Ball Launcher

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Joe_Widen

Thanks for the suggedtions, but what tyoe of matierial should we put on our wheels to give it more grip and eventually shooting power?

Joe, I think you got your answer -- the surface matters a lot less than how much the ball is compressed. We've tested with several surfaces and as long as the wheel and and pressure plate are "sticky" enough so that the ball doesn't slide, it doesn't matter. We shredded ball surfaces on our first test machine. When we increased the compression from about 1/4-inch to a little over one inch, the ball damage disappeared and distances improved a lot.

If you want, get some 36-grit sanding belts and glue them around the rim of your wheel. It won't work any better, but it will have lots of friction. You need to be careful, though. If your ball launcher doesn't have enough pressure on the ball, the ball will slip and your high-friction wheels will shred the ball. This may cause your 'bot to be disqualified. Good luck.