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Re: Does CAD get respect on your team?
Well...depends. The chassis was CADed after it was built by two new guys. I had to CAD basically everything else except the cannon, which was CADed by the new guys when the chassis was finished. I find that CAD helped the most in motor mounts (having preCADed motors meant I can CAD the holes really really fast) and the big lexan hopper (using sheet metal to model the bends made it a LOT easier than winging it). However, stuff like the electronics systems were not CADed. The battery mount and electronics was slapped on. However, the parts that were done on CAD were probably the fastest to be manufactured and assembled. But, when something messed up, didn't work, or just needed modifications, it usually isn't done in CAD, as it is easier to just change it on the spot. That said, CAD was key to getting the general design down, especially to see how different mechanisms fit together. This year, we were able to complete the majority of the robot a few days before ship date, allowing us to troubleshoot and tinker with the design before the competition. CAD does give a speed bonus I believe, at least in the beginning. However, due to a lack of personnel, it cannot keep up with the manufacturing after a while, thus, it loses importance later on.
That and the fact that school work piles on near the end of the season. Since almost all the major parts are completed, I spend less time on CAD, and more on keeping up my grades, so the robot deviates more and more from the CAD.
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