[mrmummert]

Todd....

Come see our robot at VCU and Chesapeake...(you'll like the name) We used both rivets and 1/4-20 bolts in quantity....We've found that rivets are easiest for the students to use, especially when they want to quickly prototype systems and are not worried about how exact it is. There are pro and cons to both. Where we think rivets will work well we use them there, but there are times when there is no substitute for bolts such as arms that will be under stress as an example. (we would never ever rivet down such things as a winch or pneumatic cylinder except in some very unusual situation that might call for it.) Another thing with our students at least is that we have had to try and standardize fasteners as much as possible. very basic fasteners such as one size of rivets (in the case of Versa chassis you have to) and very few bolt and nut sizes. In earlier years we used to use a given fastener depending on its use but the students had trouble remembering all the different sizes and types let alone keeping them in inventory and stored properly.

You've seen our robot from last year. The arm used to grab and intake the ball was riveted together. During finals at VCU last year it was badly damaged, but we were able to quickly drill the rivets out and fix it between matches. But...when we went to Chesapeake we added braces in the corners and bolted them in place. What i'm basically saying is...it all depends on the application. Rivets save space and weight, but can and will be ripped out. Bolts can take a lot of stress, but placement has to be planned out better.

In last years game there was a lot of defense and more robot to robot contact so using bolts where needed was more important. This years game not so much. So what your robot does and what type of game you have would go a long way in deciding which type application you need.