Better Rhombic Rods !

I show the complete workflow how I make lighter connecting rods for my powerful rhombic Stirling engine with FreeCAD CAM on my LinuxCNC controlled DIY Deckel milling machine.
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It would be very nice if we could discuss there everything about Stirling engines, 3D printing and more, thank you very much Baptiste.
To get more power from the rhombic Stirling engine, I want to test new, lightweight connecting rods.
We will go through the complete workflow: from the first sketch, through CAM, to the finished milled part.
These steps work on a heavy professional machine just as well as on a cheap desktop mill.
This way, anyone today can achieve great results, even with limited space and a small budget.
As a professional CNC technician, I work in precision machining for over 25 years, and here I will show you my exact approach.
My 300-watt rhombic Stirling engine is designed as a combined heat and power unit, running on methane from our self-built mini biogas plant.
It is meant to generate enough heat and electricity to make us independent from energy providers and to go off grid.
However, for economical operation, the Stirling engine needs to become simpler, and therefore cheaper and more durable.
The connecting rods with needle and ball bearings ran extremely smoothly, but they were also very heavy and complex.
That is why I am now designing new, much lighter connecting rods.
First, I transfer my simple pencil sketch into a FreeCAD 3D drawing.
In the CAM Workbench, I set all the necessary parameters: the stock material, the zero point, the tool, and the toolpaths.
Using the post-processor, I export the program as G-code for my LinuxCNC controlled machine.
On my self-converted Deckel FP0 milling machine, I clamp the blank and set the zero point.
The end mill easily works its way through the material with a 6-millimeter depth of cut and a 1-millimeter radial depth of cut.
The finished connecting rod turned out to be very dimensionally accurate.
I hope this gave you some insight into what the practical work on the Stirling engine looks like.
As always, I really look forward to your criticism, suggestions, and opinions in the comments, on Discord, or at ownenergy.org.
Your help is incredibly important for the further development work!
If you want to support the project even further, a membership on Patreon or YouTube helps a lot.
Every cent from this goes into the development of the open-source thermoacoustic Stirling engine.

Thank you very much for your interest!

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