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If you're tight on money and like working with your hands, you can make your own hex broach for 'soft' materials like plastic or aluminum. All you need is an old HSS end mill, a lathe, and a precision grinder. It'll work good enough for FRC-style applications.

Re: pic: 4 inch Wheel Render
 

If you've got SW2010 with all the options, try running an FEA on it and what sort of loading it might see and what benefits/sacrifices are required to make it out of different materials. Solidworks Sim is butt-simple to use, very robust, and gives reasonably accurate answers.

For example, if you make it out of 7075 it could weigh significantly less than if it's made out of 6061T6 because of the strength advantage of 7075. What about 2024?

Could you make it out of steel and weld it to an output shaft? Drilling a round hole is easier than broaching, and a welded shaft can be incredibly strong. You could use an alloy steel like 4340 or 4130 that has a strength/weight ratio that's better than most aluminums. I know it's harder to machine, but you might need fewer spokes for the same strength, so there would be less machining required.

I'd do these just as a exercise in SW (think about setting up different configurations for the same model too) but if you like where it's going don't be afraid to break out of the typical FIRST rut of "pretty machined aluminum everything".

Edit: also, the rendering looks really nice :-)

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I have to comment about those "silly tutorials and guides", all good 3d modelers cannot go a day without having to look something up and watch a tutorial. It is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of "knowing when to ask for help". :)

Re: pic: 4 inch Wheel Render
 

Hey Art,

Could you elaborate on the proper way to do this? Sounds very interesting. Thanks.

Re: pic: 4 inch Wheel Render
 

My roommate did this to broach some aluminum parts for a combat robot he was working on.

What you do is take an old HSS end mill, and cut off the cutter portion of it, leaving just the shank. Then mount this in a collet in a lathe with cut off end of the end mill sticking into the lathe, with the original end sticking out. Crank turn on the lathe, and then hold a Dremel with a cutoff tool perpendicular to the end of the end mill, and slowly turn the entire end of the end mill into a concave dimple.

Then get a large piece of steel hex stock, mount it in the lathe, and bore a through hole the same diameter as the end mill. Mount this piece of hex stock in a milling machine and drill/tap holes for set screws to hold against the flats of the HSS end mill shank.

Then mount the HSS end mill shank into the hex stock, and make sure the set screws are against the flats of the end mill, with the dimpled end sticking out. Then go over to the precision grinder and stick and steel hex stock on it, and activate the magnets to keep it in place. Now use the precision grinder, which should have a XZ table. Slowly start grinding down a flat into the HSS end mill. Once you've started this, deactivate the magnets, turn the steel hex stock by 60 degrees onto the adjacent face, and again grind down a small amount.

Don't adjust the Z-distance until you've done all six faces; it helps to mark one with a Sharpie/some mark, to make sure the hex stays true. Keep going, grinding down all six faces, then readjusting the Z, and then again grind down all six faces until you reach the correct size hex you desire. Now you have a homemade HSS hex broach. To use, simply first bore a round hole to the diameter you want in a lathe, then mount the HSS hex broach in a lathe and use then force the homemade hex broach through the round hole (while the lathe is stationary of course).

It might take an hour to make your own hex broach, but for broke college students, it sure beat spenting $$$ to buy one.

Re: pic: 4 inch Wheel Render
 

I know, I'm just lazy. :)

I'll probably fire up those tutorials and guides today, before I work on stuff a little more ambitious.

I ran an FEA on the wheel and it tells me it's more than strong enough for the peak side load this wheel would have as is (safety factor of 10 or something). I probably did something wrong with the FEA.

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My suggestions, most of which have been said, are to make a tread groove and i would suggest two rivits at the start and end of the tread and two in the middle.

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That's the same design we used last year for our gyro for stearing only difference was we had a hole for key and round shaft instead of hex

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I could only dream of getting PhotoView 360 to cooperate...

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What do you mean? I never have a problem with it...

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Same here. I have a mid range workstation provided by RPI and it works without a hitch. Solidworks is more likely to crash my graphics drivers...