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Goal

To make the correlation between traditional vocational training and the real world application of those skills in preparing for careers that don't even exist yet.  

What will be done with my students

The farming industry is integral to the Immokalee community. However, as technology and innovation advance, residents may find jobs that they have relied upon no longer exist. This project will help students in the Computer Systems, Machining, Construction, Culinary and Automotive vocational programs apply the knowledge gained in the classroom to a project that illustrates emerging industries and potential careers in a new economy. Specifically, students will work together to build and use an open-source CNC farming machine called FarmBot. This inter-program initiative will be the first of it’s kind at iTech.

The project will kick-off in September with a field trip to the Fall Hackathon event sponsored by Southwest Florida Regional Technology Partnership. The topics of focus at this event are Agricultural Technologies (AgTech) and Sustainability Technologies. At the Hackathon the project will be introduced to the community and students will be able to work on the project in detail with input from community leaders in the field.

Throughout the fall semester, students will participate in the following preparation activities:
- Computer Systems will fabricate parts for the Farmbot using 3D printing technology.
- Machining students will manufacture precision parts with CNC tools.
- Culinary Arts students will plan the garden and choose crops to grow. They will analyze the sustainability of their options in partnership with the University of Florida IFAS Extension program.
- Construction students will design and build a raised farm bed that will be located in the courtyard of the iTech campus.
- Automotive students will design and construct the solar and rainwater collections systems.

The goal is to be ready for assembly at the beginning of the Spring Semester (January) when the following activities are planned:
- Computer Systems students will implement and support the server technology required for the project as well as assemble the electronics required for robotic control of the farm.
- Construction and Automotive students will assemble the tracks, gears and motors required for operation.
- Culinary students will monitor the progression of the crops and notify the others if maintenance or replacement parts are required.
- Machining students will analyze the design of the FarmBot for areas of inefficiencies and design solutions to them.

When completed, the farm will become a permanent fixture on the iTech campus. The possibilities exist for the farm to be used in ongoing projects such as expansion, modifications, and food production program. 

Benefits to my students

We expect that across five vocational programs, at least 100 students and their instructors will be impacted by the activities project. Indirectly, the entire campus of 600 students will benefit from the awareness and sense of community the FarmBot build will foster.

Additionally, we expect participating students to perform better on Industry Certification exams from the chance to apply traditional skills in a non-traditional manner. This skill will also be evident from the adaptive ability of our students in the future workplace. We believe that the program completion (graduation) rate will increase, as well, due to increased student engagement.

Our campus is well suited for a project of this nature because of our location in an agricultural area. Ideally, we hope students will see the value of their community and choose to stay or return, thus decreasing the “Brain Drain” trend that is pervasive to Immokalee.

Finally, we expect the exposure of this project to the community and local business leaders will result in increased student enrollment and greater involvement in our school advisory committees. 

Budget Narrative

As the FarmBot project is based on the open source initiative of the same name, all parts, plans and instructions are freely available for anyone to use modify and expand upon. On the documentation website, a complete bill of materials is provided with estimated costs for each. Our budget is based on those estimates, broken down into the following categories:


Extrusions - $105.00
Plates - $65.00
Fasteners and Hardware - $97.91
Drivetrain - $335.97
Electronics and Wiring - $537.18
Tubing - $34.53
3D Prints - $72.00
Miscellaneous - $465.04
Solar Power - $234.00
Rainwater Collection - $41.70
GRAND TOTAL: $1,988.38



Following is a detailed explanation of each category:

Extrusions: Extrusions are the man skeletal structure of the Farmbot. The parts listed below will be tooled by students in the Machining program using Raw Aluminum at the cost of $105.00 item #52.

Extrusions
4 Track Extrusions (20 x 40 x 1500mm)
2 Gantry Columns (20 x 60 x 650mm)
1 Gantry Main Beam (20 x 60 x 1500mm)
1 Z-Axis Extrusion (20 x 20 x 1000mm)
Raw Aluminum Materials - $105.00
TOTAL - $105.00


Plates: All the plates required for assembly of the Farmbot will also be tooled by students in the Machining program using Raw Aluminum at the cost of $65.00 item #53.

Plates
2 Track End Plates
4 Track Joining Plates
2 Gantry Wheel Plates
2 Gantry Corner Plates
1 Gantry Motor Mount Plate
1 Gantry Driveshaft Bearing Plate
1 Cross-Slide Plate
1 Z-Axis Cable Carrier Mounting Plate
2 Tool Bay Plate
4 Tool Bay Mounting Plates
6 Belt Clip Plates
Raw Aluminum Materials - $65.00
TOTAL - $65.000

Fasteners and Hardware: An itemized list of required hardware is listed on the FarmBot Bill of Materials. These items have been listed collectively as item #40.

