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Re: Best frame building material
Buzz 5 (2000) used welded angle....I wasn't on the team and don't know a whole lot about Buzz 5, so I can't comment on it.
Buzz 6 (2001) was extruded aluminum. It was good, but heavy. The way it was built, it was another one of those flexible robots, you can pick up a wheel and have the other 3 on the ground. Great for the ramp.
Buzz 7 (2002) and 8 (2003) used .25" plates for side "columns", waterjetted for lightening. There was one of these on each side of the robot, and each was connected by extrusion. Each "column" had a plate, wheels/chain, and another plate, all attached rigidly. This was nice beacues the wheels were always in line, but the robot could flex. This allows for a great deal of flexibility. Like Buzz 6, you can actually pick up a wheel on Buzz 8 and the other three will still be on the ground. It worked great with the ramp, all 4 wheels were almost always on the ground.
Buzz 9 (2004) was an improvement on this design. We actually used .024 (?) sheet aluminum and High Density Polycarb (same as in our gearbox). The polycarb were the outer walls, replacing a sheet of aluminum. The inner sheet of aluminum was replaced with the sheet aluminum with flanges all around. Motor mounts were all sheet aluminum, too. Our motor pan that held all 4 motors only weighed I think a pound or so. Extrusion was still used to connect each side column, but next year I think they are using thinwall tube, which will cut down on weight even more.
Buzz9's drivetrain, with the motors, wheels, chain, and multi speed gearboxes weighed in at only about 30 something lbs. (no battery or electronics yet, though)
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-Paul
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