Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Leonard
A lot of people on this thread have mentioned using thin-walled aluminum as a great weight savings technique.
A lot of people on this thread have not competed at a New England event.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrendanB
True but its a rough year every year up here even with bumpers.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber
No... it's still required. Playing out here is rough.
|
I'm going to start by attesting to the New England defense, our robot took a BEATING this year.
195 always goes overkill on material thickness, but its almost always for good reason. Our intake this year was made of welded 3/16" aluminum. Overkill? Maybe... but did it hold up? Yes.
Here's some general tips (Yeah, they're probably repeats, but they can't be over stated.):
-Over account for electronics weight...wiring does have weight, and its more than you'd think. (IIRC we left 20-30 lbs for electronics this year.)
-Go a size above what you think will work for Aluminum thickness. Its better to be safe than sorry.
-Always do CAD estimates, but know that the estimate is lighter than what it will actually be. CAD is just mean like that.
As for weigh-ins... I suppose we got lucky last year in Hartford.
