Polar Coaster Drawing Machine

thingiverse

This is a unique Drawing Machine designed as an illustration of polar kinematics. The machine draws designs on circular drink coasters. Blank coasters are readily available at various suppliers, including Amazon.com. The bed features small "fingers" that securely hold the coasters without requiring clamping. Check out the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_aS0PbP8HY Most 3-axis CAM programs can be used to generate GCode, which is then run through a pre-processor that converts it into polar coordinates. This allows it to utilize basic CNC firmware, which thinks it's operating a standard 3-axis Cartesian machine. The machine can use any CNC controller that supports at least two axes and a servo. I personally use my pen/laser controller (available on Tindie.com) and the base has mounts for it. Others have used 3D printer controllers like RAMPS. I've written several blog posts about this machine: * The Polar Coaster – A Drink Coaster Drawing Machine * Polar Pen Machine Kinematics * A Polar Pre-Processor for the Pen Bot Written in Python * Polar Coaster Updates Everything was printed with standard settings on a TAZ 6. The only part that requires support is the radial axis carriage. You can purchase GT2 pulleys or print them. If you're feeling adventurous, you can also print the polar belt. I recommend using PolyFlex from PolyMaker because it's the least stretchy flex filament I've found.