Team 703 has actually used Carbon Fiber on 2 of our robots in the past and it works out quite well.
Our
2007 Robot featured Carbon Fiber ramps and top structure, and our
2008 Robot featured Carbon Fiber on the manipulator and the base of the robot supporting all of the electronics (hard to see in the picture, might get a better view in
this one).
*** Warning - Wall of Text ***
*Note* Below are my thoughts based on my experience with using Carbon Fiber on our team, I do NOT claim to be an expert in the matter, nor can I say I was 100% involved with all aspects of the purchase, use, or construction of all of our parts on all of our robots, read "with" (not "at"
) your own discretion.
The cost is significant but can be mitigated by shopping around (We found our Carbon Fiber from a vendor on E-bay for significantly less than most others we looked at). We used a divinycell foam (High compression strength) for the core, and wood in places we knew we would have to drill in to.
It's not particularly difficult to layup if you use a "vacuum bagging" process and there is no special equipment required, all that's needed is an air compressor with a vaccum valve attached to it, though it can be VERY time consuming depending on how much you want to use and how complex the part it, as well as how much workspace you have and how many people are working on it.
We would layout the parts like we wanted them, wrap the parts in carbon fiber (1 layer), cover with epoxy, cover the epoxy with a "no-stick" cloth and a few layers of paper towels (to absorb excess epoxy, saving weight).
We would cover the whole thing with an airtight plastic covering and seal to the table, essentially with sticky-tack (It wasn't REALLY that but was basically a stronger equivalent), and insert the "sucking end" of the compressor vacuum hose to suck out the air.
Leave overnight, pull out the next day, and if you're not satisfied put it back in for a few hours with an ordinary household space heater blowing on it; though make sure not to leave it overnight with a spaceheater due to the fire risk it could potentially pose though. If you want to make the surface a bit smooth and shiny as well, you can add a simple clear coat to it.
The end result is a VERY strong piece that can support many times it's own weight (our 2007 ramp bot could EASILY hold 5+ large adults at one time without a problem. The main weakness to the parts we used was that they were weak to any "puncture" force applied to them, so while you could not take a piece and break it with your bear hands, you could stick a pen through it with relative ease. This problem can however be avoided, it's all dependent on what you use for the interior "sandwiched" material. That said, while Carbon Fiber can be a nice, lightweight component to a robot, it does have limitations, for example, I wouldn't use it as an outside plate on the frame, nor would I recommend using it to support ANY kind of axle.
Again, this is just an example I have seen other teams that have used other processes and materials besides carbon fiber and have gotten similar results, it really just comes down to what you want to make with it.
Don't forget there are a TON of online resorces you can find on how to use these "composite" materials, Google is your friend.
Hope that helps, sorry for the long read.
