Best of: Polycarbonate

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

It's a wonderful engineering material for it's toughness and machinability. Unlike aluminum or steel, polycarbonate will deflect elastically to absorb the energy, which means it will return to it's original shape. This is great in applications that are likely to see high impact forces, since it will not dent or kink permanently under forces that would do the same to aluminum.

It's certainly a cool material. I've considered using it in many places that teams use sheet metal now, since you can get it thicker for the same weight and it deflects under load (elasticity). If you need it to be more solid you just add a flange.

I've been meaning to CAD a polycarbonate drivetrain lately. You might see it in a few days.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

It's certainly a cool material. I've considered using it in many places that teams use sheet metal now, since you can get it thicker for the same weight and it deflects under load (elasticity). If you need it to be more solid you just add a flange.

I've been meaning to CAD a polycarbonate drivetrain lately. You might see it in a few days.

Take a look at 703. I know their 2007 DT has some good pictures up here. They use a polycarb DT every year it seems. It is pretty but it is really thick stuff.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I've been meaning to CAD a polycarbonate drivetrain lately. You might see it in a few days.

Wait. See a polycarbonate drivetrain? (Highlight the blank.)



Actually, one of the best uses of polycarb has to be this little gem. Even though it isn't used on a robot necessarily...

[Nuttyman54]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

It's certainly a cool material. I've considered using it in many places that teams use sheet metal now, since you can get it thicker for the same weight and it deflects under load (elasticity). If you need it to be more solid you just add a flange.

I've been meaning to CAD a polycarbonate drivetrain lately. You might see it in a few days.

One word of warning on the PC drivetrain is that because of the elastic deflection, large hits have a tendency to throw the chain if you're not careful with your construction. This was a serious problem on our 2003 and 2006 robots (mentioned above). Our 2006 drive team considered it a miracle if the robot made it through a match with all the chains still on.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by Nuttyman54

One word of warning on the PC drivetrain is that because of the elastic deflection, large hits have a tendency to throw the chain if you're not careful with your construction. This was a serious problem on our 2003 and 2006 robots (mentioned above). Our 2006 drive team considered it a miracle if the robot made it through a match with all the chains still on.

Always a big problem. You really have to overbuild a polycarbonate chassis to make it take those hits effectively.

Though in the advent of bumpers, this has been less of an issue.