RAVEN Update – May 2023

Sub-assemblies Now Scheduled

We will now speed up the RAVEN’s build process by assembling the machines without the electronics! We’ve developed a series of testers designed to make our quality-assurance process faster and more efficient. These testers allow us to check the components fully prior to and during assembly. As an extra benefit, these testers will allow the machines to be assembled without the electronics inside. We are in final preparation stages to get these sub-assemblies started and if all goes to plan, the machines should be built by the time we have the electronics.

All Electronics Boards in Testing

The main controller we redesigned with the new processor was the last board to be prototyped and is now in the process of having the new operating system installed. Everything so far is communicating well, so we’re confident we are nearing the end of board iterations.

Blade of Olympus Project

During the process of testing the RAVEN, we like to find projects that are fun and excite us. It’s really a great way to keep our testing motivation moving forward. We recently finished one of these projects. It is the Blade of Olympus from the God of War 3 video game! The idea of this project actually came from YouTuber Odin Makes, who was impressed with the 3D capabilities of the RAVEN and asked if it could carve something as detailed as the Blade of Olympus. Not only could we do it, but the RAVEN and Designer software are the most perfect system for it.

With the Slicer add-on, we were able to import a 3D model of the sword, cut it into pieces, then lay out the pieces on boards to carve on the RAVEN. With the RAVEN, the length of the pieces was no problem. With the bit builder, we were able to dial in the perfect speed and feed rates for carving EVA foam. We even had RAVEN cut some cast acrylic for side-lighting the inside of the blade.

The results are pretty great, and the testing we were able to do on the RAVEN has contributed greatly to its robustness and ease of use.

WATCH VIDEO