Prototype Drive

[ZeroValue]

Here is a quick update with the welding plans added.

[BanksKid]

i have two words.......

WATER JET

it wouild also seem that you could loose alot of weight and machining time if you used flat plate as opposed to the tube frame.... from what i see, it appears to be slightly overengineered strenght wise..... but thats just me...

[Dick Linn]

I'm not a fan of cantilevered wheels in general. Make sure the side rails are stiff enough not to twist.

[AdamHeard]

I can't really speak for the belting, but everything else is looking like a decent start.

Don't worry, both the pocketing and cantilevered wheels are features that have been done before by teams, so assuming you've done the math, it should hold up just fine. What kind of machines do you have available, as that can affect how you would optimize your pocketing to minimize production time.

I'm personally a big fan of the standard hole pattern on the top as well; works out to be extremely convenient/worthwhile in the long run.

The slots for fasteners for what appear to be bumper mounts also look rather small (1/4"?). I would increase the fastener size on these as I imagine it would work out better in the long run (I'm imagining the a smaller diameter fastener tearing the plywood and becoming loose much faster than a larger one).

[Dick Linn]

Originally Posted by AdamHeard

... and cantilevered wheels are features that have been done before by teams, so assuming you've done the math...

I doubt that most have done the math. And a cantilevered wheel on a 1" x 2" aluminum frame member that has been skeletonized makes me leery of the durability. Obviously it depends on the amount of stick-out, but I was surprised at the twisting forces we encountered when using full 2" x 4" x 1/8" box aluminum. Your results may vary.

[Andrew Schreiber]

Originally Posted by BanksKid

i have two words.......

WATER JET

Someone correct me if Im wrong but I was under the impression you can only water jet plate. The issue being, the water tends to spread as it goes through the material.

Now laser cutting might work...

[AdamHeard]

Originally Posted by Andrew Schreiber

Someone correct me if Im wrong but I was under the impression you can only water jet plate. The issue being, the water tends to spread as it goes through the material.

Now laser cutting might work...

Generally some sort of material is put inside the extrusion so that it only cuts through one wall; 233 has done this, and I believe they use a 4x4 piece of wood inside of 4x4 extrusion when they waterjet that. I'm not sure if it would work with wood when applied to a piece with only 1" thickness, but I'm sure there is something that would.