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Re: Sub Contracted ?
Posted by mike aubry.   [PICTURE: SAME | NEW | HELP]
Engineer on team #47, Chiefs, from Pontiac Central.
Posted on 3/20/2000 6:14 PM MST
In Reply to: Sub Contracted, Eh? posted by John on 3/20/2000 5:03 PM MST:
John,
You know John, I heard the same thing! It's amazing how these rumors get started. I've always found that whenever someone wants to get some stuff started they simply plant an idea in some poor unsuspecting souls head (usually it's someone that is most likely to repeat it) and walla - there it's started. So let's just get this out on the table for all to read and maybe it will help those folks understand how we do what we do. We, at Delphi Interior Systems, begin the robot building processes much like everyother team - brainstorm with the students, parents, teachers, engineers, and designers. We follow a pretty good process that leads us to developing design iterations that are rapidly assessed for capability in meeting our targetted criteria. This by the way is the most critical part of the process. Try to establish the robot capability based on the strategy by which you want to play the game. We don't (I don't allow them) to talk about the robot the first day - it's reserved for understanding the game and determining how we want to play it! The second and third day is reserved for translating 'how' we want to play the game into robot characteristics that are then evaluated for engineering and design realism. Can we really 'go multiple directions' or 'pick up multiple balls' with the identified characteristic? After establishing the list of robot characteristics, the Engineers and Designers go to work. We do this by divying the major components and sub-systems up and have 1, 2 or 3 people create the designs. We design the robot in Unigraphics by creating solid models of the components and assemblies, eventually melding them into one big assembly (the complete robot). As the components and sub-systems are being designed, we assign each a target 'not to exceed weight' and 'SPI dollar amount'. We usually all meet during our lunch break to evaluate the progress of the designs. Also, while progressing with the designs we make decisions on making vs. buying, assigning motors, kit material utilization, and assembly sequence. Once we have enough information together we start buying and modifying the purchased parts and making the 'make' parts. We utilize all the resources that we can get our hands on. Some is done 'inside' some is done 'outside' for free and some is purchased. Some is done at home, some is done by friends, but it all gets done. Since the building we work in is a union shop and for liability reasons, the engineers, designers, teachers, and students are not allowed to run the machinery and equipment on the shop floor. Hand tools are allowed back in the lab, where we do the finshing of components, sub-assembly bench work, final assembly of the robot mechanical systems, finish wiring and programming. We do send some specialty stuff outside to have done, whenever we don't have the resources available in our building to do. I don't think that this against any FIRST rules, after all how many times does Dean have to say that 'this is NOT a science project nor is it expected that students are to build the robot?' There are many teams (especially voc ed. type schools) that take this project as the opportunity to get their students some hands on experience - and I applaud them for that! In any case, we can debate this later if need be. As the components are completed, we do all of the assembly work as I earlier stated. The students meet us every Saturday morning for breakfast at a local eatery to talk and mingle, then we go to work doing everything we can from creating the chairmans award to animation to sawing, filing, wiring, drilling, wrenching, etc. So, hopefully you now have a better idea of what we do as a team. We are proud of our effort. We (Delphi Engineers and Designers), know we are successfully inspiring our partner schools students and even better we are making a difference in their lives. So, for anyone that wants to question the process by which our team builds our robot, maybe this message will end any and all speculation. We abide by ALL the rules when creatively designing and building the robot, period. And just for the record, many (very many) FIRST teams sub-contract parts of their robot component fabrication out - as they too, do not have the capability to do everything that is necessary to manufacture or modify the components that they use. I hope I haven't missed anything - and to my fellow teammates I hope that you are not offended by my frankness. I don't think that any of this giving away too much of our successful approach - it probably should be shared with everyone anyways.
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