Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
(OP)
How's that for a title? 
We're working on a refit of another company's design for a kids' "ball room". Looking at the attached image( also viewable at http://ww w.edmstudi o.com/temp /discovery /08C03-red flower.jpg)
tennis-sized light foam balls get shot through the stems of giant yellow flowers by blower fans. Some of these balls land in the giant red flower, where every 5 minutes or so a cam in the base tensions and suddenly releases the bungee membrane up above launching collected balls into the air. At least that's the idea. Unfortunately the blower fans are noisy and have filters that clog up rapidly. Meanwhile, the cam system in the base of the red flower has worn out.
We have replaced the blower fans with a compressed-air system, and built bolt-on launchers for the yellow-flowers that trigger a burst of air only when a kid puts a ball into the tube. This works beautifully.
The problem is the red flower. We experimented with a pneumatic ram and two-way valve in the base to draw and release the bungee membrane. The results are iffy at best (and only partly because we're working 12ft off the ground). The red-flower top (inverted cone) is 4' wide and not very deep. There is only about 12" of stroke and, by virtue of the inherited design, the cable entry through the base is way off-center.
We have 200psi air and, if necessary, 120V AC. Given this, what other options could people suggest for launching/flinging/tossing the accrued foam balls from the red flower?
We're working on a refit of another company's design for a kids' "ball room". Looking at the attached image( also viewable at http://ww
tennis-sized light foam balls get shot through the stems of giant yellow flowers by blower fans. Some of these balls land in the giant red flower, where every 5 minutes or so a cam in the base tensions and suddenly releases the bungee membrane up above launching collected balls into the air. At least that's the idea. Unfortunately the blower fans are noisy and have filters that clog up rapidly. Meanwhile, the cam system in the base of the red flower has worn out.
We have replaced the blower fans with a compressed-air system, and built bolt-on launchers for the yellow-flowers that trigger a burst of air only when a kid puts a ball into the tube. This works beautifully.
The problem is the red flower. We experimented with a pneumatic ram and two-way valve in the base to draw and release the bungee membrane. The results are iffy at best (and only partly because we're working 12ft off the ground). The red-flower top (inverted cone) is 4' wide and not very deep. There is only about 12" of stroke and, by virtue of the inherited design, the cable entry through the base is way off-center.
We have 200psi air and, if necessary, 120V AC. Given this, what other options could people suggest for launching/flinging/tossing the accrued foam balls from the red flower?





RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
@MadMango, could you explain a bit more about preventing balls from getting caught underneath the flap? Also wonder if 200psi (1" tube) is enough to generate the required velocity? With a test air ram (http://tinyurl.com/32zbc9), the velocity on the upwards push isn't enough to launch a ball very high; we'd have to leverage this at least 2 or 3 to 1.
@btrueblood, yes, I believe that duct tape is from the repeated repairs the museum undertook to keep the edge of the membrane in place. Again, a solution that didn't require them to be up on a ladder would really be appreciated by the client. In the inset photo, you can see a bunch of balls have slipped in under the webbing.
@Gymmeh, I should explain that we want to toss all of the gathered balls at once.
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
With your pneumatic actuator, are you trying to use a cork gun type system?
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
You may have to install an accumulator to increase the available force of your compressed air system to operate the flap. Mount it under the red flower and paint it to look like a lady bug.
"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."
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RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
You could shape the 'cup' so that balls don't get stuck in the springs.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
TTFN
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RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
Mark Hutton
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
I like the idea of the pneumatic hammer though. If we could leverage the 200psi to get a few inches of bolt travel at high speed, this could be attached to the middle of a "speaker cone".
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
Draw a vacuum underneath, pulling it down to form a bowl and "cock". Release the vacuum to launch.
Add whistles or other pneumatic noise makers in the vacuum release line and you'll have a cacophony accompanying the ball launch.
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
RE: Launching Foam Balls from Giant Flower ...
As to a constructive idea, how about a motor in the base of the flower that spins an impeller. You could experiment with the size of the blades and motor speed to get the effect you want. You could also put vanes on the top of the flow pedals to help direct where the balls go, or add a lip to help throw the balls up. You will want to avoid any sharp points that would damage the balls.
The impeller could be a simple as a disc with 2 or 3 small blades mounted near the circumference. A flat center would help keep all of the balls from being fed at the same instant, but spreading the discharge over 0.5-2 seconds.
ISZ