This high-speed Arduino pen plotter creates drawings in minutes
This high-speed Arduino pen plotter creates drawings in minutes
Arduino Team — June 21, 2022
Pen tracing projects are ubiquitous these days, with the vast majority using two stepper motors to move the writing tool and a servo to raise or lower it. But they are quite slow due to the lack of rigid assembly and because the servo takes about a second to move the stylus. This problem is what prompted YouTuber IV Projects to create a very innovative design that replaces the servo with another stepper motor and dramatically increases drawing speed.
Like most other pen plotters, the X-axis is driven by a NEMA17 stepper motor with a timing belt attached to the center pen carriage. However, the Y axis takes a different approach by relying on a pair of rollers covered in 120-grit sanding belts, which help grip the paper securely and move it every time the stepper motor spins. the driving wheel. This helps minimize slippage compared to rubber rollers and is much faster than a belt-driven design.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this plotter is the lack of a servo motor to lift the pen while on the move. At the top is another NEMA17 stepper that rotates up or down to lift a paddle which, in turn, lifts the pen from the paper. Controlling the three motors is an Arduino Uno running GRBL firmware which receives G-code and transforms it into physical movements.
You can watch the IV Projects video below to see the design in more detail.
Arduino Team — June 21, 2022
Pen tracing projects are ubiquitous these days, with the vast majority using two stepper motors to move the writing tool and a servo to raise or lower it. But they are quite slow due to the lack of rigid assembly and because the servo takes about a second to move the stylus. This problem is what prompted YouTuber IV Projects to create a very innovative design that replaces the servo with another stepper motor and dramatically increases drawing speed.
Like most other pen plotters, the X-axis is driven by a NEMA17 stepper motor with a timing belt attached to the center pen carriage. However, the Y axis takes a different approach by relying on a pair of rollers covered in 120-grit sanding belts, which help grip the paper securely and move it every time the stepper motor spins. the driving wheel. This helps minimize slippage compared to rubber rollers and is much faster than a belt-driven design.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this plotter is the lack of a servo motor to lift the pen while on the move. At the top is another NEMA17 stepper that rotates up or down to lift a paddle which, in turn, lifts the pen from the paper. Controlling the three motors is an Arduino Uno running GRBL firmware which receives G-code and transforms it into physical movements.
You can watch the IV Projects video below to see the design in more detail.
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