80-20 Quick Frame Concept

[vhcook]

Originally Posted by holygrail

We use quick frame every year and love it. It is good for applications that don't have to bear heavy or dynamic loads. You can build simple frames and structures in minutes. I would say that even with a screw, the nylon connectors can shear under high loads, but they can be reinforced with aluminum for strength. We love the stuff and it is half the weight of 80/20.

To expand on this a bit, in 2012 we used quickframe for an outer structure with lexan panels (known as the fish tank) around the vertical section of our ball pickup. The structure was intended to "take the hit" and keep the launcher at the top of the robot and the vertical conveyers in the middle from impacting the ground if we fell off the bridge (since bending those would be catastrophic, while a failure in the quickframe would be mostly cosmetic), and it did that quite nicely and lightly. We also mounted our speed controllers on the vertical lexan. We probably took 5-6 hard falls over the course of two regionals and an offseason event and had no failures in the quickframe using only the plastic connectors.

In 2013, we used it to support the front end of the launch deck (fixed angle launcher that hinged open to allow access to the electronics below). This wasn't quite so happy a result. The launch deck was fairly heavy and had constant vibration in operation (heavy and dynamic loads ). Most of the weight of the structure was supported by the horizontal quickframe rail, which was attached to the verticals with the plastic connectors (sort of an H-shaped frame). It held up through the first regional, but the plastic connectors sheared on us during eliminations at the second, requiring some hasty reinforcement with aluminum gusset plates and screws. In retrospect, we should have done that reinforcement during the initial construction.