ABS Electronics Board

[Ian Curtis]

In the past I've seen teams such as the 488, 254, and 968 use ABS plastic as the material for their electronic boards.

In this thread 488 describes using .25" ABS. I looked on McMaster, and the stuff isn't exactly cheap, and as always weight is at a premium.

I've never worked with ABS before, but are there any properties which make .125" ABS not viable as the backing for an electronics board, in comparison to .25" ABS? Does it bend and then crack? Or is it simply not as rigid?

In the past we've used 1/8" lexan, and filled it full of holes. But again, we're looking to go lighter. I seem to recall a post by either Cory or M. Krass or perhaps some other individual from one of the above teams detailing how ABS was the only material which was light enough and pretty enough for their liking.

Thanks!


[EDIT]
On second thought, I think this might be in the wrong place. If it is, my bad.

Also, it is darn near impossible to find out how much this stuff weighs. "ABS weight" on google does not return anything even remotely close to the weight of plastic whose full name is Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The sad part: it took me several seconds to realize why I got the results I did.
[/EDIT]

[Madison]

Take a look at our 2008 board here: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/media/photos/29506?

We support the plastic sheets along their long dimension with aluminum angle. They are otherwise very flexible and wouldn't do well alone if left unsupported across long spans.

We cut everything from 12x24" sheets that run about $20 each, whether they be the 1/4" ABS from years past or the 1/8" delrin we used this season.

We use these plastics and in these sizes primarily because our lab has a laser cutter with 12x24" of travel. Once the layout is designed in CAD and exported to the machine, we can have a board cut in about ten minutes. For folks who're working with other tools, other options may work better for them.

[Tristan Lall]

I thought this was going to be some sort of thread discussing whether it was legal to use the anti-lock braking sensors from a car on the robot...they're probably COTS, but do they meet the cost requirements?

As for the real subject, I've played with that textured ABS stuff for rough mockups, and I wasn't too impressed with it. I'd say polycarbonate (e.g. Lexan) has better machinability and strength. The ABS was lighter, but only by a little bit. And while I'd be confident tapping a (small) hole in 1/8 in polycarbonate, I'm not sure if I'd trust the ABS to hold a thread. If you're looking for an opaque material, PVC isn't bad. It's not quite as nice to work with as polycarbonate, but I'd prefer it over ABS for something like this. Alternatively, high-quality birch plywood gives plastic a run for its money. Spray paint it, and few will know the difference.

Have a look at MatWeb for material information for plastics and composites.

[Nate Laverdure]

Originally Posted by iCurtis

Also, it is darn near impossible to find out how much this stuff weighs. "ABS weight" on google does not return anything even remotely close to the weight of plastic whose full name is Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The sad part: it took me several seconds to realize why I got the results I did.

A search on "abs plastic density" would probably have been better. This site gives the density of ABS plastic as 0.037 pounds per cubic inch. Multiply by the volume of your electrical board to find its weight. Good luck!