Workshop/Tools/Parts

[alexusaywla]

Hi, my team has $5000 to spend on parts, tools, and machinery for next season so what should we purchase? I know we won't know exactly what we need for next season until then but we need to spend this money by tomorrow. We are trying to purchase machinery for our new workshop but are unsure as to what would be the most useful. Are there items that will be necessary that we do not receive in the KoP next season (e.g. roboRIO)? We're interested in purchasing a new laptop so feel free to recommend one as well. Thank you!

[AllenGregoryIV]

It would help to know what you already have.

A lathe, CNC router, etc can all be helpful.

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

It would help to know what you already have.

QFT. We can't help you unless we know exactly what you need help with.

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

A lathe, CNC router, etc can all be helpful.

Though I suppose I would start with the basics of drill press, table saw, band saw, bench grinder / belt sander.

OP mentioned as well buying a second (assumedly second) RoboRio, and that would be a good investment as long as you intend on utilizing it for either a full fledged practice robot or testing bed.

I would focus on sustainability first; buy all of the parts that you know that you'll need and utilize first, then get tools that can help you advance to the next level of building.

[alexusaywla]

Originally Posted by CalTran

QFT. We can't help you unless we know exactly what you need help with.


Though I suppose I would start with the basics of drill press, table saw, band saw, bench grinder / belt sander.

OP mentioned as well buying a second (assumedly second) RoboRio, and that would be a good investment as long as you intend on utilizing it for either a full fledged practice robot or testing bed.

I would focus on sustainability first; buy all of the parts that you know that you'll need and utilize first, then get tools that can help you advance to the next level of building.

Originally Posted by AllenGregoryIV

It would help to know what you already have.

A lathe, CNC router, etc can all be helpful.

We do not currently have any machinery whatsoever. We have items that came in our Rookie KoP and our standard KoP and small tools that we've gathered from our garages. We began with a $0 and ended up spending about $300 after kickoff.

[CalTran]

Small tools gathered being, at minimum:
Wrench set
Screw driver set
Battery operated drill and assorted drill bits
Hack Saw
Allen set


Next I would acquire tools that are more specific to FRC that your average garage wouldn't have; mostly electrical tools and supplies would fall under here:
Various spools of 12/16/18 gauge wire (In both Red and Black/Blue)
A decent crimper (Preferably a ratcheting one)
Soldering set
Assorted insulated connectors
Assorted motor controllers (REV Sparks are cheap, though seems like Talons are the Tier 1 controllers)

Afterwards, I might start looking into getting some stock building materials that you know you will be using, whether that be plywood, sheet metal, box tubing, 80/20, assorted fasteners, etc.

From here, I would start grabbing some of the more advanced tools that I listed, such as:
Band Saw
Drill Press
Belt Sander / Bench Grinder
Welding set/station
Compressed Air station
Laser engraver
3D Printer
*Note - you could go a bit more on the "expert" end of the spectrum and replace the Drill Press with a Machining Mill.

On the very far side of the spectrum, if you're really comfortable (and have the space), utilize what Mr. Gregory suggest and buy things like:
CNC Router
Lathe
Plasma Cutter (If you extensively utilize metal)



Addition reading on the subject.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Look at the end of this document, it's a bit out dated but it has a pretty complete tool list.

http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/papers/3138

[Seth Mallory]

Before buying equipment decide what you training resources are. If you buy tools like a lathe and have no person to use or teach operating the lathe it is not a good investment at this time. Look into used or donated used machine tools. You also must plan for the space you will have. In our machine shop the tools take up 1/3 of the shop space, work benches take about 1/6, and clear space takes up 1/2. The clear space was increased from 1/3 and much of the robot assembly and testing is done there.

[alexusaywla]

Thank you so much! The input and resources are greatly appreciated and helpful!

[asid61]

Definitely bandsaw, drill press, socket wrench, and 2 hand drills + batteries for starter. Then 2 fractional drill bit sets (you really need both). Allen wrenches (AKA hex wrenches), at least 2 imperial and 1 metric set, preferably 3 and 2 instead.
A few fine or general-purpose metal files for deburring. Maybe a set of needle files for getting into hex bores. A deburring tool with the little hook-chaped blade is great for circular deburring, as well as countersinks (82*, not 90*).
A medium size bench vise and low-profile mini vise are helpful.
You definitely need a rolling toolbox. One with ball bearing drawers will last an age compared to regular ones. Tackle-box-like boxes are fantastic for organizing screws and small parts. Start organizing immediately or you will regret it.
A shelving unit, also rolling if you don't have a permanent space for it, will come in handy later. So will a few 2015-style totes for storing large items or projects as long as you make sure to keep them uncluttered. Magnetic tool/parts dishes also help with cluttering.
If you want to use #25 chain, the Dark Soul chain tool is great to avoid paying for masterlinks.

The first major tool I would buy would be a mill, but the associated accessories like collets, drill bits, endmills, and vises can run a pretty penny, at least $1000 to get set up well imo. But a mill with DRO is one of the most useful tools a team can have imo after they have the basics.

Stock up on things like aluminum stock tubing, preferably versatubes for the ease-of-use, and hex shaft.

