawing in the recess before reinstalling it.

Once the glue has sufficiently cured, the drawer and drawer sleeve can be reinstalled (the sleeve can be glued in place, but I've found this to be unnecessary in my case).

With the drawer and drawer sleeve installed, the retaining latch can be mounted. Maneuver the latch into position (requires slight deformation) and push the knob onto it.

It's important that the latch properly engages with the drawer when the drawer gets pushed in. If not, examine the latch and the drawer to see if any imperfections/extra material are impeding operation. It is also important to make sure that the drawer sleeve is completely inserted. Turn the knob clockwise to disengage the latch and use your fingers to slide the drawer in and out.

If the knob does not snugly fit on the latch shaft, consider adding a small amount of glue to the inner faces of the square profile and reattaching it.

The gears must be rid of imperfections to decrease their friction with each other. Use a small blade to remove excess material on the teeth of all gears and to clean any first layer squishing (elephant foot) on the conical inner profile of the spur gears (the smaller gears).

Please do this on a steady, flat surface on which your hands and the part rest during cutting! Take care not to cut yourself!

Ensure that the gearbox housing is free of imperfections that may affect functionality and assemble it as seen in the pictures. The axle stabilizer (the square-shaped part) may take a little force to insert and serves the purpose of holding and aligning the axles, as well as retaining the gears. If the gears do not freely spin yet, repeat the previous step.

Once the gears freely spin (without the axles inserted), remove them and tentatively insert their respective axles partially into them to check fitment. If you cannot get them to fit, check that the square profiles of both parts are clean and remove material gradually until you get a snug fit. Make sure not to fully insert the axles yet.

Lastly, reinstall the gears into the housing, making sure that the square profiles are oriented as seen in the 6th and 7th picture. This indexes the gears so that the head and arms will be in their correct orientations! Then, partially insert the axles (so that they just barely interface with the square profiles) and check the resistance of the gearbox. It's important to reduce the friction to a point that you can easily drive all of the gears.

I did not use any grease for the gearbox, but this may help, if you are having persistent friction issues. See the end of this Instructable for instructions how to change the axle play in the STEP files.

Once you are happy with the gearbox friction, remove the axles and insert the gearbox into the torso.

Now, the axles can be reinserted, but still only partially, such that the square profiles barely interface with the gears (you really do not want to get any axles stuck at this point). Follow the order of installation in the pictures, making sure to install the ejector bar when inserting the left arm axle (never push an arm axle in without pushing in the other or somehow supporting the gearbox against the applied load. It's important not to break off the mounts holding the housing). Once the drawer is closed, the housing will be pushed backwards. This is a temporary issue that increases gearbox friction, but will be remedied as soon as the housing is glued in place (not yet!).

Maneuver the ejector bar into a horizontal position that aligns its square profile with the right knob hole. Then, insert the ejector button through the hole and into the ejector bar. If it is a loose fit, do not glue anything in place (yet).

The ejector button can be pushed to eject the maintenance cover/door.

With all of the axles inserted and interfacing with their respective gears, try to rotate the center knob. Maintaining a light pressure on the housing to keep it up against its mounting profiles in the torso can significantly reduce the resistance. If you can spin the knob as you would a top (the spinning toy), hooray! If you have to clamp the knob with your fingers to spin it, consider removing material on the axles, torso, gears, etc.

Prepare the parts for permanent installation, ensuring that the friction is low enough to permit actuation.

Make extra sure to index the bevel gear square profiles exactly as in the pictures!

The arm has to be glued to the arm axle, as these parts are too small for a strong friction fit. Test the fitment, add glue to the arm nub, and attach the axle, making sure to orient the axle to the arm as seen in the last picture.

Allow enough time for the glue to harden before mechanically loading this part!

