Mechanical Reliability

[billbo911]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

2. KISS. Keep it simple. If you don't have a big budget and the help of a high-end corporate R&D lab, don't get cute. A simple bot that doesn't break will likely be more successful than a really clever one that you don't have the materials or tools to build strong.

3. Like the others wrote, do the math.

If I were to make any suggestion, these two mentioned above would be the two I would give.


I have seen a "Safety factor" mentioned a couple times. A ball park number for safety is to design for double what you think is the max. you will ever need. For example, if your arm will, at a maximum, have to support 8 pounds at full extension of 3 ft. Make sure you can support sixteen, or more. Also, don't forget to account for acceleration/deceleration forces of that mass. (Do the math!!!)By following the KISS principle, you may save a little weight. Use the extra weight to build a stronger arm.