andreasbaumgart

Fully automated LEGO Mindstorms factory with laser cutting

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Papercube is a fully automated Lego "factory"
created by students and me Germany's Jade Hochschule.
It is a scale model of an actual production line.
The machine takes a piece of paper and runs it through a
series of processes that manipulate it into a paper cube.

The paper is then perforated by a laser to outline the shape
the cube will eventually take. The laser is enclosed in a protective,
orange casing to protect the eyes of anyone watching this process.

Enjoy our video :-)
Andreas

Edited by andreasbaumgart

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Brilliant. Nice techniques used to transport and fold the paper, but for me, strange as it may sound, the LEGO minifigures are really the things that make this creation pop. It gives such a sense of scale to the whole mechanism.:wub:

How do you ensure that the toplids are properly folded? It looks like there is no support on the inside to create a nice sharp folding edge there, but the end result looks very sharp. Do you make perforated folding lines?

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3 hours ago, Technic Jim said:

Wow! What surface does the laser cut onto. To me it looks like a Lego plate? If so, how does the Lego hold up?

Hi ! Basic material is a LEGO plate. But we put a black aluminium sheet onto the LEGO plate.

Edited by andreasbaumgart

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41 minutes ago, Jeroen Ottens said:

Brilliant. Nice techniques used to transport and fold the paper, but for me, strange as it may sound, the LEGO minifigures are really the things that make this creation pop. It gives such a sense of scale to the whole mechanism.:wub:

How do you ensure that the toplids are properly folded? It looks like there is no support on the inside to create a nice sharp folding edge there, but the end result looks very sharp. Do you make perforated folding lines?

Hi! Thank you for praise!

We are perforating the paper with the laser. Actually we are moving the Laser with a higher speed ( It is also possible to control the power via javaprogramming) as at the cutting the outline.It is easier to fold the perforated paper. You can see the thick outline on the photo. The paper is cutted there. And you can see thinner line. These are the perforated lines.

14100497_769799559827886_211206186844627

Edited by andreasbaumgart

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This is beyond amazing. It looks like you are pumping a glue through Lego pneumatic hoses to seal it together; how to you pump it? How do you prevent it clogging up the tubes?

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2 hours ago, ColletArrow said:

This is beyond amazing. It looks like you are pumping a glue through Lego pneumatic hoses to seal it together; how to you pump it? How do you prevent it clogging up the tubes?

Thank you.

The elaboration of the technique took a long time. The result is quit simple
We use glue for wallpapers. This has the advantage that we can mix the mixture ourselves. So we have influence on the consistency.
The adhesive is stored in syringes. The piston is moved by means of minimum torque motors. This presses the adhesive into the lines. You can see it here (
https://youtu.be/BHBlOzzV-Qk?t=2m6s)


At the beginning of the foldingprocess, small tubes are pressed against the paper to push it in the desired direction. They are mounted in such a way that they also apply the adhesive in the correct place. This takes a total of 3 syringe units. These are completely identical in structure. (Https://youtu.be/BHBlOzzV-Qk?t=2m17s)
You can also see the sensors that react when the syringe is empty.

Cleaning is not a problem with the adhesive used: Allow to dry and break. As far as the lines are concerned, we just push a silver wire through. The folding and gluing unit is mechanically very complex. Likewise, it is complex to care for them. 
:-)

 

Edited by andreasbaumgart

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