Now that the gearbox has been prepared and is ready for permanent installation, open the drawer, add glue between the two mounting profiles in the torso, insert the gearbox, insert the drive shaft/center knob, insert the head post (oriented like in the picture), and install the ejector bar along with the arm axles (oriented like in the picture). The idea is that the axles will help index the gearbox properly while the glue hardens (simultaneously rotating them may help ensure functionality).You may achieve better results than I did, if you use a glue that does not immediately harden for this step (something like Gorilla Clear Epoxy).

Once the glue has hardened, make sure that the head post square profile and the arms are oriented like they are in the picture. If they are, feel free to fully insert them all (making sure to not apply leverage to the bottom of the gearbox housing).

P.S. - I ended up fully inserting the axles at a later point in time, as seen in the pictures.

Now, the head can be attached. If the fit is loose, add small amounts of glue to the inner faces of the square profile in the head and reattach. Ensure that there is a small gap between the torso and the head to avoid them scraping on each other.

Insert the wheels into the legs and attach the assemblies to the torso. Use glue for these connections at your own discretion.

The hands can be difficult to cleanly print, so use a reamer and/or post-processing tools to clean up the conical faces, until the hand seats into the wrists, as shown in the last picture.

Proceed to apply a generous amount of glue to the inside of the wrist and mount the hand. Repeat for the other side.

Insert the wheel pegs and the coffee machine peg into the display base with their chamfered edges facing upwards. Use glue at your own discretion.

Now the robot can be attached to the display stand. If the parts turned out correctly, the pegs should snugly mate with the holes in the bottom of the wheels, such that no glue is necessary. If this is not the case, consider modifying the step files for the pegs and reprinting them (included alongside the printing instructions later in this Instructable).

In case you wanted more black detailing on the model, I've found that a fine-tipped paintbrush and black acrylic paint do a great job of completing the look. Speaking of which, if you were feeling festive, chances are you made some snazzy accessories for the robot, so go ahead and attach those. :)

Some of the parts needed for this project may prove to be a challenge to print and observing the following should help minimize and/or eliminate issues.

1. Properly calibrate your first layer height. If this is not dialed in, you will likely have trouble printing small objects.
2. Use printing sheets suited for the materials you use. I used my smooth PEI sheet for the PLA and ASA and the textured steel sheet for the PETG.
3. Clean your printing sheets! I use 99.99% Isopropyl in conjunction with unused paper towels to clean all of my sheets and I have not had adhesion issues. If this does not work for you, glue sticks can get your parts to stick.
4. Keep your printing nozzle clean! I fold paper towel multiple times and use the stiff, folded corner to wipe it off.
5. Ensure that your printer and slicer support scarf seams and Arachne perimeter generation.

https://forum.prusa3d.com/forum/english-forum-original-prusa-i3-mk4-general-discussion-announcements-and releases/scarf-seams/

https://help.prusa3d.com/article/arachne-perimeter-generator_352769

Here are my printer specs for the sake of documentation and potential troubleshooting:

Model - Prusa MK3.5 with input shaping enabled and tuned

Kinematics - Bedslinger

Nozzle - 0.6mm Bondtech CHT BiMetal Nozzle (a standard 0.4mm nozzle should also work fine)

Damping - Foam-supported concrete paver as printer base

The following parts were designed to work with the provided settings, so skip reading this step if you intend to strictly follow the instructions. However, if you wish to modify the included STEP files (metric dimensions), keep the following in mind:

The dimensions of many components are governed by math such that the proportions of the visible components are correct. This math results in some unorthodox dimensions in the part's z direction (essentially the z direction of printer), which will be rounded up or down, depending on the layer height chosen. In the coming steps, the layer height is explicitly provided. Any changes made to the STEP files in the part's z direction or to the layer heights may result in small deviations that may or may not impede the functionality of the model.

Moreover, the interfaces between coaxial parts (axles, knobs, legs, etc.) have been designed for a simple friction-fit, which has consistently worked on my machine. If your parts fit loosely, but you do not want to use glue, consider modifying the provided STEP files.

