pic: 6Wheel Drive Sheet Metal

[MattC9]

Originally Posted by jb1403

From what I can see you have 4 unnecessary idler gears. We do a 6 wheel drive with six inch wheels and direct drive from 5 inch steel gears for a total of 10 gears. The gears that we purchase are from Boston gear, we than machine the thickness down to save some weight. Next year we will be most likely going to 8 inch wheels and increasing our gear size. If you need more specs on the gears let me know or pictures I can get them for you.

JB

This drive is actually based off of y'alls robot haha but could you give me the link to those gears yall get from boston? that would help a ton!

Matt,

If you have access to a press brake you can add bends along the edges to make the sheet metal stiff. Your design is using flat pieces of sheet metal. Think of it like a piece of paper. In the flat the paper flops but if you add a bend in the paper suddenly the paper is stiff and can support weight.

Designing the sheet metal to locate and interlock the various pieces is what makes the sheet metal medium a great way to build a robot.

Don't forget your belly pan, mounting points for your manipulator and the bumper brackets. One piece bumpers are the rage.

Here is a shot of our 2012 frame. It's only 3 pieces. Very light and stiff. We use a cnc punch press to make the parts. Takes only 10 minutes to punch all the parts for two frames.

Yes... In know, I actually tried to put in bends at the end but mates were already made and I got ALOT off errors... Plus this is only the first iteration Yes I have seen y'alls drive base!! I loved what i have seen from the pictures, I tried to stop by y'alls pit at champs, to get a closer look, but I was only there for a day

I may be looking at the picture wrong, but it appears that you have two idler gears between each wheel. This would make the middle wheels spin the opposite direction of the outer wheels.

Sigh... I can't believe I didn't catch this... I feel kinda bad now haha. (But hey it would work with and 8WD)

Ill update it and post a picture response! thanks for all the suggestions.