Cool Frame Ideas?

[Doug G]

Originally Posted by Hachiban VIII

Get a piece of foam, carve it into the right shape. Add some spruce spars for extra structural suport. Cover it with fiber-glass or carbon-fiber, resin the whole thing and cover it with seran wrap to get it nice and smooth.

Then peil off the seran wrap an you'll have a nice smooth, strong, and earodynamic frame. And depending how well you squeeze out the excess resin - light too.

I've always wanted to build a robot that way. I <3 Fiber Glass

We may try some more composite work this year. Last year we learned how to do some basic layups and such, but it would be really cool to build an arm or more interesting mechanism out of carbon fiber rather than a square ramp, which rarely got used. Unlike what someone said, you don't need a large oven, you can build a simple one with just heat lamps. You just need to get the temp up to around 100 or so. Last year we turned a tool closet into a "hot box" to cure our ramps.

[Blue_Mist]

In past three years, our team has welded together an aluminum frame (hot metal, flying sparks, random passerby blinded over the shield at 8:30pm, what's not to love?). Last year, we had it professionally done when we realized something was wrong with our MIG, and our team spent more time fixing it than actually welding. Usually the students weld... This type of frame is sturdy, bottom-heavy and we can always include our traditional 10-degree wedge, but can cause difficulties in adjusting or repairing the drive train. This year, we're going to try to design a frame that is just as sturdy but doesn't require extreme flexibility in the hands or a robot tipping to fix the drive train.

[=Martin=Taylor=]

Originally Posted by Doug G

We may try some more composite work this year. Last year we learned how to do some basic layups and such, but it would be really cool to build an arm or more interesting mechanism out of carbon fiber rather than a square ramp, which rarely got used. Unlike what someone said, you don't need a large oven, you can build a simple one with just heat lamps. You just need to get the temp up to around 100 or so. Last year we turned a tool closet into a "hot box" to cure our ramps.

I don't know about these ovens you speak of.

Team 100 has used carbon fiber many times in the past. Usually we've just connected the pieces with resin and fiberglass.

-1995 We built our drivetrain out of a single piece of laminated carbon fiber with holes cut for wheels.

-2005 Our entire arm was made from honeycomb laminated carbon fiber that was resined together at the joints.

-2006 Our electronics board was made from honeycomb carbon fiber.

-2007 The v.2 "Head" (our manipulator) was made from a combination of wood and fiberglass with reinforced carbon fiber edges.

I'm personally not a big fan of the stuff. It takes special drill bits and saws to cut. And the edges are razor sharp, and can easily cut through wires and flesh !

But if you're still interested in using it check out your local Tap Plastics, or The Robot Market Place. I know in the past it has always been donated to us by Battlebots builders.

I tried to get a local bike shop to sponsor us last year and build our frame out of carbon fiber (using the same techniques they use to make custom bikes). But they were neither enthusiastic nor happy about spending thousands of dollars on us So it fell through...