February 13, 2024
Description
A tool tray designed to make the best use of the flat surface on top of the motor/belt unit on a Robust brand lathe. Specifically designed for the American Beauty model, but it may fit on other models as well (make sure to check the measurements before printing). It's as big as I could make it without interfering with the belt change door, the swing arm post, or the lathe bed itself. Includes mounting options for a vertical tool holder for holding allen keys, pencils, etc (not included, but pretty easy to make out of a small block of wood and a drill).
(Note that the finished product pictured is v1. See below for changes to v2.)
Length: 200mm
Width: 120mm at the base, 140mm at the top
Height: 55mm on the post side, 40mm on the door side.
Hole Spacing: 50mm (center to center)
See pictures for alignment and spacing. I don't have any information on the dimensions of the equivalent spot on other Robust lathes, but it may be similar enough to fit.
A bigger nozzle will make this print a lot faster (I used 0.8mm), but any size will work. I used 0.2mm layer height, but there's not a lot of detail, so do whatever you're comfortable with. All overhangs are 45 degrees, so you shouldn't have to worry about bridging or cooling or anything.
Use 100% infill. The only spots that are thicker than the intended wall thickness are supposed to be reinforcement.
The tray is exactly 200mm long, so it should fit on all medium-sized and larger print beds. I'd definitely recommend mouse ears for the corners, especially on beds where it barely fits, because they have a tendency to curl up a bit when right near the edge of the print bed (where the heating isn't as consistent).
The holes on the “top” side are sized to fit M4 6mm dia x 4mm deep heat-set threaded inserts. You can also just stick a bolt and washer through the hole, or screw into the block from the back. Or just use double-stick tape, up to you.
The casting of the base surface of the lathe housing is not actually perfectly flat. So you'll want to add some sort of feet (at least a couple mm tall) to make sure the tray sits level and doesn't wobble. Your best option is to glue 4 small magnets to the bottom, which has the added benefit of keeping the tray firmly in place. You can also attach some adhesive rubber feet. Or just use several big dabs of hot glue (should conform to the surface of the housing, but not too difficult to remove if necessary).
I designed this for someone else, and don't actually do any turning myself. The recipient says the v1 version I sent fits well, and I made some adjustments to v2 based on their feedback about the lack of flatness.
I'm more than happy to hear any feedback you have and make further updates. Also, if you have a model of Robust lathe other than American Beauty, I'd love to know whether the dimensions listed above would fit. Or if not, what the dimensions are for your model. The design is all parametric, so it would be pretty trivial to post a variant with different dimensions for different models. Thanks!
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
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zimboptoo
