r691175002
December 16th, 2006, 02:36 PM
I have been working on this one for a while and haven't said much about
it because I really didn't think it would work.
It is fully motorized and makes about two meters an minute. It hasn't
jammed once yet but I wouldn't leave it unattended.
Here is the real kicker. Its made completely out of *K'nex* (with the
exception of the dies). Thats right, 100% made from a plastic kids
toy. To top it off, the K'nex motors (which appear to be completely
covered in a plastic casing) are powerful enough to run the entire
machine alone!
Its by no means perfect, I'll probably redo the top (white thread) die
and the blue thread is too thin. It has only been tested with sugar
but it works beautifully with it.
Here are some pictures:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7750/overviewtworn8.jpg
This is an overview of the entire machine. It has two rotating disks
with eight rolls of thread a piece. They are positioned vertically.
http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/3144/overviewro2.jpg
Second overview.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/8294/whitedieonetk9.jpg
The "White" die (named because the first thread is white) is where it
happens. It took two tries to get a working die, this is really the
only important part. The brass tubing needs to be lowered as far as
possible without jamming up the white threads wrapping around it.
Currently about three quarters of the sugar that leaves the funnel gets
woven into the fuse.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/549/whitedietwozq6.jpg
This view is a bit clearer. Its pretty much magic that it works, I
never expected it to weave in so easily. It doesn't look like its
possible for thread to just wrap around a powder but it works!
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/16/bluediexp5.jpg
Here is the second die (the "blue" one). The machine isn't operating
when I took these pictures so there is no sugar. The blue die isn't
really that important.
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/2848/comparisonoh5.jpg
This is a comparison of the fuse with no sugar inside (left one) and
fuse with sugar inside (right one).
As you can see, the sugar can work its way out (which is why I need
thicker thread) but it works beautifully.
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/5566/fuseonesa8.jpg
Just a close up of the fuse. The sugar on the ground didn't leak from
the fuse, any sugar that doesn't get woven into the machine hits the
spinning disks and flies everywhere. I'll have to use the machine
outside.
I found that the only two factors that affect the machine is the feed
rate and the first die. Without the first die, the machine doesn't
weave in any of the sugar. If the feed rate is too slow the sugar
won't leak out but it doesn't get woven in properly either. Its much
better to pull the thread through too fast than too slow As soon as
the tracer (black ones that go through the funnel) threads start
twisting, the machine wont work.
I haven't tested the machine without the tracer threads but I think
they make a big difference. In the finished fuse, they are not twisted
at all and you can see that the sugar is suspended between them. They
also control the sugars feed rate so the fuse is a constant diameter.
And yes, I posted the exact same thing to rec.pyrotechnics.
it because I really didn't think it would work.
It is fully motorized and makes about two meters an minute. It hasn't
jammed once yet but I wouldn't leave it unattended.
Here is the real kicker. Its made completely out of *K'nex* (with the
exception of the dies). Thats right, 100% made from a plastic kids
toy. To top it off, the K'nex motors (which appear to be completely
covered in a plastic casing) are powerful enough to run the entire
machine alone!
Its by no means perfect, I'll probably redo the top (white thread) die
and the blue thread is too thin. It has only been tested with sugar
but it works beautifully with it.
Here are some pictures:
http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/7750/overviewtworn8.jpg
This is an overview of the entire machine. It has two rotating disks
with eight rolls of thread a piece. They are positioned vertically.
http://img429.imageshack.us/img429/3144/overviewro2.jpg
Second overview.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/8294/whitedieonetk9.jpg
The "White" die (named because the first thread is white) is where it
happens. It took two tries to get a working die, this is really the
only important part. The brass tubing needs to be lowered as far as
possible without jamming up the white threads wrapping around it.
Currently about three quarters of the sugar that leaves the funnel gets
woven into the fuse.
http://img392.imageshack.us/img392/549/whitedietwozq6.jpg
This view is a bit clearer. Its pretty much magic that it works, I
never expected it to weave in so easily. It doesn't look like its
possible for thread to just wrap around a powder but it works!
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/16/bluediexp5.jpg
Here is the second die (the "blue" one). The machine isn't operating
when I took these pictures so there is no sugar. The blue die isn't
really that important.
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/2848/comparisonoh5.jpg
This is a comparison of the fuse with no sugar inside (left one) and
fuse with sugar inside (right one).
As you can see, the sugar can work its way out (which is why I need
thicker thread) but it works beautifully.
http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/5566/fuseonesa8.jpg
Just a close up of the fuse. The sugar on the ground didn't leak from
the fuse, any sugar that doesn't get woven into the machine hits the
spinning disks and flies everywhere. I'll have to use the machine
outside.
I found that the only two factors that affect the machine is the feed
rate and the first die. Without the first die, the machine doesn't
weave in any of the sugar. If the feed rate is too slow the sugar
won't leak out but it doesn't get woven in properly either. Its much
better to pull the thread through too fast than too slow As soon as
the tracer (black ones that go through the funnel) threads start
twisting, the machine wont work.
I haven't tested the machine without the tracer threads but I think
they make a big difference. In the finished fuse, they are not twisted
at all and you can see that the sugar is suspended between them. They
also control the sugars feed rate so the fuse is a constant diameter.
And yes, I posted the exact same thing to rec.pyrotechnics.