Be Pro Be Proud Georgia needed a new robotics and automation display for their 50' trailer. It needed to be rugged enough for mobile use and have an average cycle time of 2 minutes. Firestorm Robotics members, with support from Cherokee Makerspace, Georgia FIRST Robotics and Automation Direct designed and built an robotic tic-tac-toe machine using industrial components.
This robotics-related project allowed the Firestorm robotics team to continue learning robotics when the world was shut down during the COVID-19 pandemic. 30% of robotics teams retired permanently in 2020, and the team was also days away from shutting down. We had two members left, funds were critical, and this project was the lifeline that kept the team alive.
Alexander Cua - Mentor - Firestorm Robotics
Prototyping
Firestorm member Alexis Cua connects the 24v power supply, controller, and stepper drivers provided by Automation Direct so that the programmers can work on the logic. At the same time, the rest of the machine is being designed and fabricated.
Assembling the Frame
Firestorm members Romano Zaccagnino, and Harrison Forsythe assemble the 8020 frames supplied by Bertelkamp Automation.
Installing the Linear Slides
Firestorm members Maura and Romano Zaccagnino install and aligns the linear slides provided by Automation Direct.
Final Testing
Firestorm members Alexis, Maura, and Romano run the machine through its paces as mentor John Witzigreuter looks on.
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