Insta-connection – How a Local Robotics Team Partnered With a CNC Machine Company

Insta-Connection

我第一次得知Datron Dynamicsin January 2019 after they liked one of my photos on Instagram. Curious to know what this company was about, I did some research that lead me to online reviews of their company and products. I was impressed and intrigued by how easy their machines seemed to use, plus I have been wishing for a CNC machine in my parents’ machine shop since I was ten-years-old. So, I proceeded to request a quote for all of their machines because of their capabilities and due to the fact that I was developing a community第一机器人竞赛（FRC）团队在我的社区中，我梦想着开展某种筹款活动来筹集资金购买Datron机器。所有的梦想导致我要求有关机器的更多信息DATRON lineup。Since I’m a minor, I provided my parent’s business phone number and name to make sure that I would be taken seriously. I thought that if they knew I was a 15-year-old high-schooler, they might not respond.

My Son Did What?!?

A few days later, my dad received a call from DATRON while I was in school to discuss my quote request. My dad explained that I was only 15 and was just super interested inCNC机器and apologized for leading them on since I definitely didn’t have the budget to afford a CNC machine of any kind. A few minutes later, I heard my dad and the DATRON associate having a good laugh before hanging up the phone. About 30 minutes after the initial phone call, my father received another call from the same phone number. This time it was from DATRON’s West Coast Division Manager,克里斯·霍普金斯。Again, my father offered an apology for wasting their time and explained that I am in the beginning stages of building an FRC team and purely window shopping. This caught Chri’s attention as he was familiar with FRC and has met迪恩·卡门（Dean Kamen）, the creater of the Segway and founder of For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology（第一的）。

令我惊讶的是，克里斯（Chris）向我和我的团队提出了邀请，我在建造季节后出去参观他们的Livermore设施。真是太神奇了，但是我承认我有点沮丧，我们无法早日见面/我刚刚从铝中完成了手动加工的变速箱板，这一过程花了我三个半小时的时间才到达磨坊。

A visit to the DATRON facilities proved to be tricky as they are located a few hours away, and none of us students can legally drive with other students in their cars. So we planned a few dates, and none of them worked out. Then a couple more…and the same result. I was beginning to think that we would never be able to line up our drivers and teammates’ schedules to meet Chris.

One Day In Late August

终于在发短信给彼此工作的一系列日期之后，我们有一个日期可以工作！2019年8月30日。我们终于安排了，确认并同步了我们的时间表，我们已经准备好了。我能够带六个团队成员参观其位于利弗莫尔的西海岸设施，真是太棒了！我有机会使用MLCubeto make multiple gearbox plates (yes the ones that took me 3.5 hours were CNC’d in less than five minutes)! The machines were unbelievably precise and fast. Walking into the shop I had never used a CNC machine, so to be able to walk up to it and operate it with a few taps on the screen was amazing! Operating the controller was literally like using a smartphone or a tablet. It made for a fantastic field-trip and had us pumped to make our fundraising a priority to get one of these machines in our workspace.

这台CNC机器要花多少钱？

My initial goal was to obtain a quote so that I could move on to fundraising and showing team supporters why we need one of these machines for ourselves. However, what Chris offered was WAY beyond my initial expectations. Chris extended an invitation to partner with DATRON Dynamics! This meant that they were willing to be part of OtterBots #7667 and our future success. Being that I have had a tremendous amount of unsuccessful experiences in starting my community team, I was completely in shock. The hands-on opportunity provided to our team made us want a DATRON CNC machine even more! We were all thrilled when Chris invited us to return when we had something in CAD ready to cut on a DATRON.

Lets Make Some Chips!

我第二次访问Livermore的Datron Dynamics West更加有趣，因为我能够为我们的机器人驱动火车铣削两套2速变速箱板。克里斯再次向我打招呼。这次他邀请了他的朋友CJAutodeskto assist me in融合360。Not only were we able to train on a high speed cnc mill, we were also going to be given a hands on lesson in Fusion!

The positive impact from this partnership is hard to put into words but I do believe it’s a win-win as our mission statements are similar, and our philosophies are shared. As a young FRC team, with members ranging from 7th to 12th grade, it’s not everyday that you get the benefit of first-hand opportunities in the world of modern-day manufacturing. Not to mention being able to use DATRON’s awesome machines to produce higher precision parts so quickly. I believe our partnership will provide DATRON with future evangelists as we are introducing their technology to younger minds. If I had to sum the partnership up, I’d say that

“我们正在建立与机器人一样多的人。”

展望 - 2020年

我们刚刚与Datron Dynamics West建立了激动人心的合作伙伴关系，我们刚刚开始了第二次建造和比赛季节，而我们的团队正处于贸易阶段，即我们的2020年竞争机器人将如何设计和制造。随着我们在开发和制造方面的前进，我们一直与Chris和Datron的同事进行对话。我们不能非常感谢Chris和Datron，并且随时准备返回Livermore的Datron Dynamics West。

About DATRON

高速CNC加工超过60,000 rpm的主轴速度。当您制作小或复杂的零件时，您需要在每个阶段进行速度和精确度。Datron AG工程师不仅发明了更快，更精确的CNC机器。他们从头到尾重新解释并优化了您的整个加工工作流程。