Paper Folding Assembly Line [video]
Posted4 months agoActive3 months ago
youtube.comTechstory
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Industrial AutomationPaper Folding MachinesRobotics
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Industrial Automation
Paper Folding Machines
Robotics
A video showcasing a paper folding assembly line built by HTX Studio has sparked interest and admiration among HN users, with discussions around the technology, cost, and feasibility of building similar machines.
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Sep 7, 2025 at 3:08 PM EDT
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Sep 16, 2025 at 2:48 PM EDT
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3 months ago
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I wish there were smaller, cheaper versions on the market.
The creator alludes to this when he says not to ask how long it took him to build the machine.
As a corollary to this rule, if you've estimated your costs to do a job, and a company says they can beat it, you should probably do the job yourself. I bought a 3/4 ton jointer four hours from my shop, got a quote to rent a lift gate truck and a quote from a moving company/rigger. They were about the same. There's no way they can pay someone for a minimum of eight hours of time, plus cover their truck and fuel costs for what it costs me to rent a truck. The delta on their truck costs can't possibly be enough to pay someone good for eight hours.
This is one of those things that's incredibly context dependent. There are lots of fat cat small companies out there who do easy tasks with thick margins. There are also jobs that are deceptively hard which it makes sense to hire out.
I usually try to err on the side of diy, but everyone has a different threshold on these things. Sometimes the economics work out when you don't count your time.
For the record, I didn't want to do the job myself because 1700 pounds moving in the wrong direction didn't sound like a bad time. I tried getting a quote to see if it was within the range I was willing to pay to not have to do it myself. When it came back at the cost of my truck rental, I couldn't see any way they could be charging enough to be good. Like, you wouldn't pay $15 to get a cavity filled. I would've tried getting more quotes, but the seller had a deadline.
[0] I went to an auction at a defunct furniture company. As the bids were finalized, a rigging company went around leaving quotes on the heavier machines for how much it would cost to move them. $700 doesn't move a lot of cast iron, and it certainly doesn't get it moved 4 hours away.
Those guys are very good, well funded, and have access to good CNC machining capabilities. They probably also know people who do automated assembly machinery. This was apparently about two years of work for a small team.
Showing a few of the crashes was a nice touch.
Having gone too far in trying to automate some projects of questionable value I can relate. I'm also impressed by what they are able to do, knowing people must help. Same with easy access to buying the parts they need.
[1] https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-AWu37xDwEHTDSmfManDrLzw3Tv...
[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11235411/
How much do you think just the BOM for their machine is?
How can I learn to do the same?
The old school way to learn this field is an Allen Bradley or Siemens certification[1] but it’s pretty dry and tedious [2] with good money [3] because once you have a network you can show up at any factory or bottling line as they all use Siemens or Allen Bradley and they’re always breaking down.
The new school way is AI, raspberry pi’s, and 3D printer tool chains.
It’s worth watching the Valve Steam Controller Factory video to appreciate the scale of these lights off factories: https://youtu.be/uCgnWqoP4MM
[1] https://www.youtube.com/c/TimWilborne
[2] https://youtu.be/zDmGSHGH_is
[3] https://youtu.be/aLd2Y7pQ79o