Automatic wall painting robot of a student

In the second national creative contest for children and children, the prize will be awarded on September 30 in Hanoi, surpassing 227 conferences, Le Trung Minh Quan, 17 years old in Quang Ngai won a special prize with automatic wall painting robot.

This is a project with a new idea to help wall paint workers not hang themselves to paint high-rise buildings but use an automatic robot control system. This robot can replace the labor of 25 workers.

Eight months of studying and practicing

Le Trung Minh Quan is currently a 12th grade student at Le Khiet High School, Quang Ngai City. Father Quan is a tax officer, and his mother is the principal of Nghia Lo Primary School.

(Photo: TTO) Quan knew about the competition in September last year and decided to do a certain project to attend the tournament. Looking at the workers who have to do the wall painting work manually, regardless of the sunny weather and the dizzying height, I have decided to create a ' know ' robot for the wall.

Last December, I started working on a plentiful number of 'no' when I didn't have the knowledge, because in high school teachers didn't teach to build or program robots, nor did they both capital to invest in such a big idea. Even finding to refer to a certain robot like that has been built in the world or in the country I have no conditions to perform.

At first, Quan just thought of making a manual robot , but thinking about it and controlling it by hand, there had to be someone sitting outside in the sun to do it, so I decided to make a fully automatic robot. .

Sensing concepts, PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) are so strange to Quan at that time, eight months is a process of learning and practicing to create. Quan went to the Da Nang Polytechnic University to observe the robots of the SV students, went to the brewery to watch the robot pick up the beer automatically to learn more.

According to the observation of the Army, the wall is not the same, there is a type of slanted wall, a straight wall, a rough wall . Quan's problem is that my robot must be painted on all kinds of walls. And so, programming, must find reasonable technology.

Eleven times drawing a model on paper to do it, the army failed ten times. In addition, right in Quang Ngai, there were not enough components to implement the model, Quan had to go by boat to Dong Tao market, Ho Chi Minh City alone to buy old parts. At first, I had to go and get used to it myself, Quan just had to call and send money to the City where there were suppliers of components.

Finally, Quan completed an automatic wall painting robot with a height of 1.4m, width of 2.4m, length of 2.4m, weight of 280kg, with a working capacity of 50m ² / hour, compatible with many terrain and Complex geomorphology.Energy consumption for low robots, only 1.5 Kw / hour, can replace 25 manual labor workers.

Quan's robot consists of three main parts: the automation part consists of PLC, inverter and control circuits placed in the cabinet; Mechanical parts and equipment include rails, pneumatic machines, power pumps, paint tanks.

When operating the robot, the operator only needs to press the programmable parameters of the wall to be painted, the robot will automatically complete the job. When the piston pushes out, the switch will sense when the robot touches the wall to open the valve and starts painting. Robot spray paint in zigzag shape and high smoothness. To solve the problem of smoothness of paint, Quan has designed filter parts in paint tanks. In addition, Quan is equipped with a paintless machine that does not create sedimentation, power pump to spray smooth paint.

Spending 90 million dong to collect . 7 million dong

Quan's observers of the automatic wall painting robot felt that what he did was beyond the ability of a student. How can a boy who has never been in contact with a robot, not yet aware of automation be able to do such an "extraordinary" thing? Quan said it was thanks to the support of his parents and the enthusiastic help of automation engineers that he was familiar with. Among them, one person was called his " instructor " - engineer Le Thanh Tung was working at Dung Quat Brewery under Quang Ngai Sugar Company.

Mr. Tung has successfully built an automatic beer picker that has been applied for three or four years now. Quan acquainted him not long ago and asked him to help him complete the idea. A passionate robot researcher and has set up a mechanical workshop just to satisfy his passion for manufacturing, he volunteered to help the Army. You can use this workshop to build robots, and you are willing to help me whenever Quan has questions.

Robot control cabinet

And my sponsor is none other than my parents. Quan had to convince his parents gradually, each time he needed materials, Quan asked for some. The most time Quan asked for 7 million VND to buy the most important device of the robot is the PLC controller. Quan said that the total cost of eight months of researching and buying materials was VND 90 million.

The special prize of the competition is worth 7 million VND - nothing compared to the effort and cost I spent. But for Quan, the bigger reward is that I have proven my ability.'At my school, special-use students are often not taken seriously. I don't want people to think that a specialized student doesn't know anything about machines and automation , 'Quan said.

The intention of the Army in the future if all goes well, will be tested in the Faculty of Engineering - Electronics of Danang University.'My ultimate goal is to have a job, so depending on the situation, I will go to school,' Quan said.

In terms of robot features, Quan said he wanted to perfect his robot by changing the cruise switch with a magnetic or optical sensor, and adding a monitor to set parameters more easily when programming.

When asked if his robot could be painted on the ceiling, Quan said that he only needed to make the paint higher and install a rotating piston instead of a rolling piston, the robot could paint the ceiling.

Quan hopes that any organization or individual will sponsor me later to perfect the wall painting robot, especially in the near future, to bring it to the international prize competition in India.

HONG VAN