ramp tractions
 

Are we alloud to use electrical tape or foam tape to provide traction on the RAMP?

Thanks :D

Re: ramp tractions
 

I don't beleive that this is allowed.... Rule <R35> States that electrical tape can only be used as an electrical insulator and it also states foam tape may only be used for attacjing components.
Sorry... We were hoping to do this same thing before, also.
Good luck!

Re: ramp tractions
 

From my understanding, no. We got burned by this one last year. We used tape to just post our team number and sponsors. We had to remove them and find another way of posting them at the competition. We got lucky and another team gave us some glue.

Re: ramp tractions
 

thats a bummer, thanks anyways :D

Re: ramp tractions
 

The best FIRST legal way to provide traction on rams is to get some epoxy garage floor paint at your local hardware center. There are abrasive additives (sand) that can be added to this paint to provide a durable non-slip surface to your ramp.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Alright, lets look back a little bit. You aren't allowed to use any kind of tape or adhessive material on the robot. The question was brought up on FIRST Q&A. We were concerned with the same thing. The teacher on the team went ahead and read the Q&A about it. Someone asked if we could take the material, sand the sticky side out, and use epoxy to put it on. The response we got was positive.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I thought you could use numbers and sponsor's decal as long as it is just for decoration?

Re: ramp tractions
 

You can buy paint with grit in it. It’s used to paint onto concrete steps and other smooth surfaces. You can get it at Grainger, and maybe Home Depot/Lowes. As far as tape for numbers I think that legal as the post before me said. Its a decoration not a functional part. If that was the case then stickers with logos and numbers would not be competition legal.

Kirk

Re: ramp tractions
 

I saw a team last night that painted their ramp with this sort of epoxy material. It contained high-grit and (looked like) a varied amount of specks that felt quite rough to the touch. The team said they were easily able to paint/prime their aluminum and it took only 24 hours to cure completely.

Re: ramp tractions
 

That means that they have just under the amount of time they would need. Unless, it can cure in their crate.

Re: ramp tractions
 

I've read the responses over at the FIRST Q&A.... You guys need to head over there and look at some of them.... The solutions vary. Looks like one team is using those adhesive stair treads, but they are removing the factory adhesive, and then using their own adhesive, to adhere the sections. According to the rules, this is legal..


See you at the regionals

Stills

Re: ramp tractions
 

I don't get that from the Q&A; there is a distinction made between adhesive backed tapes and other materials with adhesive backing. See this response. According to the GDC you can use adhesive backed traction materials as long as they are not tape. Likewise you can use adhesives (Spray 77, glue, contact cement, epoxy) other than tape - you could just take sandpaper and glue it to the surface.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Have you considered friction tape like the kind they use on skateboards and hockey sticks?

Re: ramp tractions
 

You may also want to look into alternatives from tape. Our team is using some kind of non-slip matting that one of our mentors picked up at home depot. Attach it using staples or zip ties, and you have no worries about breaking adhesive rules anymore.

Re: ramp tractions
 

We thought of the skateboard tape when we designed ours, but we figured it was against the rules and I looked on the Q and A orginally they said no, so we just got some expanded metal which provides huge amouts of friction/traction.

Nate

Re: ramp tractions
 

Let me try to make this point again - there are no issues with adhesives. It's adhesive tapes that aren't allowed, not adhesives. Not to say that staples or zip ties might work better, but don't discount adhesives - they ARE allowed by the rules and confirmed by the Q&A.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Sorry, I meant to refer to adhesive tapes. Seeing as this is what most teams are talking about using, I was generalizing it.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Another alternative is a spray-on rubber coating that's used to coat tool handles:

Plasti Dip

It's available at Home Depot, Target, etc...

It also works great on grippers for the ringers.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Let me reinforce what Gary stated above.

Adhesive TAPE is not allowed. Adhesives ARE allowed.

Regards,

Mike

Re: ramp tractions
 

thanks for the info

Re: ramp tractions
 

our team used VEX field parts and cut them up.

Re: ramp tractions
 

What you might want to try is the adhesive backed sand paper used for traction on Steps and things like that, It may also be called safyety tape, and last year we had it on our roller so pick up the balls and it worked great:D

Re: ramp tractions
 

From the Q&A:

Several Places in Q&A is says that anything sold as a tape or called tape is not allowable. So if it's called safety tape you can't use it. If it's called something else it may be OK.

Re: ramp tractions
 

i thout you could not have any two side tape for grips on ramp system.

Re: ramp tractions
 

We used the skateboard stuff and it's great.

Re: ramp tractions
 

On our ramp we used latex polyurethane with the floor grit that you can buy at any Lowe’s store. We painted it on our ramps Thursday night and we had all the traction you would ever need.

We let the team next to ours in the pits borrow some for their ramps and then they proceeded to use it to beat us in a qualifying match!

Re: ramp tractions
 

We just put on our ramps inside tires of a bike =]

Re: ramp tractions
 

You guys could always use skateboard griptape, its a big sheet of sandpaper with adhesive on the reverse side... that would work great

Re: ramp tractions
 

Remember if it's sold as an adhesive tape, it's not legal. If it is sold as a self-adhesive sheet (and not as a tape), the 2007 Q&A has ruled that legal (subject to the rest of the rules).

Re: ramp tractions
 

That's correct you cannot use 2-sided tape because it is an adhesive tape.

Brings up an interesting thought - we have often in the past used a product (I'm sure it's sold as a tape) that we call booger tape (for obvious reasons if you have ever used it). You put it on a surface, then peel off the brown paper tape and leave the adhesive behind. Which part is the tape, the paper or the adhesive? I would say the paper, since you call it adhesive tape - that would be redundant if the tape was the adhesive. A tape implies to me a continuous length of something, like a tape measure, cassette tape, etc. not something sticky.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Can you use grip tape from skate boards? Is it legal?

Re: ramp tractions
 

Well that's sold as a sheet and intended to be used that way...

so, according to the Q&A it seems legal.

Re: ramp tractions
 

Please read this entire thread for the full discussion.

The short answer (per FIRST Q&A Forum) is that anything sold as a "tape" - that is, the packaging calls it a tape (even if it is sold in sheets versus a long narrow length), is not legal. If an inspector questions it, you need to be able to show packaging that calls it something other than a tape.

Re: ramp tractions
 

So, in theory, I could have adhesively backed gripping paper? (just theoretical here, we don't even have a ramp...) Or could I simple have and paper glued onto the ramp.

Brian Richards, 1983 Mechanic

Re: ramp tractions
 

According to the FIRST Q&A (as I read it - see my post #22 above for the quote), that is correct.

Re: ramp tractions
 

another idea that i belive is perfectly legal correct me if im wrong. you could use the hook side of velcro and that usually has an adhesive back

just an idea we had it on ours before we had to rip them off for weight:confused:

Re: ramp tractions
 

Or you could just spray the ramp down with this.