Backpanel

Backpanel¶

Info

Overview¶

The backpanel serves as the structural foundation for the Pipettin bot's electronic components. Composed of acrylic, this panel provides a platform for mounting electronics parts.

Throughout this section you will find general guidelines for building the Pipettin bot's backpanel and attaching different components to it.

Usage¶

Once the backpanel is properly attached to the structural frame, you may use it to mount the electronics and toolposts.

The images below present layouts for the two sets of electronics we have tested:

Assembly¶

Before you start connecting cables, you must cut the backpanel and mount it on the structure. Ensure that the backpanel is properly aligned and fastened to the structure, using screws and sliding T-nuts.

Gather parts:

1 x 650x500x10 mm acrylic plate.
6 x M5 screws with their sliding t-nut for the structure.
17 x M5 screws and separators (to fasten the Arduinos, Raspberry, power supply, and stepdown).
Note: the Duet2 can be mounted with M4 screws.

Laser cutting¶

If you have access to a Laser CNC, you should set it up first:

Load the design file into the Laser CNC software (in our case, LightBurn Beta 0.8.07).
Set maximum speeds and laser power. This was 100% at 7 mm/s for 8 mm thick white acrylic.
Load the cutting program and then cut the piece.

Drilling¶

The location of toolposts is not pre-defined, and will require yo to drill holes into it. The same applies to other custom components you may want to add.

To drill holes into the backpanel, use a 3 mm drill bit. Remember to set your drill to a low speed and apply moderate pressure while drilling.

Tip

Excessive speed and low force can cause the acrylic to melt on the drill bit, so take your time and let the bit do its job. You can apply some water to act as a coolant just to be safe.

Mount it to the structure¶

After making the backpanel, place it within the structure and secure it using screws along with their corresponding sliding T-nuts.

Finally, position both Arduino, Raspberry Pi, step-down module, and power supply onto the panel and secure it using screws, separators and nuts.

Interactions¶

The backpanel is mounted on the Structural Frame. It's located at the back, on the external face of the structure, joined by sliding screws and nuts, adding stability to the structure.

The electronics and the toolchanger motor are mounted on the external face of the backpanel, and the toolparking on the internal face of the backpanel.

It is also the a good place to attach parts that needs to be stay mounted in a fixed location (e.g. tool posts).

Design¶

The main purpose of this panel is to serve as the support for all the robot's electronics, but it was also designed in this way to provide structural support, it contributes to the overall structural integrity.

We opted for laser-cut acrylic for its ease of fabrication, but alternative materials like hand-drilled acrylic, wooden sheets, or aluminum bars could also be considered.

Models¶

CAD: Backpanel.FCStd
SVG: Backpanel.svg

Development¶

This part was designed in FreeCAD 0.21 or 0.20, then exported in .svg format so that it is compatible with the CNC laser.

If you want to dive into file formats visit here.