A 3D printer is a robot. A 3D printer can make a robot, too. Slam them together and you get … a robot for robots!
Here are a few back-to-school treats for the student or educator looking to tackle joint 3D printing and robotics projects. And make sure to check our coverage of 3DxRobotics on the Adafruit Blog for more ideas!
Making Things Move DIY Mechanisms for Inventors – Dustyn Roberts: Making Things Move reveals practical mechanical design principles to readers who may have no background in engineering and shows how to apply those principles through a wide range of sample projects, from art installations to toys to labor-saving devices. This book is for anyone who has ever wanted to make something that moves but didn’t know where to start. Maybe you’re a sculptor who wants your artwork to spin around on a pedestal, or a musician who wants to make custom musical instruments that come alive. Whatever the case may be, this book will show you how to turn your ideas into reality. (read more)
Stepper motor – NEMA-17 size – 200 steps/rev, 12V 350mA: A stepper motor to satisfy all your robotics needs! This 4-wire bipolar stepper has 1.8° per step for smooth motion and a nice holding torque. The motor was specified to have a max current of 350mA so that it could be driven easily with an Adafruit motor shield for Arduino (or other motor driver) and a wall adapter or lead-acid battery. (read more)
Slotted Aluminum Extrusion – 20mm x 20mm – 610mm long: Oh boy, now you have no excuse for not building that robot! Nothing is easier or faster than building with extrusion and we’ve added 20mm square aluminum extrusion and components to our catalog. This product is the extrusion itself. Made of aluminum, its exactly 20x20mm square and has slots on all four sides. You can use T-nuts that slide into the slots to connect plates, couplers, PCBs, cut-outs, etc. Its sort of like a big-sized Erector set…. (read more)
Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield for Arduino v2 Kit: The original Adafruit Motorshield kit is one of our most beloved kits, which is why we decided to make something even better. We have upgraded the shield kit to make the bestest, easiest way to drive DC and Stepper motors. This shield will make quick work of your next robotics project! We kept the ability to drive up to 4 DC motors or 2 stepper motors, but added many improvements….(read more)
Why stop with just the shield? Grab the shield as part of a Motor party add-on pack for Arduino:
Make your own Arduino motor party with a motor shield and a fine assortment of motors! New! we’ve upgraded the shield to our new version 2, with more powerful drivers, and uses fewer pins to boot! (read more)
Rick Winscot has posted a series of Adafruit Learn Guides related to robotics design, including this pair focusing on elements needed to create an interactive 3D printed Adabot. Check out “Making Adabot, Part 1: Chassis/body construction” and Part 2: “Making Adabot, Part 2: Make your bot move, blink, and smile!” for great ideas for your Adabot or any other 3D printed robotics project you have in mind. Click on the photos the head on over to the tutorials!
August is Back to School Month here at Adafruit! Each day we’ll be bringing you a post for educators on the blog. Stay tuned for product guides, tutorials from the Adafruit Learning System, and inspiration from around the web! Get started by checking out Adafruit’s educational resources, such as our kits and project packs, suggested products for young engineers, and an extensive selection of books to help you learn!
