exploding plastic storage tanks

[Gregor]

Originally Posted by Tom Line

I STRONGLY disagree that the only avenue of improving the potential safety issues around plastic pneumatics tanks is outlawing them. I would much rather see a numbers-driven problem solving method applied.

However, I can see vendors stepping away from supplying a 'safety' item like a sleeve since it becomes a question of liability if someone gets injured.

In an ideal world every safety precaution should be taken using all the advice given by the manufacturer and of that said here on Chief Delphi, but that simply does not happen. This is MUCH more dangerous than a HP sticking their hand into the field for half of a quarter of an eighth of a second, yet there are no strict rules on these tanks.

As said earlier in this thread, tanks hose clamped down passed inspection! There was a team at GTRE this weekend with the black Clippard tanks (which are better in terms of not needing fittings) on the bottom of their intake arms which extended beyond frame perimeter and were the first point of contact in high speed crashes with other robots! They passed inspection too.

The black tanks have their place in FRC if mounted correctly in the appropriate location, but the white tanks need to go. They've a hazard to everyone within 30 ft. of them. When teams (including my own) use them incorrectly, it's just a recipe for injury, and it's only a matter of time before someone seriously gets injured.

I've been hit by moving robots, smacked by robot arms, and had my fingers pinched in more robot mechanisms than I care to count, but none of these are even close to the potential danger of these tanks.