New Freeze Tech for 2023

The Foley Freeze has been blessed with many donations of tools in order to accomplish our robot projects. Our newest additions to our arsenal are a laser cutter and a powder coating station. We are grateful to all of our donors that made the possibility of attaining these items a reality for us!

These machines are not only available to team members of the robotics team, but also to students taking Bishop Foley’s robotics class. This new technology will make building robots easier and learning about engineering more insightful, along with giving BFC high school students an opportunity to obtain more skills for future projects and jobs. The powder coating gun and laser cutter will speed up project building, allowing for more details to be added and more options to be explored. 

The laser cutter allows for faster and more efficient cuts on different types of materials, allowing CAD to design a prototype and test out ideas faster than in previous years. The laser cutter has improved the process of prototyping, helping to carve and adjust holes through materials, making base plates, and more. Being able to efficiently prototype allows our team to conceptualize a road map for build season, expediting the process and helping our robot thrive during competitions.

 There’s a lot that goes into how this machine works so let’s get you up to speed with a quick summary! Laser cutters are used in a wide range of careers from aerospace to medical. Laser cutting uses heat to cut the minerals and metals in order to get such high precision cuts. The laser beam heats the surface to such high temperatures that the material either melts or completely vaporizes. The beam doesn’t start to cut the pattern until it has penetrated the material. Once it has, the laser cutter follows a program to create the shape desired. 

The laser cutter is a three-access robot and the program for this machine uses two axes (x,y,) on a flat plane along with mirrors by the laser and a third access point. The mirrors help direct the laser beam to a lens that will then turn on at certain points to cut, or etch, the material. The third access point is able to move the lens up and down in order to get a precise cut. 

The laser cutter is able to not only help with our robot but also help to build some parts needed for our powder coating station.  Although the skill was new to team members, the learning curves were minimal and were worked through as projects were completed. The CAD team discovered that even though the machine is rather durable, cleaning maintenance is needed in order to keep the lens free from build-up and the laser cutter working at its best.

Another newly-acquired tool to enhance our customization is the powder coating gun, which allows for parts to be coated with different colors and personal touches to be made. Before the powder coating gun can be used on a piece, the material must be washed by scrubbing the material down and using acetone in order to clean it. After the piece is clean, it has to be electrically charged in order for the powder to stick. Each piece baked at a certain temperature for a specific amount of time so that the powder becomes baked onto it; the team is exploring optimal measures. Each coated piece has to be slightly cooled to make sure that the powder will not be wiped off if someone touches it.

With these new additions, Foley Freeze members, along with students in the robotics class, will be able to gather more skills for the future. The laser cutter and powder coating gun gives our team a chance to further showcase our creativity through building robots. As the team continues to get hands-on experience, the robot will surely reflect it!