This week, I started the design of the z-axis movement and the vacuum end effector. I did a bit of research on methods of vertical linear motion, and settled on a rack-and-pinion based system driven by a stepper motor. I’ve started to create and assemble the CAD files which will be printed out when the design is fully fleshed out. The relevant parts for the end-effector have also been ordered, and added to the BOM in a new section. I spent a few hours working with the stereo camera, and discovered that it has its own python wrapper which should hopefully integrate well into our other code.
Additionally, I printed out all of the 3d printable parts for the 4xidraw gantry for the xy movement.
Currently, I am a little bit behind schedule, as I expected the parts we ordered to come in earlier so I could start designing around them.