Personal Maker Portfolio
Benjamin McCarney
SCARA Arm Hardwear Sorter
My current project, exploring mechatronics, Circuitry, coding, and photo identification software, intends to use a 4-axis robotic arm driven with servos and microswitches, with an electromagnet coupled with a 2-axis elevated slide. Positioned over a light table, the components will be placed on photocontrast images, and a web camera will identify parts. Then, the arm will collect and sort hardware components such as nuts, screws, washers, drill bits, and any ferromagnetic components with discernible images that the computer can see. This project’s intention is to optimise sorting tasks in our engineering lab and to learn about SCARA and Python.
ADA Clay Mill
This Project was constructed in a team, in which I was tasked with cadding and designing the Mill. The Mill itself was designed to wedge clay for those with disabilities and to be an accessible, scalable product. The goal was to reduce the stiffness of a ball of clay to a consistency more manageable for those with physical disabilities. While there is much I would improve upon today, it features the evolution of my CAD knowledge, and its assembled form added a microswitch attached to a servo intended to spin the smaller gear to reduce the rotational speed, converting it into torque using a very basic reduction system. There is much that could have been improved in this desine but it serves as a good benchmark for improvement
Exploratory Circuits, Fusion CNC
Starting my exploration into CNC and more advanced circuits, I have been creating or attempting to fix several things that interest me. My current project using our Tormach 1100MX is to create Olympic lifting collars from solid aluminum blocks, and the CAD and toolpathing for the more interesting top section are my favorites. It has the C-clamp and threaded expander. For exploring circuits, my coworkers and friends in ECE have helped me a lot develop an understanding of servos, programmable circuits, and electromagnets. All examples are shown above of some circuits I've made or disassembled. I intend to make my own transformer and electromagnets soon.
