Robowrangler Sheet Metal Example Giveaway

[Jay Trzaskos]

Hello All,
The Robowranglers have been doing some shop cleanup in anticipation of the 2014 FRC season. As part of this cleaning frenzy, we've identified a few spare parts and assemblies which we don't have a home for.

In the past, we've had a few other FRC teams ask for some of our extra sheet metal (we do our best to help out with these requests). In each of these cases, the teams would later comment on how much they learned about sheet metal fabrication techniques by analyzing the components & assemblies they received. We know it is helpful to review a CAD model, but there can be a benefit from holding a part in your hand and trying to bend it in different ways.

To this end...
We're offering a few different Robowrangler assemblies to other teams for educational purposes. These are all spare components -- we don't disassemble our competition robots after a season.

If you're interested in one of the items listed below, send me an email at [redacted] with your request. We'll do our best to accommodate as many specific requests as we can.

If you have any questions about these components or this offer, shoot me an email!

Thanks,
Jay

1. 2012 Shooter Hood
http://i.imgur.com/bPbCCKM.jpg
This assembly is off the 2012 Robowrangler Robot - Scorpion. It was used to deflect the balls as they exited the shooter to adjust for shots from either the key or the fender.

2. 2010 Kicker Foot
http://i.imgur.com/VlnE2HM.jpg
This assembly is off the 2010 Robowrangler Robot - Armadillo. It was used to pivot down and kick the soccerballs. The entire thing is designed to be one large shell, so individual pieces which would be susceptible to torsional deflection are made strong as part of the larger assembly.

3. 2013 Shooter Core
http://i.imgur.com/LuAHXNr.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It was the rigid spine into which the shooter wheels and motors were mounted. We determined early on that rigidity would be important to a consistent long-range shot. As such, this core was designed to hold the shooter wheels in a consistent manner. The entire shooter core assembly was designed to be modular, so we can remove the key shooter components and swap them into a new overall assembly.

4. 2013 Hopper Brace
http://i.imgur.com/T6fZ8BG.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It was the very back of the shooter assembly, and held the pneumatic cylinder which pushed frisbees into the shooter wheels. It is a good example of how bent sheetmetal pieces can be reinforced using "fins" to maintain strength around bends. This technique allows for lightweight assemblies to be very rigid.

5. 2013 Climber Spine
http://i.imgur.com/VicvPIH.jpg
This assembly is off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. It is the spine of the climber mechanism. The hook & shuttle ran up and down on this item, driving along the rack gear in the center. This assembly shows how sheet-metal C-channels can be layered in creative ways to create custom "extrusion" shapes. It also has a really cool sheet metal rack gear, which we think is awesome. This assembly was used during the Lone Star, Dallas, and Silicon Valley Regionals before being replaced at Worlds.

6. 2013 Drive Module Frame (3x)
http://i.imgur.com/iBV4iUI.jpg
We have three assemblies off the 2013 Robowrangler Robot - Viper. These frames were used as drive modules in our 2013 drivetrain. They show how using sheetmetal bent at odd angles can be used to create shells which have greater torsional strength, even out of thin material.

7. 2010 Hanging Tower
http://i.imgur.com/JgW2aQR.jpg
This assembly is off the 2010 Robowrangler Robot - Armadillo. This tower mounted on the top of the robot, and contained the robot's hanging mechanism. Interestingly enough... we sawzalled the one on the actual competition robot and removed the entire hanging subsystem. This assembly hasn't suffered the same fate, and remains complete.

8. 2011 Claws (2x)
http://i.imgur.com/7UFwDIv.jpg
We have two assemblies off the 2011 Robowrangler Robot - Raptor. These roller claws were used to grab the game objects. They show a variety of very cool sheet-metal techniques.