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The first mechanism is based off of a scissor lift, and allows the grabbing head to articulate forward. It's comprised of 8 links which are 3D printed out of ABS plastic. 3D printing the links instead of laser cutting them out of acrylic, allows us to tune the fit of the bearings, allowing a precise press fit. The ABS plastic is also relatively light weight and stiff. Each link has 3 inexpensive RC car bearings, which provide for low friction actuation. In order to prevent the links from rubbing together, they are separated by a 1mm thick ABS spacer. The links are joined together with 5mm stainless steel pins, which were manufactured in the machine shop.
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