Quote:
Originally Posted by BJC
We used 3/16 polyurethane belting which was threaded in a double helix around and through holes in 1/16 polycarbonate tubing.
It was the grippiest (most grippy?) out of all of the materials we tested and we never replaced it the entire season.
We get our stock belting from mcmaster. It comes in a variety of sizes and has about a thousand uses. We actually also used it to power our collector this year. It can be cut to any length and once it is heat welded, the weld is as strong as the rest of the belt. The best way to weld it is to buy the actual welder however a lighter would also work in a pinch. Another cool benifit is that it acts as a built in clutch. (Such as our ball manipulator in 2010) I highly suggest you pick some up.
|
The thicker sections of that polyurethane belt (e.g. 0.375 in V-belt) can be welded effectively by simply using an electric hot plate (or a stove), and heating up a piece of metal (or a pan), melting the ends of the belt on it, then quickly placing the belt in a jig to cool.