Lastly, scaling this model up or down would likely affect the friction of rotating parts. Scaling down would likely lead to increased friction while scaling up would lead to increased play. If you want a larger or smaller version of this model, be prepared to spend a lot of time working on the part fitment in CAD.

There is a quick-start guide to using the Press Pull tool in Fusion at the end of this Instructable to help new users modify the play for axle and connector fitment in CAD.

Dry your filament if you have the means! Doing this improves print quality, first layer success rates, print reliability, print dimensional accuracy, print strength, and reduces odors while printing, while also keeping the print nozzle cleaner. I dried my filaments with Molecular Sieve 4A desiccant (under 18% saturation, according to my hygrometer). Dry filament is especially important for rotating parts. The picture above shows two drive shafts that were printed with the same gcode and roll of PLA filament. The left was printed before drying and the right one after.

Additionally, all PETG parts can be grouped for printing, but avoid grouping numerous Silk/Blend PLA parts, as this lets the top surface of the prints cool too much, which can result in abysmal layer adhesion. Regular PLA parts can be grouped.

If you do in fact use ASA for certain parts, as I did, make sure to sufficiently ventilate the space during printing to reduce the concentration of harmful VOCs in the air. It would be best to print ASA in a filtered enclosure.

Make sure to purge the nozzle enough when switching between PLA and PETG. If the two mix, it can ruin your first layer.

The following settings should be used for all of the printed parts, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

1. Scarf seams for contours
2. Arachne perimeter generation
3. At least 2 perimeters
4. "Nearest" seam placement

1x Head

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

If you use a silk PLA, print this part by itself to increase the average temp of the top of the part. This helps increase the layer bond strength.

Set a print pause at layer height 31.20mm for inserting the magnet. If you have a different magnet geometry, you will need to modify the STEP file.

Make sure to place the part on an accessible part of the build plate to facilitate inserting the magnet during the pause.

If your printer nozzle is ferrous and would attract the magnet, use super glue to hold the magnet in place and wait until its solidifies.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Left Eye

1x Unibrow and Right Eye

2x Pupil

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend (Pupils)

3D Jake Red ASA (lower layers of both eyes)

Prusament Galaxy Black ASA (upper layers of both eyes)

It would be best to solely use PLA for these parts.

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament ASA (Eyes)

Prusament PLA Blend (Pupil)

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

The "Pupil" could be very difficult to cleanly print. I mitigated the potential issues caused by its size by printing 6 at a time, all spaced 5cm away from each other to allow them to cool down. I did not use a brim or adhesives.

Make sure to use compatible filaments for the multicolor eyes (when I refer to the eyes, I also mean the unibrow).

Set a color change for layer 1.00mm (done manually)

Print the eyes at a distance >= 5cm from each other to aid cooling

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Grin

Materials

Prusament Galaxy Black ASA

It would be best to use PLA here

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament ASA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

This part can be printed on its own.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

2x Earcup

Materials

3D Jake Red ASA

It would be best to use PLA here

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.10mm (you may need to manually set this layer height in "Layers and Perimeters")

Filament Preset

Prusament ASA

Speed Preset

0.15mm Structural (modified for layer height 0.10mm)

Notes

Can likely be printed one at a time.

Space the parts at least 5cm apart for cooling, if you print both at once.

The base layer height is 0.2mm.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Torso

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend (regular PLA would also work well)

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm (0.10mm would also work, if you want the top contour to be prettier)

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Use paint-on supports for the drawer cutout. I unfortunately could not get rid of the support material generation on the inside of the torso, but it printed just fine.

The rest of the part does not need supports.

1x Door

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend (regular PLA would be fine)

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Print this part on its own, if you use silk PLA (the PLA Blend). It really needs the extra heat to ensure proper layer bonding.

If you use a PLA Blend/Silk, increase the perimeters until the part is solid.

