Machined Kinematic Cannon
A fun introduction to manual and CNC machining!
| Where | Machining seminar, UC San Diego |
|---|---|
| When | 2026 |
| Tools | Manual mill and lathe, CNC mill and lathe, Fusion 360 |
| Tolerance | ±0.003″ across all mating features |
I machined and assembled this kinematic ball bearing launcher for a machining seminar I took at UC San Diego. The drawings and the Fusion 360 assembly were pre-designed; used to learn the fundamentals of manual and CNC milling and turning, along as a first working exposure to GD&T, DFM and tolerance stacking.
The cannon is made from manually-milled aluminium base plates and struts, a manually-lathed aluminium firing pin, a CNC-milled Delrin chassis and ball bearing tray, and a CNC-lathed nozzle. Every component was machined to ±0.003″, and it initially passed a surface finish inspection — I have since dropped it once and spilled oil on it, which the finish (unfortunately) records quite faithfully.