Fasteners and Hardware
14 M3 x 10mm Screws - $0.96
4 M3 x 20mm Screws - $0.68
12 M3 x 30mm Screws - $2.04
6 M3 x 5mm Setscrews - $1.80
8 M4 x 5mm Setscrews - $2.40
24 M3 Locknuts - $0.96
116 M5 x 10mm Screws - $13.92
23 M5 x 16mm Screws - $3.91
3 M5 x 20mm Screws $0.54
9 M5 x 25mm Screws - $1.98
22 M5 x 30mm Screws - $5.94
48 M5 Washers - $1.44
13 M5 x 6mm Spacers - $2.60
2 M5 x 20mm Spacers - $0.90
9 M5 x 6mm Eccentric Spacers - $18.00
60 M5 Locknuts - $4.80
118 M5 Tee Nuts - $33.04
20 Wood Screws - $2.00
TOTAL - $97.91

Drivetrain: Drivetrain components are precision items not able to be manufactured by iTech students and must be purchased. Those parts are listed as items 29 - 39:

Drivetrain
30 V-Wheels - $108.00
66 Bearings - $26.40
30 Precision Shims - $7.50
1 Driveshaft - $26.61
1 M5 Lock Collar - $5.11
12m GT2 Timing Belt $2.50/foot - $97.50
3 20 Tooth GT2 Pulleys - $16.50
1 5mm to 5mm Flex Coupling $4.95
1 5mm to 8mm Flex Coupling $4.95
1 8mm ACME Leadscrew $31.50
1 Leadscrew Block - $6.95
TOTAL: $335.97


Electronics: These items comprise the brains of the FarmBot. They are listed as items 17 - 28:

Electronics and Wiring
1 Electronics Housing - $32.34
1Power Supply - $35.00
1 5V Power Adapter - $9.95
1 Raspberry Pi 3 - $40.00
1 Arduino Mega, RAMPS shield, Stepper Drivers, and USB cable - $49.00
3 NEMA 17 Stepper Motors and Rotary Encoders with 0.5m, 2.5m, and 4m cables - $210.00
4 15 x 40 x 1000mm Cable Carrier - $101.80
1 - Universal Tool Mount Cable - $19.20
1 - Solenoid Valve - $6.95
1 - Vacuum Pump - $25.94
2 - Peripheral Cable - $6.00
2 - Jumper Wire - $1.00
TOTAL: $537.18


Tubing: The following are additional requirements of the FarmBot. They are listed as items 10-16:

Tubing
3 4m Liquid/Gas Tubing - $9.48
3 Barbs - $16.80
1 Barbed Adapter - $1.30
1 Hose Clamp - $0.72
1 Garden Hose Adapter - $5.26
3 O-rings - $0.69
4 Grommets - $0.28
TOTAL: $34.53


3D Prints: The following components can be 3D Printed and will be fabricated by the Computer Systems students. The filament required to print these is listed as item #9.

3D Prints
3 Short Cable Carrier Mounts
1 Long Cable Carrier Mount
11 Cable Carrier Supports
5 Driveshaft Supports
1 Z-Axis Motor Mount
2 Horizontal Motor Cover
1 Vertical Motor Cover
4 Z-Axis Cable Carrier Guides
1 Universal Tool Mount
1 Universal Tool Mount Cover
1 Seeder
1 Watering Nozzle
1 Weeder
1 Seed Bin
2 Seed Pucks
2 Cable Clips
2 3D Print Filament - $72.00
TOTAL - $72.00


Raised Box: In order for FarmBot to operate, a raised box must be built for the equipment to attach. Our estimated costs are listed as items 3 - 6. (This is included with misc in overall budget chart.)

Raised Box:
4 Top Choice Pressure Treated (Common: 2-in x 12-in x 16-ft; Actual: 1.5-in x 11.25-in x 16-ft) Lumber - $124.00
2 Severe Weather Pressure Treated (Common: 4-in x 6-in x 12-ft; Actual: 3.5-in x 5.5-in x 12-ft) Lumber -$44.00
1 Grip-Rite 5-lb Box #9 x 3-in Countersinking-Head Polymer-Coated Star-Drive Deck Screws $30.00
24 - The Hillman Group 5/16-in x 5.5-in Zinc-Plated Zinc Lag Bolt - $24.00
Total: $222.00


Solar and water reclamation items:

Solar
100 Watt, 12 Volt Monocrystalline Solar Panel, Charge Controller, and Wiring Harness - $170
12 Volt, 35 Amp-Hour Deep Cycle Sealed Lead Acid Battery - $64
TOTAL: $234


Water Reclamation
Water Pump - $14.95
Float - $8.37
1/2" female NPT to female Garden Hose Adapter - $5.38
Teflon tape for pipe threads - $3.00
Garden Hose of appropriate length - $10.00
TOTAL: $41.70


Tools: All tools required will be provided by iTech.

12 Zip Ties
1 Hex Driver Set (1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3mm)
1 8mm Socket
1 Ratchet Wrench
1 8mm Wrench
1 10mm Wrench
1 Wire Stripper


Misc. The following misc items comprise items 1, 2, 7 and 8.

12 15 x 5 x 5mm Ring Magnets - $20.28
12 Compression Springs - $20.76
Assorted Seeds $50.00
38 Cubic Feet Garden Soil - $152.00
Total: $243 

Items