pic: Rastogi 8wd Iteration 1.2

[Jamie Kalb]

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

I disagree. The sideplate will tend to be pushed inward by any contact from other robots or field elements. In such a case, your flange will tend to be in compression. Such a small flange will buckle. If the flange was on the inside, it would be in tension, a mode that is far stronger than the compression mode. Try it yourself with a piece of angle.

You're right; I didn't think about that. You definitely want flanges like that in tension.

And,

Originally Posted by Don Rotolo

Second, you might consider putting flanges on some of those inside cutouts. Yes, it ends up a little heavier, but because the outer flange is not continuous you will suffer from low rigidity (and low resistance to bending) at certain points; use flanges to compensate.

How would you bend a flange out from an inside cutout? Would you just use a really small (short) set of jaws on a brake, or is there another tool to do that?

Thanks!