If you have a bedslinger, make sure to use at least a 3mm brim and to orient the part so that it is parallel with the print bed movement axis (y-axis).

Use "classis" perimeter generation to reduce heat-induced imperfections at the top.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

2x Arm

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend

Prusament Jet Black PLA

Regular PLA would suffice

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend (yes, for the entire part)

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

If you want black bands, set color changes for the heights 1.6mm, 3.2mm, 4.8mm, and 6.4mm.

Enable organic supports on the build plate, but make sure they do not support the inside of the arm.

Use a 3mm brim.

Space the parts at least 5 cm apart from each other.

Do not clean up the nub too much, as excess material may be beneficial for the friction fit later.

1x Left Hand

1x Right Hand

Materials

Prusament ASA Signal White

PLA, PETG, and TPU would all be better candidates here, especially the latter two.

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm (0.10mm would be better for details)

Filament Preset

Prusament ASA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

These parts can be a little tricky to print. Make sure to use a 3mm brim or larger.

Cooling is especially important for these overhangs, so if your system lacks in that department, space out your parts. Also consider adding a simple shape in the slicer to print at the same time, to divert the heated print head from your parts temporarily.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

2x Leg

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend

Prusament Jet Black PLA

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend (yes, for the entire part)

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

If you want black bands, set color changes for the heights 7.2mm, 8.8mm, 10.4mm, and 12mm.

There is no need for a brim.

Space the parts at least 5 cm apart from each other.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

2x Swerve Drive Wheel

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

This part is very easy to print and there are no special instructions.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Drawer

Materials

Prusament OhMyGold PLA Blend

Regular PLA would suffice

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA Blend

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Print this part on its own, if you use silk PLA (the PLA Blend). It really needs the extra heat to ensure proper layer bonding.

The crooked stripe on the front can be colored in later, or you could try to change the print orientation. I intentionally designed this drawer to be printed in this orientation, so that the face that the latch touches is clean and where it should be, so that the drawer does not have a gap in front when closed. Additionally, this print orientation reduces sliding friction. Feel free to modify this, if you absolutely want a printed, black stripe.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

According to the "Instructables Robot Party" collection, the Instructables Robot loves to disassemble perfectly functional coffee machines for parts. What a perfect gift for the 20th anniversary of Instructables! https://www.instructables.com/Instructables-Robot-Party/

1x Coffee Machine

Materials

Prusament Galaxy Silver PLA

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.15mm (base layer is 0.20mm)

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA

Speed Preset

0.15mm Structural

Notes

This coffee machine has a cavity for a 10mm x 2mm neodymium disc magnet for later attaching a party hat on top. The magnet is optional and the model can be printed without inserting one. If you want to insert the magnet, set a pause for layer height 15.35mm.

Make sure to place the part on an accessible part of the build plate to facilitate inserting the magnet during the pause.

If your printer nozzle is ferrous and would attract the magnet, use super glue to hold the magnet in place and wait until its solidifies.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

Every party needs a cake. This one can be stored in the Instructables Robot drawer.

1x Cake

Materials

Purefil Telemagenta PLA (Fusion does not have a similar color, hence the white in the picture)

Purefil Lime Green PLA

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Generic PLA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Color changes at 1.6mm and 4.2mm.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

A fun party accessory.

1x Party Hat

Materials

Purefil Telemagenta PLA (Fusion does not have a similar color, hence the white in the picture)

Purefil Lime Green PLA

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Generic PLA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Color changes at 3.4mm, 6.8mm, 10.2mm, 13.6mm, 17mm, and 20.4mm.

The disc magnet is to be inserted during the first color change.

If your printer nozzle is ferrous and would attract the magnet, use super glue to hold the magnet in place and wait until its solidifies.

Use "classis" perimeter generation to reduce heat-induced imperfections at the top.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Drawer Knob

1x Drive Shaft

1x Ejector Button

Materials

Prusa Silver PLA

PETG would be better

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusa PLA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

These parts can be difficult to print.

