Diff Drive Robot CAD

Create the Chassis

1. Open SolidWorks.
2. Create a new part (SLDPRT).
3. Sketch a rectangle (12 x 12”) and extrude to 16”.
4. Save as chassis.SLDPRT.

Create the Wheels

1. For left and right wheels, sketch a circle with a radius of 6”.
2. Extrude as a cylinder with 2” length.
3. Save as wheel.SLDPRT.
   

Create the Caster Wheel

1. Draw a vertical midpoint line with length of 6”
2. Use Arc tool to draw a half circle
3. Use Revolve Boss/Base tool, set the line as the axis, and generate the sphere
4. Click Reference Geometry → Point and select center of sphere.

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Assembly of the Robot

• Insert Components:

  • Open a new Assembly (SLDASM).
  • Insert the chassis.SLDPRT into the assembly.
  • Insert the two wheels (wheel.SLDPRT), ensuring they are positioned on the appropriate sides of the chassis. Typically, these would be placed on the front-left and front-right corners of the chassis.
  • Insert the caster wheel (caster_wheel.SLDPRT) at the rear of the chassis for stability.

• Mate the Components:

  • Use Mate features to fix the parts in place. For example:
    • Mate the wheels to the chassis to allow rotation while ensuring they are aligned properly with the chassis.
    • Mate the caster wheel at the rear of the chassis, ensuring it can rotate freely but remains fixed in place.

• Define Motor Attachments (Optional):

  • If you are attaching motors to the wheels, create motor mounts and mate them to the wheels and chassis. This is important for a differential drive robot, where you typically have motors on each wheel to control movement.

• Save the Assembly: Save your final assembly as robot.SLDASM.

5. Final Checks and Testing

• Check the Movement: If you’ve added motors and want to simulate movement, you can use SolidWorks Motion Study to check the motion of the wheels and ensure that the robot moves as expected.

• Add color