[Andy Baker]

Sure, there are many ways to skin a cat... or build a robot.

Welding foam-filled copper pipes would work, but keep in mind these things:

a. you are about to design, build, and debug a robot in 6 WEEKS!
b. you will get to the 3rd or 4th week and want to alter the design slightly.
c. you will need to lose weight right before the ship date
d. you will get to your Regional competition and want to change your design some more to make it more competitive

If your team had 4-5 months to design the robot, do a FEA study on the structure, and analyze the strategy of this year's game by watching hours and hours of other team's matches... then you could weld up a copper frame that would be much lighter than using this aluminum extrusion stuff.

This type of aluminum extrusion lends itself to be easily put together (students can assemble it), and easily altered.

The reason why the we put together these two kits which Clark posted above is to give teams a resource of parts to use on a FIRST robot. The "small kit" is about enough to do one robot, and the "large kit" is enough to do some prototyping along with a FIRST robot, and possibly a practice drive base.

Whether you use IPS, Bosch, 80/20, Palletti, Item MB Kit, ParFrame... it's good stuff.

Our team has been in FIRST for 11 years... and we will be using this stuff this coming year. Do what you want, but I suggest that you give this stuff a try.

Also... I work as a machine designer for automated equipment at Delphi Automotive Systems, and our robotics design shop uses this stuff all of the time.

I suggest that you find a salesperson in your area who sells this type of extrusion and have them show you how to use it.

Good luck,
Andy B.