Polycarbonate vs. Aluminum

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

I would definitely recommend polycarb for the reasons people posted above.

Another point is that it is extremely easy to cut and drill. We use our small CNC router for polycarb but a hand drill and a jig saw could be used to make even the most advanced looking polycarb mechanisms.

To play devils advocate: I can replace every instance of PC in your post with aluminum and everything would still be true. I say this owning my own CNC router that I routinely cut aluminum with and having cut plenty of aluminum with a jig saw.

[Sperkowsky]

Originally Posted by JamesCH95

To play devils advocate: I can replace every instance of PC in your post with aluminum and everything would still be true. I say this owning my own CNC router that I routinely cut aluminum with and having cut plenty of aluminum with a jig saw.

You can also cut polycarbonate with a xacto knife. The point is not just that it's possible to cut the material. The point is the ease of doing it.

[JamesCH95]

Originally Posted by Sperkowsky

You can also cut polycarbonate with a xacto knife. The point is not just that it's possible to cut the material. The point is the ease of doing it.

I can see the point that you are making. My experience has been that aluminum is also very easy to cut, especially when using any sort of power tool with the appropriate blade.

If you're using a router, aluminum should be chipped at about the same rate as PC because aluminum can be machined at around 2x the SFM at about 1/2x the chipload per tooth.

[Ty Tremblay]

I think the important thing to realize here is that both materials will work and the best material for you depends on availability and your ability to work with the material.

Try not to fall into the trap of choosing a material because it had the most supportive comments on CD.

[Chris is me]

Originally Posted by JamesCH95

To play devils advocate: I can replace every instance of PC in your post with aluminum and everything would still be true. I say this owning my own CNC router that I routinely cut aluminum with and having cut plenty of aluminum with a jig saw.

You can definitely get away with a much crappier CNC router when cutting polycarb. Not every CNC router is good with aluminum, but I've yet to find one that isn't good with polycarb.

It's certainly a material that is for the most part easier to work with.

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I like polycarb intakes. I like them to be a bit stiffer than 1678's 2014 intake (that violent shaking back and forth gives me the heebie jeebies even though it was fine), so I like to use either Vex's 2x1 polycarbonate tubing or McMaster's 1x1 tubing for some structure. It certainly can be strong enough to do the job - a rough rule of thumb is to double the thickness of the equivalent aluminum part.

Aluminum can work too, it just likes to stay bent and doesn't absorb impact energy in the same way.

[RoboChair]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

I like polycarb intakes. I like them to be a bit stiffer than 1678's 2014 intake (that violent shaking back and forth gives me the heebie jeebies even though it was fine)

A lot of people were unnerved by the swaying from them. If asked about it I would grab one and bend it over 45 degrees and let go to demonstrate my confidence in them.

[Sabrina3357]

My team (3357) switched out our aluminum shooter deck/intake aluminum for polycarb in the middle of the season because we had a small crack in it. We also did it because we wanted to decrease weight. It worked well and was able to bend without cracking.
Here's a video of us with it: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=o-mdnlaoFbs

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by RoboChair

A lot of people were unnerved by the swaying from them. If asked about it I would grab one and bend it over 45 degrees and let go to demonstrate my confidence in them.

Floppy Intakes unite?

I don't understand why teams don't take advantage of material properties like that more often.

[JamesCH95]

To play devil's advocate: consider for this year is the potential violations of R03 with a highly compliant mechanism. An intake that can bend over 45° sideways is great for avoiding damage, but may not meet R03 to an inspector's satisfaction.

The ROBOT must remain constrained to the maximum inspected volume at all times during the MATCH

Originally Posted by Ty Tremblay

I think the important thing to realize here is that both materials will work and the best material for you depends on availability and your ability to work with the material.

Try not to fall into the trap of choosing a material because it had the most supportive comments on CD.

Exactly, you found the words I couldn't.