FIRST is not just about fabrication, it is about being resourceful. I don't think anyone here goes making their own bolts because they need a certain length. Just the same for sprockets, very few teams make their own because we can work with what is available. And I don't think anyone goes extrudeing their own frame rails or molding their own plasitc parts. We work with what we have. The AM shifter is the same type of thing. It will not be ideal for every robot. But for teams that can adapt it for their own use, it is available. For teams that do not find it useful, they will build their own.
If eveyone had to manufacture every part in their assembly, nothing would ever get built. I'm not talking about just robots, I'm talking about everything in the world.
The motor in your Maytag washing machine was most likely not built by Maytag, and the bearings I can almost gaurantee were not.
A team can already put together a robot without fabricating anything. FIRST even promotes this by giving the "rookie robot kit" which was started in 2003 and included frame rails and gearboxes and stuff.
With the AM shifter, the only difference is that teams can build a better robot.
Just like Inspiration can come either from engineers working with the kids or the kids watching the engineers build a robot, inspiration can come from building a two speed gearbox or buying a two speed gearbox.
Plus, say a team spends six weeks building a gearbox and fails miserably. Yes, something will have been learned but why fail? Let them buy one and succeed.
Finally, it is not like a pre-made gearbox (or any component for that matter) is letting anyone "get off easy" Every team works hard all week for the entire six weeks no matter how many pre-fab or custom-fabbed parts they have.
sanddrag
-Proud supporter of the AM Shifter
