Shooter Track Material - grippy or slick?

[Patrick Levy]

Hi,

My team is going with a 1/4 turn shooter with an 8" wheel mounted directly to a CIM motor in the middle. We are currently trying to tweak it to get better distance. There is a debate going on whether we want the track that the frisbee rolls on to be grippy or slippery.

One side says that the wheel RPM is so much larger than the final velocity of the frisbee that it should be slick to allow for greater spinning of the frisbee. This will also cause less of a reduction in the RPM of the wheel as it accelerates the frisbee.

The other side says that to get the largest velocity the frisbee should grip the track without slipping so that the frisbee exits as the same velocity as the wheel is rotating.

What do you think?

Pat Levy
Team 3202
St. Paul, MN