EDIT: Holy cow Spectrum's list is amazingly perfect, definitely take a look at that above.

[AllenGregoryIV]

Originally Posted by asid61

EDIT: Holy cow Spectrum's list is amazingly perfect, definitely take a look at that above.

Thanks it's on my todo list to update this summer. We have a few new favorite tools that aren't one there. A good pair of Aviation Snips and a small cordless reciprocating saw are two things I wouldn't want to work without anymore.

[maxnz]

Originally Posted by CalTran

OP mentioned as well buying a second (assumedly second) RoboRio, and that would be a good investment as long as you intend on utilizing it for either a full fledged practice robot or testing bed.

If you were to buy a second roborio, I'd buy the rest of the control system too. PDP, VRM, PCM, radio, and some motor controllers. FIRST Choice and the virtual KOP are good places to get these closer to and during the build season for free. (I would even use this year's voucher from CTRE (before April 30) to get more Talon SRXs or Victor SPs if you use either of those.)

As for the RSL and breaker switch, you will get another in next year's KOP, but if you want more than 2, you can probably ask some teams near you that have been around for a few years, as they would most likely be willing to let you have one or two (they pile up quickly).

[GreyingJay]

Originally Posted by maxnz

If you were to buy a second roborio, I'd buy the rest of the control system too. PDP, VRM, PCM, radio, and some motor controllers. FIRST Choice and the virtual KOP are good places to get these closer to and during the build season for free. (I would even use this year's voucher from CTRE (before April 30) to get more Talon SRXs or Victor SPs if you use either of those.)

As for the RSL and breaker switch, you will get another in next year's KOP, but if you want more than 2, you can probably ask some teams near you that have been around for a few years, as they would most likely be willing to let you have one or two (they pile up quickly).

^^ And RSL's are extremely expensive to buy new for some reason.

I definitely recommend the second, or even third, RoboRio and control system. Depends on how your team is set up, of course, but we had many subteams vying for time on the robot(s): the drive team, the autonomous team, the controls software team, the vision processing team, and of course fab/electrical wanted to keep working on stuff.

To the OP, have you thought about your longer term strategy for how your team is going to run? It's great that you found some money and there's a long list of things you could spend it on, but to spend it wisely you should have a plan for what your program is going to look like over the next few years. An obvious question, for example, is where you work out of, how much room there is, how much storage space you have. You obviously shouldn't buy a mill if you don't have a place to put it.

When my team started we decided pretty early on that we would always try to build a practice robot in addition to our competition robot. Knowing this helped us set our fundraising/sponsorship targets, and guided us to purchase our first RoboRio control system early in the fall. This helped because we could then start teaching students how to use it, knowing that a complete second system was coming in the rookie KOP. And of course they are now both in use in two identical robots.

[vhcook]

I'm going to offer up this thread with discussion of recommended tools.

I'm going to agree that a second RoboRio and associated power/control components is a good idea. For the shop tools, keep in mind what your mentors know how to use and how much space you have in your shop. You will need a fair amount of assembly space, and you need some clear areas near the fixed tools for safety.

We do pretty much everything with a drill press, chop saw, bandsaw, and belt sander because we don't have enough space to safely store/operate a lathe or mill. Also make sure you get the right blades and so forth for cutting aluminum (presuming that's your main material of choice).

[thrystan]

Originally Posted by asid61

You definitely need a rolling toolbox. One with ball bearing drawers will last an age compared to regular ones. Tackle-box-like boxes are fantastic for organizing screws and small parts. Start organizing immediately or you will regret it.
A shelving unit, also rolling if you don't have a permanent space for it, will come in handy later. So will a few 2015-style totes for storing large items or projects as long as you make sure to keep them uncluttered. Magnetic tool/parts dishes also help with cluttering.

Definitely the rolling tool box. The red "Pro" cabinets from Harbor Freight are probably one of the best things they carry. One or two like this http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...net-68784.html are very nice since you can put a workbench top on them. It seems to me that they would make a nice addition to both your shop and something you could probably fit in your pit. The only caveat is to check the cabinet at the store, when you get one that isn't damaged they are great, but I recently bought their 26" cabinet and I had to go through 3 of the top boxes before I found one that wasn't significantly damaged.

For small parts storage, these http://www.harborfreight.com/tool-st...ase-93928.html, http://www.harborfreight.com/8-bin-p...ase-93927.html are very nice for the price. When closed they do a very good job of not getting parts mixed up between bins and you can take one of the bins with you when you need a bunch of 1/4 20 bolts, or whatever. Also look online for ideas for making rolling cabinets to hold a bunch of the cases. Adam Savage has a Tested video about the storage cabinets he made for his Sortimo cases.

Of course being Harbor Freight items make sure you look for coupons before you buy anything.

[GreyingJay]

I'll also add that, as much as we all want a dream shop, what you need to do robotics is nowhere near what you want. We just got through our first build season, and we worked in an area where we had to set up and tear down at every meeting. We did have a 26" rolling toolbox and a copious amount of shelving for bins of parts and equipment, but our only real shop tools were an 8" drill press and a 10" compound miter saw. We also had a few cordless drills, a jigsaw, an angle grinder, a Dremel, a compressor and a rivet gun, and a variety of hand tools.