Linear actuator with force sensing

thingiverse

**Linear actuator with force sensing** This is a 3D printed 1-Axis linear actuator with a travel distance of around 110mm and a force sensor to measure the actuation force on the moving carriage. The full dimension of the actuator, including the stepper are 200x70x50mm, while the actuation travel limits are around 110mm. It was developed for the NXP HoverGames3. The assembly is designed in a way to simplify 3D printing, favoring more smaller parts that require assembly then larger single parts. The basis of the actuator is therefore composed of 4 parts, the base, 2 sides and the motor mount. All of these screw together with either direct into plastic M2.5 screws (motor mount to top side piece) or with M2.5 nuts and screws (side pieces to base plate). Additional parts required are: - 2x Smooth Rods, 150mm by 6mm - 1x T8 Lead Screw Rod and Nut, 150mm - 2x LM6UU Linear Bearing - 1x Coupler, 8mm to 6mm - 1x 28BYJ-48 Stepper - 2x Leaver Switch (end stops) - 1x Membrane Pressure Sensor (load cell), 4mm 50g-2kg + Amplifier Board - Assortment of M2.5 screws and nuts The assembly is simple as long as one follows the bellow order of steps: 1) Screw bottom side piece to base plate 2) Fix the lead screw to the motor with the coupler 3) Mount the carriage pusher to the lead screw nut 4) Glue the force sensor to the carriage in its slot (only bottom side and not to much glue) 5) Screw motor to motor mount 6) Screw motor mount to top side piece 7) Insert the linear bearings into the carriage 8) Insert the linear rods into the bottom side piece 9) Slide the carriage onto the linear rods 10) Take the motor mount, with the lead screw and side piece assembled, and mount it to the base plate. This will fix/lock the linear rods in place 11) Connect the carriage pusher to the carriage with two screws, take care that there must be some play between the parts so that the force sensor can work. 12) Add the top end-stop mount 13) Add the end-stops With this the assembly is finished, the additional 2 parts are to fix a 3 in 1 soil sensor to the carriage, and can be left out. Link my HoverGames3 project page: Hackster: https://www.hackster.io/NotBlackMagic/autonomous-soil-quality-assessment-autosqa-2eb2de Website: TBD