Robowrangler Sheet Metal Example Giveaway

[Jay Trzaskos]

Hello All,
The Robowranglers have been doing some shop cleanup in anticipation of the 2014 FRC season. As part of this cleaning frenzy, we've identified a few spare parts and assemblies which we don't have a home for.

In the past, we've had a few other FRC teams ask for some of our extra sheet metal (we do our best to help out with these requests). In each of these cases, the teams would later comment on how much they learned about sheet metal fabrication techniques by analyzing the components & assemblies they received. We know it is helpful to review a CAD model, but there can be a benefit from holding a part in your hand and trying to bend it in different ways.

To this end...
We're offering a few different Robowrangler assemblies to other teams for educational purposes. These are all spare components -- we don't disassemble our competition robots after a season.

If you're interested in one of the items listed below, send me an email at [redacted] with your request. We'll do our best to accommodate as many specific requests as we can.

If you have any questions about these components or this offer, shoot me an email!

Thanks,
Jay

1. 2012 Shooter Hood
http://i.imgur.com/bPbCCKM.jpg
This assembly is off the 2012 Robowrangler Robot - Scorpion. It was used to deflect the balls as they exited the shooter to adjust for shots from either the key or the fender.

2. 2010 Kicker Foot
http://i.imgur.com/VlnE2HM.jpg
This assembly is off the 2010 Robowrangler Robot - Armadillo. It was used to pivot down and kick the soccerballs. The entire thing is designed to be one large shell, so individual pieces which would be susceptible to torsional deflection are made strong as part of the larger assembly.

3. 2013 Shooter Core
http://i.imgur.com/LuAHXNr.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It was the rigid spine into which the shooter wheels and motors were mounted. We determined early on that rigidity would be important to a consistent long-range shot. As such, this core was designed to hold the shooter wheels in a consistent manner. The entire shooter core assembly was designed to be modular, so we can remove the key shooter components and swap them into a new overall assembly.

4. 2013 Hopper Brace
http://i.imgur.com/T6fZ8BG.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It was the very back of the shooter assembly, and held the pneumatic cylinder which pushed frisbees into the shooter wheels. It is a good example of how bent sheetmetal pieces can be reinforced using "fins" to maintain strength around bends. This technique allows for lightweight assemblies to be very rigid.

5. 2013 Climber Spine
http://i.imgur.com/VicvPIH.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It is the spine of the climber mechanism. The hook & shuttle ran up and down on this item, driving along the rack gear in the center. This assembly shows how sheet-metal C-channels can be layered in creative ways to create custom "extrusion" shapes. It also has a really cool sheet metal rack gear, which we think is awesome. This assembly was used during the Lone Star, Dallas, and Silicon Valley Regionals before being replaced at Worlds.

6. 2013 Drive Module Frame (3x)
http://i.imgur.com/iBV4iUI.jpg
We have three assemblies off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. These frames were used as drive modules in our 2013 drivetrain. They show how using sheetmetal bent at odd angles can be used to create shells which have greater torsional strength, even out of thin material.

7. 2010 Hanging Tower
http://i.imgur.com/JgW2aQR.jpg
This assembly is off the 2010 Robowrangler Robot - Armadillo. This tower mounted on the top of the robot, and contained the robot's hanging mechanism. Interestingly enough... we sawzalled the one on the actual competition robot and removed the entire hanging subsystem. This assembly hasn't suffered the same fate, and remains complete.

8. 2011 Claws (2x)
http://i.imgur.com/7UFwDIv.jpg
We have two assemblies off the 2011 Robowrangler Robot - Raptor. These roller claws were used to grab the game objects. They show a variety of very cool sheet-metal techniques.

[geomapguy]

Email sent

[mrwright]

This is an awesome offer! We would love to take you up on it. Email sent.

[tim-tim]

Thank you to Jay and 148 for making this happen. This is a great a learning experience for so many. I have sent an email.

As a team that has learned from other team's CAD files and spare assemblies, this is an opportunity that will provide an abundance of learning tools. Happy learning to all.

[Phyrxes]

Jay,

Thanks for this offer and e-mail sent. Your students inspired mine to work harder at finding a sheet metal sponsor!

[Akash Rastogi]

This is sick.

Email sent.

[BurkeHalderman]

This is so awesome! Armadillo is easily my favorite FRC robot ever! Email has been sent.

[MetalJacket]

Wow, not to sound overly dramatic or anything but this is like a dream come true for me. I love your robots and your whole process inspired me to seek similar resources for my team

[Akash Rastogi]

Originally Posted by BurkeHalderman

This is so awesome! Armadillo is easily my favorite FRC robot ever! Email has been sent.

2011 is my current favorite, 2010 is a close second.

PS - Next time, send stuff to the IRI charity auction. I think a lot of people want to see your sheetmetal techniques and keep these assemblies.

[MetalJacket]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

2011 is my current favorite, 2010 is a close second.

Agreed - Raptor is amazing

[BurkeHalderman]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

2011 is my current favorite, 2010 is a close second.

Back in 2010: my rookie year, our team was barely able to field a moving robot (in fact the first time it moved was in our first match) we had no experience or mentors with FIRST experience, 148's 2010 robot was the first powerhouse robot I'd ever seen (unveiling video) and it's inspired me ever since. 148 is my idol team. Our 2013 robot was even designed to look like a 148 bot!

[Michael Blake]

We were fortunate to be gifted by 148 Robowranglers one of their spare 2011 Raptor Claws with motor and pneumatic cylinder installed after the 2011 official-season ended.

We proceeded to install it on the end of our version of an operating arm on our rookie 2011 Hiking Viking... AND it worked at 2011 off-season competitions!!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.n...43814108_o.jpg (2011 PHOTO)

STILL works today...

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200191299944415 (2013 VIDEO from a week ago)

We're _grateful_ to 148 for all they've done for 3481... they're the most generous team we know.

Our Hiking Viking ended up as one of the coolest PVC/Wood/Metal robots (aka a TANK) I've seen... IMHO... ;-)

--Michael Blake

[Ryan Dognaux]

Very cool that you guys are doing this, I sent an e-mail as well. Our team acquired a sheet metal sponsor in the off-season but is still learning how to design sheet metal parts. Having an example part from you guys would be great!

[Ben Martin]

Email sent.

Thank you to Jay and everyone else on team 148 for sharing your engineering expertise with the rest of the FIRST community. I consult your past CAD models and technical resources multiple times each build season. It is all greatly appreciated!

[Anupam Goli]

Sent an email.

This is a super exciting opportunity to show our students effective manipulator designs! Thank you 148 for providing us the opportunity to obtain these components!