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Unread 16-09-2004, 12:04
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Ken Patton Ken Patton is offline
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FRC #0051 (Wings of Fire)
Team Role: Engineer
 
Join Date: Jul 2001
Rookie Year: 1997
Location: Pontiac, MI
Posts: 338
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Re: Best frame building material

We have used big aluminum plates separated by spacers since 2001. If you carefully place the plates and don't get carried away with making them too big, this is definitely a lightweight approach. If you are less careful about where you place plates, or if you make them huge for no good reason, it gets heavier.

One nice thing about this approach is that its easy to make multiple parts at once on a mill - once you decide where your holes are, you can make enough for one or two robots in one setup. So it can be a time- and money-saver if you are doing your own milling.

Another nice thing is that the plates serve as great mounting surfaces for things like the drive system - you don't need any extra brackets so this contributes to the weight savings. It is a natural for custom geartrains and multi-motor drives.

Its easy to mill your team number into the side of the bot too! )

We have used a number of methods to extend structure between the plates: angle aluminum, flanged steel tubing, or other plate structures. My favorite is chrome-moly steel tubing (0.035" wall for "normal" locations, 0.058" wall for those exposed bumpers) with little three bolt flanges welded on the ends. Strong stuff and not too heavy, easy to mount a controller board with just a few tie wraps.

Ken