Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Our team uses aluminum 1" box tubing for our frame, which we temporarily attach somehow (I dont remember?) before having our sponsor (one of their employee's who does nothing but weld aluminum all day) weld it all up nice. This year's frame was far too complex, but it came in at just 13lbs and is stupidly strong (could probably withstand 1,000s of lbs of force in any direction). It also is easy to work with, has nearly infinite practical durability and is very rugged. We subsidize this tubing with sheetmetal for more robot subsystems (shooter, drivetrain assemblies, ramp lowerers, innertube grabbers).

We typically use 1/8" alum (powder-coated of course) for heavy systems like drive train and climbing brackets, and 1/16"-.0404" for shooters and such. We used .0202" (basically IS paper) in 2011 on our gripper because if it got banged up, it was super easy to hand-bend back into shape.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

You should try working with 1/2"-3/4" 1/6" wall steel. It's strong, light, and easy to weld!

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Feel free, I hope it helps.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Thanks! :D

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Do you mean 1/2" square tubing (or 3/4" square tubing) 16 gauge steel? Or do you mean a different gauge steel?

- T

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

I think he means 1/2"x3/4" rectangular tubing with (im guessing 1/16" not 1/6"?) 1/16" wall thickness

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Aaaand the results:

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Cool stuff! how much does all this weigh?

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

I'm not sure yet, but I'll keep you posted.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

Looks pretty awesome so far, although I do have one question/concern. Had you planned to add a belly pan? Though I will be the first to admit that my knowledge of sheet metal design is still very much a work-in-progress, it would seem that without one there would be issues with rigidity so if you hadn't planned to add one, I would recommend it.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

This drawing is to show the frame itself. There will be a belly pan on the actual robot.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

JTN,

Think when you get to the assembly stage how hard to get your frame square with the current design. Think about the process to get the frame built and how to adjust/replace the swerve pods. Which parts are put together first and assembly to each other?

A example would be to built 2 each of two mirrored swerve modules. Test the swerve modules motors and steering independently of the frame. Assemble to frame.

The frame is what holds the swerve modules nice and square. It looks like there are a lot of pieces that have to mate together and be square and strong, lightweight. Consider using one piece of metal for the frame and bending it into a box structure. The hole to hole tolerances with be higher than multiple pieces assembled together and you will find that bending the piece will make the frame stiff and square.

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

That's what I figured, just wanted to double check :)

Re: Need Help With Sheet Metal Designing
 

In response to roystur. Thanks for the input. We have used separate pieces for the frame for a while now and have not had many problems. If we used a one piece frame, it would be hard to change ( we extended our frame mid-season this year) and I could almost guarantee one of the wheels wouldn't touch the ground.

Edit: Also, the current swerve modules are symmetrical (forgot to make window motors invisible). Adjustment is not an issue, there are 2 plates that we pull apart until the chains are tight. Slots in the frame will handle this issue effectively.