Mitchell Posted November 9 Posted November 9 Hello all, I have spent some time away from the pyro world, and likely won't have the time or ability to make anything that burns for some time. However, I have decide40 sehllsd to once again venture down a path to recreate something that is reasonably achievable for the average joe. As many of us may know, pasting shells can be a fun and enjoyable experience, but when you sit down to start pasting and see 40 shells on the table in front of you, you begin to doubt yourself. As such, I am beginning the journey to recreate a WASP shell paster, this project has always been on my radar, and I finally find myself with the time and the know how ( I am a Mech and Robotic Engineer by day) to start a build on a WASP type paster. Now you may be asking why a WASP type vs a single orbital wheel type paster? As the great Mumbles said in one buried forum thread, most of the winning PGI shells have been pasted on a WASP. Now, most of us (myself included) will never compete in PGI competitions, but I want to create something that allows me to create nearly production level shells. I am planning to first CAD a WASP that can do 3 to 8 inch shells. I am going to 3d print as many of the components as possible to cut down on costs, only purchasing machined/off the shelf items where neccessary. As for the programming, it should be an achievable project to get stepper motors, drivers, and control the entire assembly with an Arduino board. Ideally I want this to be a standalone unit without the need for an external PC/laptop to connect to it. I am starting this thread to have a running record of what I have done and to share my insights with others in the pyro world. Also it should be said that another catalyst for starting this now is Jon Widmann's orignal patent on the WASP has now expired, so I do not feel as bad replicating his work
Arthur Posted November 9 Posted November 9 Interesting! Beware the increasing weight of shells as the size increases, and whether a printed support will survive a rotating 10/12/16 inch shell for long enough to paste.
FrankRizzo Posted November 10 Posted November 10 (edited) Mitchell - If you find yourself at a PGI convention, talk to Derek Miller of the Mum Pyro group from North Dakota. He's made quite a few clones of Jim Widmann's machine, using a lot of 3D printed parts. I've got photos of some of his iterations, but they're basically the same as the WASP. The magic is in the code of course. Good luck! Edit: Here's a video of Derrick's "Spyder". Note that he's made some improvements over the original WASP, namely the urethane rollers to support the shell instead of the bearing balls that get rusty. Also, the tape applicator arm is a turnbuckle style link so the user can make micro adjustments to the compression wheel contact point on top of the shell. https://www.facebook.com/phil.giuffre.52/videos/1029862254845409/ Edited November 10 by FrankRizzo
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