Re: What materials do you most commonly use on your robots?
 

As far as tools go...
Definitely, and I do mean definitely, a set of basic hand tools--screwdrivers, hex keys, wrenches, ratchets, and the like, in English and metric, plus a second set as backup. Also a cordless drill and drill index.

Also add safety glasses, power supply, and if someone has a decent laptop you'll want to use that instead of the provided one for programming and/or CAD. This on top of Mark's list.

Other stuff to get: Plywood, which will be useful as a bellypan for the robot as well as building field elements; aluminum tubing or 80-20 (or some form of boards, if you prefer a wooden robot); fasteners and lots of them, in whatever size and type you need for the materials you plan on working with.

Without seeing any game stuff, plan to grab a couple extra CIM motors and motor controllers.

Re: What materials do you most commonly use on your robots?
 

As for tools, in addition to what was mentioned, you're going to really want to invest in a drill press and a miter saw with a non-ferrous metal cutting blade.

Try to get all the scrap material you can - go around to local hardware stores and ask if they have any. 4464 built our robot superstructure largely out of scrap material last year. Any and all extruded aluminum is good - angle stock, channel stock, tube (both round and square), etc. Sheet for gusset plates is also good.

You're going to want a full set of small bolts and matching nuts (boltdepot.com sells them, well-organized and for a fair price), all the way from 6-32 through 1/4''-20. You'll probably want a pop-riveter and a collection of rivets, too.

Be sure to check out the "rookie advice" thread currently in the Technical Discussion subforum, there's a lot of useful information there.

Re: What materials do you most commonly use on your robots?
 

Yikes! Are there any pictures of this robot? I'd really like to see how it got up to 120 that fast.

Re: What materials do you most commonly use on your robots?
 

I think there's a bit too much knocking on 1/8th wall parts here. They are heavier than 1/16th but also easier to work with. You can tap 1/8th wall parts with 10-32 thread, you can mount bearings and shafts directly into it without the need for a support block, and it's very easy to acquire. We've used mostly 1/8th wall on all of our robots since 2011. As long as you keep your frame and superstructure as minimal as possible and avoid using excessively large geometry where you don't need to, it's totally possible to build a sub 100 pound robot with 1/8" wall tubing. That said, being able to work with and use 1/16th wall is pretty valuable and lets you do some cool stuff.

Re: What materials do you most commonly use on your robots?
 

I'll see what I can find...

Try this link... photo

iirc, the base frame plus the drivetrain (mecanum, 4x CIM, nanotube) plus the electronics was 80 lbs or so.