These parts defaulted to normal seams, due to their circumference being shorter than 20mm (default scarf seam length).

Use a 5mm brim, consider lowering print bed acceleration (for bedslingers), consider increasing z hop, and print two Drive Shafts at a time, if your cooling is insufficient.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Coffee Machine Peg

2x Wheel Peg

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG (try to keep the color consistent with that of the wheels)

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Use a 3mm brim.

Use 100% infill for the Wheel Pegs parts. They will be subjected to bending loads.

Space out the parts to facilitate cooling.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Drawer Latch

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Using a brim is optional here. I used one to ensure that the beam spring (the long, skinny protrusion) didn't release from the bed during printing.

The beam spring was designed with PETG, so using other materials could affect its functionality. If you wish to use PLA, consider slimming down the beam spring in CAD.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Drawer Sleeve

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA could work

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

I highly recommend using PETG for this part, since its walls are thin and layer adhesion is important.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Ejector Bar

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA would likely be fine

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

This is an easy part to print with no special instructions.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

2x Arm Axle

1x Head Post

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA could work

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

These parts can be tricky to print, so consider using a 5mm brim, lowering print bed accelerations (for bedslingers), increasing z hop, and spacing out the parts for improved cooling.

These parts defaulted to normal seams, due to their circumference being shorter than 20mm (default scarf seam length).

I highly recommend using PETG for these parts for its mechanical properties.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

3x Spur

1x Pinion

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA could work

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

These parts print easily, as long as the first layer adheres well.

I highly recommend using PETG for these parts for its mechanical properties.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Axle Stabilizer

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA could work

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

I'd recommend printing this with other parts to improve cooling.

I highly recommend using PETG for this part for its mechanical properties.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Housing

Materials

Prusament Urban Grey PETG

PLA could work

Sheet

Textured Steel Sheet

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PETG

Speed Preset

0.20mm Structural

Notes

Consider lowering the print speed to something like 30mm/s for "top solid infill" to improve the surface that the pinion rests on. Feel free to use a height range modifier to only change this setting for that particular surface, if you want the print to be finished as quickly as possible.

I highly recommend using PETG for this part for its mechanical properties.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

1x Display Base

Materials

Prusament Jet Black PLA

PETG would also be good

Sheet

Smooth PEI

Layer Height

0.20mm

Filament Preset

Prusament PLA

Speed Preset

0.20mm Speed

Notes

If you are worried about the corning peeling up, use a skirt around the object.

NO SUPPORTS NECESSARY

In the following steps are the basic instructions for the modification of the play for the axles and rotating connections in the model. My CAD of choice is Autodesk Fusion (It is free for students https://www.autodesk.com/education/edu-software/fusion).

Open Fusion and click File -> Open -> Open from my computer -> STEP file of your choice

In the first picture, the surfaces which you can recess to increase axle play are highlighted in blue. Select the "Press Pull" tool and select the surfaces you would like to recess and enter the target depth. Just for reference, increasing the hole radius by roughly 0.05mm should take a tight fit to a loose one (at least for the original robot scale).

Once you are ready to test the fit, export the STEP file as a mesh for slicing. In my case, I exported it directly into Prusaslicer, but you can change the destination under "Preparation Type".

The above pictures feature the rest of the parts that include fitments for rotating parts and connections. The relevant surfaces are highlighted in blue.

If you have friction issues during rotation, consider modifying Torso, Axle Stabilizer, Housing (see print guide for files).

If your friction-fit connections are too loose or tight, consider modifying Spur, Pinion, Ejector Bar, Drawer Knob (see print guide for files).

Phew, this Instructable took way more time and work to put together than I was expecting! In any case, I hope you enjoyed yourself, and if so, please add it to your favorites! 😊

P.S. - I bet the robot wouldn't mind having a couple more fantabulous magnetic accessories 😉