[Mike Martus]

Some teams carry rules to the extreme. Please read the notes on materials carefully. Exoctic alum such as Bosch that is extruded for bolt together design is not allowed as it is not available at Home Depot, Lowes, Local hardware or a common supplier such as McMaster-Carr.

The goal here is to keep the playing field even for all teams. If you purchase a special Alum configuration from a limited source that all teams do not have ready accessibility to or even know of then it may be ruled Illegal by the inspectors. Even more so, if it gives you a competitive advantage.

We wanted to keep materials simple so that all schools may participate with equal resources. Going to the extreme to gain an advantage is not what was intended.

If you have a special materials source or configuration, you are best advised to get a ruling early on as not to cause you problems at a competition.

You can build a GREAT machine with Angle Alum. and plywood. Simple and important CHEAP!