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Unread 12-11-2007, 12:07
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FRC #0747 (Flight Crew)
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Join Date: Feb 2007
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Re: Cool Frame Ideas?

Our team has just started to weld the KOP frame just last year. We were amazed at how much weight was saved when not using the steel bolts. Additionally, the frame was stiffer and we never had to sweep magnets across the floor to pick up the dropped hardware. (In previous years, we would lose at least 4 to 5 bolts each time we drove the robot. That was before we started using nylock nuts.) So for something that is cheap, quick and strong, just welding the aluminum frame if a great option. Also, you might want to considers using the U rails which have the extended bar (the one used for mounting the wheels) sideways and cutting off the excess aluminum which isn't giving any structural support. Here is a crude example of this.


Rotate this
*__
l__
**l
**l

To look like this

_ _
l **l___

(The asteriks are just there to space the lines out. My formatting is stripped each time I've tried to submit it.)

This has saved us a lot of weight over the past year.

We have considered using carbon fiber or fiber glass, but the big drawback to us is that repairing broken components is difficult. These materials can't just be welded or braced with another bar, we'd need to bring replacement parts and swap out the broken for the working. We've also found that pound for pound fiberglass is about as strong as aluminum, so we have never found a reason to switch.
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