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Unread 20-01-2014, 00:37
sanddrag sanddrag is offline
On to my 16th year in FRC
FRC #0696 (Circuit Breakers)
Team Role: Teacher
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Rookie Year: 2002
Location: Glendale, CA
Posts: 8,519
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Re: VEXPro Out of Stock

On the build vs. buy thing, even for top level teams, on kickoff day, we gave a serious look at the off the shelf options, and spent a couple solid hours weighing and debating it. The COTS items available this year are really good. Even though we have in-house CNC capabilities, we gave strong consideration to things like WCP gearboxes and bearing blocks, transmissions, and Vexpro ballshifters. But, in the end, by a very narrow margin, we decided to make all our own wheels, axles, gearboxes, frame, etc. There were just a few details on some of the COTS parts that we thought we could do better with custom parts, and we're saving a good bit of $$ by making things ourselves. But, we're paying the price of manufacturing time spent. It will be a couple weeks still before we have gearboxes and a frame. But, we think it will be worth it in the end.
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Teacher/Engineer/Machinist - Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2011 - Present
Mentor/Engineer/Machinist, Team 968 RAWC, 2007-2010
Technical Mentor, Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2005-2007
Student Mechanical Leader and Driver, Team 696 Circuit Breakers, 2002-2004
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