Glassblowing Lathe
This page documents the build of a glassblowing lathe. Projected started on May 29, 2019 by BES and Andrew Ferris.
Introduction
Q: So what is a lathe?
A: Definition: a machine [used] for shaping wood, metal, or other material by means of a rotating drive which turns the piece being worked on against changeable cutting tools.
Wikipedia - General discussion
The most basic parts of a lathe include:
- 1) Head stock assembly
- 2) Tail stock assembly
- 3) spindle/chuck
The head stock assembly is composed of two main parts: 1) the motor that turns the "piece" and 2) it holds the spindle/chuck where the "piece" is mounted.
The tail stock assembly on a standard lathe is where the "piece" is held/stabilized on the other side.
Lathes are physically different based on the material of the piece.
- 1) Wood lathes
- There are 2 wood working lathes in the MC Physics Machine Shop]
- 2) Metal lathes
- 3) Glassblowing lathes
- these lathes are very specialized and hence as >$8k, if you can find them. So we are going to build one!
- The major difference in a glassblowing lathe is there are 2 motors, one on each end that move in unison and the tail stock motor needs to move. A typical glassblowing lathe will have a common gear that drives both motors, but the need for the tailstock assembly to move adds a level of complication. We are proposing to use two stepper motors run by the smae driver??? (see below).
Construction
Step 1) can we control a stepper motor using an Arduino?
Step 2) Can we now run two stepper motors (and in opposite directions) using an Arduino.
Step 3) Can we mount the two stepper motors onto a rail and how one movable?
Step 4) Can we construct a glassblowing "chuck" to be mounted on the stepper motors?
Other links
File:Glass Blowing.pdf File:SCIENTICO GLASS BLOWING COMPETITVE PRICE LIST YEAR 2017-18.pdf